Kansas City Law Firm Van Osdol & Magruder is pleased to announce that their client Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center (SURHC) has officially opened the doors to its newest facility. The new building is located on land adjacent to the former building at 825 Euclid Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri.

Construction began in 2009 and is now completed. The new three story Health Center has 68,000 square feet of space and is home to 37 exam rooms, 13 dental operatories, and a culturally sensitive way-finding system for patients. Everything from the decor to the lighting creates a welcoming and healing environment. In addition to the inside environment, construction on the building met criteria for the Silver Level of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED.

Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center has seven other locations in addition to the Downtown Campus building. Most of these locations are located in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Shawn L. Stogsdill, attorney at Kansas City Law Firm Van Osdol & Magruder P.C., is planning to attend a medical mission in Africa next month. Stogsdill will be involved in the mission for about two weeks and everyone at Van Osdol & Magruder wishes him safe travels and a safe return home.

Stogsdill has been with Van Osdol & Magruder since 2008 and specializes in corporate work, taxation, estate planning and real estate. He has served on the Board of Directors for both Transformational Journeys and Pets for Life, and currently is an Adjunct Professor of Constitutional Law at William Jewell College. To read more about him, visit his complete bio here: http://www.vomer.com/attorneys/shawn-stogsdill/

Kansas City lawyer Mindy Ward of Van Osdol & Magruder shared the following advice for those who may be considering some changes or updates to their current estate planning in 2012. Mindy Ward has extensive knowledge in the fields of estate and business planning and has been an important part of our team since 2003. Read her full bio here: http://www.vomer.com/attorneys/melinda-ward/

Keeping Everything Up To Date In Kansas City

Most people put a lot of thought into creating an extensive estate plan to save their family from the complexities that can accompany death or incapacity. However, many assume that once their plan has been executed, that’s it. They file the documents away safely and forget about them. While most attorneys attempt to draft a plan that is built to last, those documents that were proper a few years ago may no longer be appropriate today. It is important to review your estate planning documents at least every three to five years to make sure that they accurately reflect your current wishes. An estate plan should be reviewed more frequently when changes in the law or life circumstances dictate.

Some common situations when you should dust off that Will or trust include 1) major life changes, such as birth, illness or death or divorce or disability for you, a beneficiary or fiduciary; 2) change in financial status (receipt of inheritance can change things or decline in your estate value may dictate a simpler plan); 3) change in assets (are the assets titled properly or do they affect the overall distribution of your estate, especially true with business interests?); 4) change in residence (estate planning is governed by state laws and can need revising if you move to another state or, in Kansas, maybe even across the street); and 5) changes in existing tax laws (lots of changes have occurred over the last three years in this area and there will be more changes in the next few years).

As part of this review process, it is important to revisit the naming of beneficiaries on life insurance and retirement accounts as well. At the same time, it is always good to examine titling of assets if you have a revocable trust to determine if assets are properly titled in trust name. Estate planning is a lifelong, dynamic process. It is important to review your plan as your life, the lives of your beneficiaries and fiduciaries and the laws change. If it has been a while since you reviewed your documents, take some time to do this. You can always contact us to visit with you and review your overall plan to ensure that your assets, your spouse and your children are best protected.

Van Osdol & Magruder lawyer and chief strategic officer Bob Beachy was recently named a new member of the advisory board of the Children’s Mercy Bioethics Center (CMBC).

Founded in fall 2009 to analyze ethical issues in children’s health, the CMBC has become a nationally recognized authority in pediatric bioethics. The CMBC has worked closely with the University of Kansas School of Medicine to develop an ethics program for their Clinical and Translational Science Center, launched the Pediatric Bioethics Certificate Program and has written countless papers, books and held conferences for pediatricians and policy makers worldwide.

Bob Beachy has held several leadership positions in several local civic organizations and also served as the president of the Kansas City Estate Planning Society and the Kansas City Hospital Lawyers Association. His strong background in business and business law make him a valuable resource for businesses of all sizes and on a variety of strategic and legal issues.

Kansas City law firm, Van Osdol & Magruder, P.C. is proud to announce the selection of Tom Willy as the new president of the firm, effective Jan. 1. Willy takes over the position of president after 18 years as a director and shareholder. He’s also the fifth person to be elected as president in the firm’s 70 plus year history.

Willy has over 30 years experience in business law and has been serving Van Osdol & Magruder clients with intelligence and thoughtful responsiveness. Willy was editor-in-chief of the Law Review and graduated first in his class from the University of Missouri at Kansas City in 1974. To learn more about Willy’s experience and accomplishments, visit his bio here: http://www.vomer.com/attorneys/thomas-willy/

Former President Bob Beachy is stepping down to the role of chief strategic officer after his time as president of Van Osdol & Magruder. He plans to focus more on the firm’s legal practice and remain a senior partner, helping clients for many years to come.

Van Osdol & Magruder, P.C. is located in Downtown Kansas City, Mo. Trademarked as The Biggest Little Law Firm® in Kansas City, the firm focuses on maximizing value for its clients while remaining mindful of legal expenses. The firm’s lawyers have a wide range of skills and backgrounds and concentrate on being part of successful outcomes for individuals, businesses and their owners and employees and top-notch nonprofit organizations (www.vomer.com). Twitter @VanOsdolLaw

Kansas City, Mo.— Van Osdol & Magruder, P.C., The Biggest Little Law Firm® in Kansas City, was recently named to the Kansas City’s list of 25 Under 25 for 2012 by Thinking Bigger Business Media. The award honors the top businesses with fewer than 25 employees.

To be considered for the award, companies had to meet three basic requirements: the company must have 25 or fewer full-time employees, operate a for-profit business for three or more years and must be located in the greater Kansas City area.

Van Osdol & Magruder, P.C., was selected as one of the honorees from over 1,000 nominations. An independent panel of judges consisting of leaders from the business community chose the winning companies. The Class of 2012 companies average 12 employees, 12 years in business and $2.5 million in annual revenues.

Van Osdol & Magruder, P.C., will be accepting the award on March 3rd at the black-tie gala celebration, “Building the City of Entrepreneurs.” Tickets for the awards gala are on sale at www.25Under25.com. The evening will feature a cocktail reception, dinner, awards presentation and entertainment by the Dave Stephens Band.

Van Osdol & Magruder, P.C. is located in Downtown Kansas City, Mo. Trademarked as The Biggest Little Law Firm® in Kansas City, the firm focuses on maximizing value for its clients while remaining mindful of legal expenses. The firm’s lawyers have a wide range of skills and backgrounds and concentrate on being part of successful outcomes for individuals, businesses and their owners and employees and top-notch nonprofit organizations (www.vomer.com). Twitter @VanOsdolLaw

Kansas City law firm, Van Osdol & Magruder recently developed the Client Advantage Program to help local businesses comply with organizational formalities such as filing annual report documents and maintaining annual meetings and minutes.

The Client Advantage Program was created to satisfy these annual necessities in a simpler streamlined way. For a flat fee of $350, clients get three services: (1) An annual meeting with an attorney; (2) Preparation of annual minutes/consents and filing of the Annual Registration Reports; and (3) Registered Agent services.

To find out more about this program or to schedule an appointment, call 816-421-0644.