This guide sits under the Missouri guide, which covers Missouri's advertising rules and AI opinion. The Kansas side answers to different rules, covered in the Kansas guide. Here the focus is how to write for a market that crosses the line.
Two states, one search box
A reader in Olathe and a reader in Lee's Summit may type the same question, but the answers depend on different state law. A clear example is the small estate path. Missouri's statewide affidavit forms cap it at $40,000 and require thirty days since the death. Kansas sets its limit at $75,000 under K.S.A. 59-1507b. A page that gives one number to both readers is wrong for one of them, and an AI answer drawn from it repeats the mistake.
The advertising rules differ too. Missouri Rule 4-7.1(c) requires a results claim to state that past results afford no guarantee of future results, and Rule 4-7.2(f) requires an advertising disclaimer. Kansas Rule 7.1 is shorter, and its comments say the unjustified expectation standard would ordinarily preclude ads about client results. A firm with offices on both sides should write each page to the rules of the state it addresses.
Four Missouri counties
Kansas City, Missouri crosses county lines, and each county has its own circuit court. Jackson County is the 16th Judicial Circuit. Clay County is the 7th, in Liberty, and Platte County is the 6th, in Platte City. The Missouri state roster places Independence, Blue Springs, Raytown, and Grandview in Jackson County, and lists Lee's Summit in both Cass and Jackson. A Northland client in Clay or Platte County does not go to the downtown courthouse.
Getting the local court facts right
| Court | State | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Jackson County Courthouse, 16th Circuit | Missouri | 415 E 12th Street, Kansas City |
| Eastern Jackson County Courthouse, 16th Circuit | Missouri | 308 W Kansas Ave, Independence |
| Johnson County District Court, 10th District | Kansas | 150 W Santa Fe St, Olathe |
| Wyandotte County District Court, 29th District | Kansas | 710 N 7th St, Kansas City |
The 16th Circuit hears juvenile matters at the Family Justice Center, 625 E 26th St.
What we build for Kansas City firms
- Practice-area pages that name the governing state and the attorneys' licenses in the opening lines
- Separate Missouri and Kansas pages where the firm is licensed in both, each written to its own rules
- County pages for Clay, Platte, Johnson, or Wyandotte only where you take clients there
The personal injury guide and the estate planning guide show what those pages carry. Compare the St. Louis market, where the line runs between a city and a county instead. When a competitor on the other side of the line keeps getting named, read why AI names competing firms instead of yours.
Common questions
Should a Kansas City, Missouri firm publish pages for Kansas readers?
Only if the firm has attorneys licensed in Kansas and takes those matters. If so, each page should say which state's law applies, who is licensed there, and follow the Kansas advertising rules rather than Missouri's.
Which small estate limit applies in Kansas City?
It depends on the state that governs the estate. Missouri's statewide forms use $40,000 and a thirty day wait; Kansas uses $75,000 under K.S.A. 59-1507b. A page should state both or address one state only.
Keep reading
Sources
- Mid-America Regional Council, Cities by County boundary layer (Kansas City, Missouri in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass counties)
- 16th Judicial Circuit Court of Jackson County, Location Maps
- 16th Judicial Circuit Court of Jackson County, About the Court
- Missouri Courts, 7th Judicial Circuit (Clay County)
- Missouri Courts, 6th Judicial Circuit (Platte County)
- Kansas Judicial Branch, 10th Judicial District (Johnson County)
- Kansas Judicial Branch, 29th Judicial District (Wyandotte County)
- Missouri Secretary of State, Missouri Roster, Missouri Cities
- Missouri Courts, small estate affidavit, testate, form PR17 (rev. 01-24)
- Kansas Revisor of Statutes, K.S.A. 59-1507b (linked above)
- Supreme Court of Missouri, Rule 4-7.1 (effective July 1, 2010)
- Kansas Judicial Branch, Rule 7.1 with comments