In 1994, Mr. Lombardo and Mike Shaffer started the law firm of Shaffer Lombardo, which is now Shaffer Lombardo Shurin.
Mr. Lombardo’s practice has included representing both individuals and companies in litigation including business litigation, construction litigation, mass torts, products liability, medical malpractice, and personal injury. He has represented institutional clients in substantial complex matters including, among others, lawsuits against “big four” accounting firms and international investment banking firms. From 2001 to 2012, he was co-lead counsel for the Honorable Albert Riederer, Special Deputy Receiver for General American Mutual Holding Company (parent of General American Life) and its 325,000 policy holders. During that time, Mr. Lombardo and his team were successful in recovering over $250 million on behalf of the Receivership and the policy holders of General American, including settlements of $95 million and $100 million against international investment banks. Mr. Lombardo has also been appointed as class counsel in national consumer class actions and national antitrust class actions.
PRACTICE AREAS
- Business
- Construction
- Mass Torts
- Products Liability
- Medical Malpractice
BAR ADMISSIONS
- Missouri
- Kansas
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
- U.S. District Court, District of Kansas
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
BACKGROUND
- Trial assistant for the Jackson County Prosecutor’s office during which time he tried numerous criminal cases ranging from burglaries and robberies to homicides (1981-1984)
- Linde Thompson Fairchild Langworthy Kohn & VanDyke where he became a partner in 1987 (1984-1991)
- Partner at the firm of McDowell Rice & Smith from 1991-1994
EDUCATION
- University of Missouri at Kansas City, J.D., 1981
- University of Kansas, B.A., 1978
- Tulane University
SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Inducted as a Fellow in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers in 2017
- Inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2008
- STAR: A Systematic Approach to Mediation Strategies – 2017: Completed 18 hours of training at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law, one of the world's leading educational programs in the field of dispute resolution.
- Included in the 2020-2025 Editions of The Best Lawyers in America
- Selected as a SuperLawyer by KC Magazine every year since 2005
- Named to 2020-2024 Missouri Lawyers Power 30 List
- Regularly named in various Best of the Bar lists
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Rating since 1994
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- American Bar Association
- Missouri Bar Association
- Kansas Bar Association
- Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
CIVIC & CHARITABLE
- Served on boards for various charities, clients and governmental agencies
- Member of the building committee for St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood, Kansas during which time a new church and school were constructed (1999-2012)
- Served on the advisory board of Health Benefits Systems which was in the business of exploring cost effective alternatives to provide businesses with health insurance, including forming cooperatives to purchase insurance and creating physician networks in western Kansas.
- Board member of the Midwest Innocence Project (2013-2016)
- Appointed by Governor Nixon in 2015 as one of five Commissioners who regulate gambling in the state of Missouri. His term expired in 2018.
PERSONAL
- Mr. Lombardo and his wife Debra have two sons, Andrew, who is a 2017 graduate of Tulane University Law School and Alex, who is a 2017 graduate of Claremont McKenna College
- Mr. Lombardo enjoys traveling, bicycling and snow skiing