Fleeson Gooing attorneys Bill Townsley and Ryan Meyer were honored at the recent Kansas Association of Defense Counsel (KADC) Annual Conference held virtually in December.
Bill received the prestigious Kahrs Lifetime Achievement Award, named after a co-founder of the KADC and longtime Wichita attorney, William A. Kahrs. Mr. Kahrs had a long and distinguished legal and public service career spanning five decades. This award is given to a KADC member who has demonstrated similar distinguished legal and public service throughout their career.
Bill has practiced law for over 30 years, all with Fleeson Gooing. He has focused primarily on the areas of insurance defense, workers compensation, and personal injury. Bill has been an active member of the KADC, including serving as a Director from 2009 to 2012, and as an Officer from 2015-2019, which included serving as President in 2018. He has also served as President of the Wichita Bar Association and Wesley E. Brown Inn of Court, as well as on the Board of Governors of the Kansas Bar Association and the Board of Trustees of both the Wichita Bar Foundation and Kansas Bar Foundation. He is currently on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for Kansas Legal Services, Inc.
Ryan received the KADC’s Distinguished Service Award, given to a KADC member for exceptional service to KADC. Ryan has practiced law since 2010 and joined the KADC in 2012. In 2018, he received
the KADC’s Horizon Award, given to a young lawyer who has demonstrated leadership and service qualities. Since 2018, Ryan and fellow Fleeson Gooing attorney Nate Martens have served as co-editors for the KADC’s Kansas Defense Journal. Ryan joined the KADC Board of Directors in 2020 and has served on the Conference Planning and Membership committees. He is currently Secretary of the Board.
Other Fleeson attorneys also continue to be active in the KADC. Brooks Severson, a former recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, has been a member of the Board of Directors for several years and currently serves as President-Elect. Lyndon Vix was a presenter at the Annual Conference, as he has been for the past four years.