J. Steven Pigg
Of Counsel
About
For over four decades Mr. Pigg has defended constitutional, civil rights and state law claims against law enforcement officers, public officials, cities, counties and school boards. He has litigated claims of employment discrimination, sexual harassment, First Amendment violations, false arrest and excessive force by law enforcement officers, deprivation of due process and denial of equal protection, as well as street defects and other tort claims. Mr. Pigg also focuses on defense of legal malpractice claims and serves as a private mediator in civil cases. For over 15 years he has been listed in Best Lawyers in America in the areas of municipal law, employment law and civil rights law. He has been named to Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers®. Mr. Pigg is a graduate of the International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy and the National Institute of Trial Advocacy Teachers Training Skills Program. He is past president of the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel. He served on the Bench-Bar Committee of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas for 2001-2003.
Mr. Pigg was awarded the William Kahrs Lifetime Achievement Award by the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel in 2019. He is AV® – Preeminent Rated. (AV® – Preeminent™ is a certification mark of Reed Elsevier Properties, Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies.)
About
For over four decades Mr. Pigg has defended constitutional, civil rights and state law claims against law enforcement officers, public officials, cities, counties and school boards. He has litigated claims of employment discrimination, sexual harassment, First Amendment violations, false arrest and excessive force by law enforcement officers, deprivation of due process and denial of equal protection, as well as street defects and other tort claims. Mr. Pigg also focuses on defense of legal malpractice claims and serves as a private mediator in civil cases. For over 15 years he has been listed in Best Lawyers in America in the areas of municipal law, employment law and civil rights law. He has been named to Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers®. Mr. Pigg is a graduate of the International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy and the National Institute of Trial Advocacy Teachers Training Skills Program. He is past president of the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel. He served on the Bench-Bar Committee of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas for 2001-2003.
Mr. Pigg was awarded the William Kahrs Lifetime Achievement Award by the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel in 2019. He is AV® – Preeminent Rated. (AV® – Preeminent™ is a certification mark of Reed Elsevier Properties, Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies.)
About
For over four decades Mr. Pigg has defended constitutional, civil rights and state law claims against law enforcement officers, public officials, cities, counties and school boards. He has litigated claims of employment discrimination, sexual harassment, First Amendment violations, false arrest and excessive force by law enforcement officers, deprivation of due process and denial of equal protection, as well as street defects and other tort claims. Mr. Pigg also focuses on defense of legal malpractice claims and serves as a private mediator in civil cases. For over 15 years he has been listed in Best Lawyers in America in the areas of municipal law, employment law and civil rights law. He has been named to Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers®. Mr. Pigg is a graduate of the International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy and the National Institute of Trial Advocacy Teachers Training Skills Program. He is past president of the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel. He served on the Bench-Bar Committee of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas for 2001-2003.
Mr. Pigg was awarded the William Kahrs Lifetime Achievement Award by the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel in 2019. He is AV® – Preeminent Rated. (AV® – Preeminent™ is a certification mark of Reed Elsevier Properties, Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies.)
Practice Areas
Education
- Washburn University of Topeka, B.A. (summa cum laude, 1972)
- Washburn University, J.D. (1976)
- Scholastic Honors - Phi Kappa Phi
Awards and Recognition
- Named the Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year in 2024 - Litigation - Labor & Employment - Topeka, KS
- Named the Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year in 2012, 2016 & 2023 - Employment Law - Management - Topeka, KS
- Listed in Best Lawyers® in America since 1999
- Civil Rights Law
- Employment Law – Management
- Litigation – Labor & Employment
- Litigation – Municipal
- Named the Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year in 2014, 2017, 2019 & 2020 - Litigation - Labor & Employment - Topeka, KS
- Listed in Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers® since 2005
Professional Affiliations
- Kansas Bar Association
- Ethics Committee (1991–2008)
- Employment Law Section (1995–2021)
- Topeka Bar Association
- Ethics Committee (1984–2020)
- Kansas Association of Defense Counsel
- Chairman, Amicus Curiae Committee (1991–1995, 1999–2007)
- President (1997)
- President Elect (1996)
- Secretary/Treasurer (1995)
- Board of Directors (1991–1994)
- Defense Research Institute (1994–2021)
- Sam A. Crow Inns of Court (1993–)
- President (2007)
- Program Chair (1996)
- Topeka Lawyers Club
- Bench Bar Committee of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas (2001–2003)
Publications & Presentations
Investigating Officer Involved Shootings in the Wake of Ferguson, Presentation to Kansas Internal Affairs Investigators Association, February 22, 2018.
Deposing the Plaintiff with an Eye Toward Summary Judgment, Kansas Association of Defense Counsel Annual Seminar, December 2, 2017.
Hands Up, Don’t Shoot – Defending Police Officers in the Wake of Ferguson, City Attorneys Association of Kansas Annual Seminar, October 9, 2015.
The Medical Cost of Custody, Kansas Sheriff Magazine, Spring 2013 (with Sarah Morse)
Law Enforcement Liability: When It’s Pouring Lawsuits, Where Do You Find an Umbrella?, Fall Training Conference, Kansas Sheriff’s Association, November 9, 2011.
Kansas Tort Claims Update, Kansas Association of City Attorneys, June 3, 2011.
When the Home Is Not A Safe Haven, The Hot Pursuit Exception, Kansas Sheriff Magazine, Spring 2011.
Key Considerations for County Personnel Policies, 34th Annual Conference, Kansas County Commissioners Association, May 5, 2010.
Civil Trial Practice in Federal Court, Seminar Materials, Kansas Attorney General Call, February 4, 2010.
Police Liability Seminar, Lorman Education Services, April, 2009.
KBA Kansas Annual Survey of Law Handbook – co-author of chapter on Civil Rights – 2006, 2007 and 2008 editions.
Employment Law Seminar by Kansas State Council for Human Resource Management – author and presenter of section on Employers Handling of First Amendment and 1983 Claims – February 2008.
2004 – KBA Continuing Legal Education – The Role of the Governmental Attorney – co-author and presenter of section on Agency Counsel’s Role and Relationship with Insurance Defense Counsel: Perspectives from the Outside and the Inside.
The Defense Perspective: Common Mistakes Plaintiff Lawyers Make, Basic Trial Skills, Trial Techniques Institute, Kansas Trial Lawyers Association, Seminar Materials, March 2000.
Getting the Goods for the Employer: Discovery in Employment Cases, Annual Employment Law Institute, Kansas Bar Association Seminar Materials, September 2000