Simon Bolivar (Chip) Buckner

Simon Bolivar Buckner IV, genealogical information

Professional

Bartlett and Company, Kansas City, Missouri (1998-)

Corporate Counsel - a one man legal department that pretty routinely:

handles corporate governmental interaction with the USDA (GIPSA and FGIS), FDA, EPA, DOL (both OSHA and Wage and Hour), CFTC, OFCCP and their state counterparts

unravels (or ties up, as the case may be) problems with grain, flour, cattle, fertilizer and chemical contracts

finds solutions to problems that do not appear to fall within anyone else's responsibility

Nickolaus, Green & Beetem, P.C., Attorneys at Law, Jefferson City, Missouri (1997-98)

Buckner & Buckner, P.C., Attorneys at Law, Jefferson City, Missouri (1993-97)

assisted people who were working with and against the state, state agencies and local governments, particularly in connection with licensing and certification issues, matters relating to politics and campaign finance, and the presence, absence and wording of names and propositions on election ballots

Hawkins Law Office, Jefferson City, Missouri (1993)

Office of the Attorney General, Jefferson City, Missouri (1985-1993)

Deputy Chief Counsel, Public Protection Division (1989-1993)

responsible for supervision of consumer protection offices in Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Jefferson City and Cape Girardeau

general counsel to Missouri Health Facilities Review Committee (a responsibility that presented repeated opportunities to show creativity when litigating unusual issues in state administrative law)

Managing Attorney, Kansas City Enforcement Office (1988-1989)

litigator; counselor to young lawyers; recruiter of new talent; disaster control officer; devisor of way to correct commercial behavior that, although undesirable, was not obviously illegal

specialist in quixotic litigation

general counsel to Missouri Health Facilities Review Committee

Legislative Liaison (1987-1988)

testified before legislative committees on behalf of the attorney general, monitored substance and progress of legislation and advised potentially affected persons of developments

became "designated expert" on Missouri Open Meetings and Records ("Sunshine") Law

general counsel to Missouri Health Facilities Review Committee

sometime member of the Missouri Housing Development Commission

Staff Attorney, Licensing Unit (1985-1987)

represented licensing agencies in contested proceedings before Administrative Hearing Commission

Hall, Estill, Gable, Collingsworth and Nelson, P.C., Tulsa, Oklahoma (1983-85)

Associate, Energy Division (1984-85)

Associate, Litigation Division (1983-84)

Interesting projects:

Buckner & Buckner, PC

Akin v. Missouri Gaming Commission, (Cole County, 1996) (successfully challenging the constitutionality of casino "boats in moats")

Thompson v. Committee on Legislative Research, 932 S.W.2d 392 (Mo. 1996) (invalidating the statute that directs the Committee on Legislative Research to prepare ballot language on initiative petitions)

Public Water Supply District No. 16 of Jackson County v. RLDS, (Jackson County, 1996)

Akin v. Lohmann, Missouri Supreme Court, 934 S.W2d 295 (Mo. 1996) (successfully challenging the enactment of the Outstanding Schools Act, though not getting the desired remedy)

Hancock II litigation (1994) (represented the Congressman in three pieces of litigation aimed at removing his proposition from the ballot)

Hawkins Law Office

Missouri (now Midwest) Independent Bank’s foreclosure upon and acquisition of Midland Bank;

Savannah R-III School District v. Public School Retirement System, 912 S.W.2d 574 (Mo. App. W.D. 1995) (trial court work only)

Office of the Attorney General

Ketcham v. Blunt, 847 S.W.2d 824 (Mo. App. W.D. 1992) (prevented removal of term limits initiative from November 1992 ballot)

Missouri v. Bornhoft (to compel the U.S. Corps of Engineers to allow the Missouri River to flow in the channel, rather than to retain it in upstream reservoirs)

Quinn v. Millsap, 491 U.S. 95 (1989) (St. Louis City/County Board of Freeholders)

Webster v. Drexel, Burnham (original writ of quo warranto in Missouri Supreme Court)

State ex rel. Webster v. Watson and Hughey, ("charity" sweepstakes postcards)

Public Citizen v. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 848 F.2d 256 (D.C. Cir. 1988)(federal rulemaking litigation related to corporate average fuel economy ratings)

Nationwide recall of exploding ambulances built on Ford chassis

Publications:

Rezoning in Kansas: Legislation, Adjudication or Confusion, 30 U. Kan. L. Rev. 571-97 (1982) (winner of academic prize for best student publication)

Interest-Free Loans after Hardee and Dickman, 31 U. Kan. L. Rev. 625-47 (1983) (republished on Westlaw)

Presentations:

The Mint Julep (various times to various community groups)

Unlawful Merchandising Practices, Missouri Consumer Law and Practice (MoBar CLE, Kansas City 9/88 and Jefferson City 10/88)

Statutory Protection for Computer Systems, Law of Computers and Technology Law (KC Metropolitan Bar Association and UMKC Continuing Legal Education, 9/91)

dozens of consumer protection seminars for lay audiences

Admitted to the bars of:

United States Supreme Court
United States Circuit Courts of Appeals for the 8th, 10th and DC Circuits
Missouri Supreme Court (by examination)
Oklahoma Supreme Court (by examination) (resigned after moving back to Missouri, 1986)

Education

University of Kansas School of Law, Lawrence, Kansas (J.D. 1983)

Schneider, Shamburg and May award for best student publication (1982)

Law Review (1981-1983)

Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts (B.A. Economics, 1979)

Editor, Williams Record (1978)

President, Garfield-Wood (residential) House (1978)

Member, various student-faculty committees

Director, Massachusetts College Republican Union (1976)

Southwest Public High School, Kansas City, Missouri (Diploma, 1975)

Debate

Marching, concert and jazz bands (clarinets and saxophones)

Operetta lead: Oliver (1972)

Community

Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop 10 (Leawood KS, 2002 - )

Cubmaster, Pack 3002 (Overland Park KS 2001 - 02)

Commissioner, Jefferson City Historic Preservation Commission (February 1992 - 98) (Chairman, 1996)

Rotary Club (President, 1995-96) (District Governor's Representative to mid-Missouri clubs, 1997-98)

Cole County MO Republican Committee (1994 - 98)

Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Kansas City, Missouri (choir)

Christ Episcopal Church, Overland Park, Kansas (choir)

Grace Episcopal Church, Jefferson City, Missouri (choir)

Trinity Episcopal Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma (choir, sang for Thomas Matthews)

Community Theater: favorite roles include Oliver and Fagin in Oliver, Captin E.J. Smith in Titanic, a quartet member in Music Man, and Bellomy in The Fantasticks

Personal

Family:

Deborah Ground Buckner (m. 6/89) is a full-time mother

Simon B. (V) (b. 12/90) and Jordan Lee (b. 7/92) are perfect.

Terra is the family corgi.

Other pastimes:

noodle around on Yamaha WX-5 MIDI wind controller (think “electronic saxophone”) with VL70-m synthesizer

American Contract Bridge League North American Championships: St. Louis (Spring 1987) and Baltimore (Fall 1987)

Computer hobbyist:

currently "play" with Delphi (object Pascal) on a basement Linux network;

built MS-DOS machine from a Heathkit (1985);

learned first computer language (1971)

Other interesting experiences:

Chorister, Trinity Choir, Grace and Holy Trinity (Episcopal) Cathedral (Summer 2006)
sang at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin; St. Davids Cathedral, Wales; and Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford

Intern, CORO Foundation (Kansas City, Summer 1979)
spent time in KC City Hall, Armco Steel, UPI and UAW as part of a project to expose college students to government, industry, labor and the media to see how a city works from each of those perspectives

Intern, Senator John C. Danforth (Washington D.C., Summer 1978)
spent mornings in "legislative correspondence" and afternoons working with Senate Ethics Committee to design scientifically reliable ways to ascertain public opinion

Security guard, Republican National Convention (Kansas City, 1976)

Attendee, XIII Boy Scout World Jamboree (Asagiri Heights, Japan, 1971) (sometimes known as the "Fujiyama Washout", because 21,000 Boy Scouts, camped in tents on the side of Mt. Fuji, enjoyed a foot of rain a day for three days)

August 2006

The Buckner Home