Wale Akinmoladun
Overview
Wale Akinmoladun represents health insurers, commercial insurance carriers, construction companies, educational and financial institutions, and other businesses in litigation and dispute resolution matters. Wale actively engages with his clients to identify legal and business risks, and he develops practical strategies that align with his clients’ objectives to achieve favorable outcomes and desired goals.
Drawing on his experience in state and federal courts nationwide, Wale guides clients through all legal-dispute phases involving pre-suit investigation, litigation, and appeals. He has represented insurers in coverage and benefits disputes, employers facing discrimination, retaliation, and disability-related claims, construction-industry clients involved in defect, delay, contract, and project-related disputes, and school districts responding to requests subject to FERPA. He also advises businesses on fiduciary duties, governance issues, and complex contractual relationships to help his clients navigate challenging matters while minimizing risk and disruption, and he works to anticipate, avoid, and he resolves disputes through the strategic or contractual use of alternative dispute resolution, including mediation and arbitrator panel proceedings.
Known for his responsive and hands-on approach, Wale works closely with in-house counsel, claims professionals, executives, human resources leaders, and business owners to resolve multifaceted legal issues. Whether defending individual claims, managing high-exposure litigation, or advising on sensitive business disputes, he is committed to delivering strategic counsel and results-oriented representation tailored to each client’s needs.
Credentials
Education
- University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law, 2010 (J.D.)
- University of Missouri – Columbia, 2005 (B.A.)
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri
- U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas
- U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- Successfully defended the Kansas Department of Health and Environment / Division of Health Care Finance and a managed care organization in the dismissal of a provider’s Medicaid benefit recovery claims; administrative ruling affirmed on appeal.
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a school district where the plaintiff alleged premises liability; judgment affirmed on appeal.
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a school district and a building administrator where the plaintiff alleged bullying, discrimination, and retaliation claims.
- Obtained several summary judgments on behalf of plan providers in ERISA actions alleging benefit denial claims.
- Second-chaired a federal jury trial representing a plaintiff who alleged civil rights violations under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.
- Second-chaired a federal jury trial in the successful defense of a national railroad carrier against personal injury and employment retaliation claims; jury verdict in plaintiff’s favor was less than 18 percent of total demand, and verdict was reversed and remanded on appeal.
- Successfully represented two leading railroad companies and a Kansas-based railroad association in proceedings before the Surface Transportation Board in Washington, D.C. to preserve historical track rights.
- Successfully defended a major hotel chain in a wrongful death action that alleged a defective balcony by conducting multiple interviews of key managers, employees and witnesses, which resulted in a favorable settlement more than a year before trial.
- Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City
- Board of Directors, 2022-present
- Executive and Nominating Committees, 2023-present
- Programs Committee, 2021-present
- Kanbe’s Markets
- Development Committee, 2021-2022
- Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
- Centurions Leadership Program Alumni Board, 2022-present
- Centurions Leadership Program, Fall Class of 2020
- Education Co-Chair: Task Force of the Year
- UMKC Law Foundation
- Professor Bob Downs Scholarship Golf Tournament Committee, 2017-Present
- Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce
- Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, 2022-2025
- Missouri Lawyers Media, Diversity & Inclusion, 2025
- Missouri Lawyers Media, Up & Coming, 2021
- Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers, Rising Star, Insurance Coverage, 2021-2023
- Lawyers of Color, Hot List, Midwest Region, 2014
- The Missouri Bar, Pro Bono Wall of Fame, 2013-2015, 2017
- Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
- Well-Being Committee, 2021-present
- KCMBF’s Student Law Academy Mentor, 2021
- Bar Leadership Academy Graduate, 2013
- Jackson County Bar Association
- Treasurer, 2024-present
- The Missouri Bar
- Kansas Bar Association
- “Remember the Team: Building Trust and Vision in the Era of AI and Social Media Use,” Higginbotham Seminar, February 2026
- Case Note, Video Software Dealers Ass’n v. Schwarzenegger, 41 Urb. Law. 597, 2009