Hon. Jay A. Daugherty

Arbitrator of the Year. Best Lawyers in America Arbitrator of the Year 2023.

Mediator of the Year. Best Lawyers in America, as voted by the Kansas City bar, has selected Jay Daugherty as Kansas City’s Mediator of the Year in 2017, 2019 and 2021.

As a Circuit Judge for 20 years and an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) for 7 years, Judge Daugherty conducted hundreds of jury trials and thousands of court trials in nearly every area of the law. During his time as a judge, Jay was one of Missouri's leaders in the development of the practice of mediation and arbitration having served as the Chair of the Missouri Supreme Court ADR Commission for over a decade. In this role he helped to guide the development of MIssouri's Rule 17 which governs ADR in MIssouri.

Judge Daugherty left the bench in 2010 and began an exclusive ADR practice. Judge Daugherty is now the principle in the firm Jay Daugherty Mediation and Arbitration (JDM) which features a 12 conference room ADR specific facility on the Plaza in central Kansas City that employs ten (10) mediators and arbitrators.

In his personal ADR practice, Jay works full-time and has now conducted over 3,500 mediations and been involved in over 50 arbitrations practicing both locally and nationally. The result is extensive mediation, negotiation and litigation experience in nearly every area of the law.

• University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada - Masters in the Judiciary, 1995
• University of Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri Juris Doctor, 1981
• University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri Bachelor of Science in Public Administration, 1978

• Best Lawyers Arbitrator of the Year 2023
• Kansas City Mediator of the Year 2017, 2019 and 2020
• Member, American Arbitration Association
• Member, International Academy of Mediators
• Member, National Association of Distinguished Neutrals
• ALS Association, Chairman of the National Board of Trustees, 2009 – 2014
• ALS Association, George Brett ALS Volunteer of the Year Award, 2008
• ALS Association National Board of Trustees, Los Angeles, California (Member of the Board, 1995-2015; Vice-Chair, 2003-2004)
• Boy Scouts of America, Troop 601 (Chairman of the Board, 2003-2005)
• Kentucky Colonel, Appointed by Kentucky Governor Paul E. Patton, 2000
• George Brett Hall of Fame Induction Celebration, Chair, 1999
• Missouri Bar
• UMKC Law Foundation
• Country Club Christian Church

$525.00 per hour

The billing rate is $525 per hour for preparation and conducting most mediations. However, the rate is $615 per hour for class action/multiparty cases if the mediation involves 4 or more parties. If the matter does not settle as a result of the mediation, our Mediators will continue to mediate the case by phone as long as there is any possibility mediation can resolve the case. There is no charge for follow up services unless the follow-up sessions are very time consuming and the time results in a settlement. For mediations requiring travel outside of the metropolitan area, any travel time is billed at 1/2 the hourly rate plus reasonable expenses for lodging, food and air. The parties to the case will share all mediation fees and expenses equally, unless otherwise agreed.