What Langdon & Emison does

Langdon & Emison is a privately held plaintiff-side personal injury law firm founded circa 1985 in Missouri, with its primary base in Kansas City and additional offices in Independence and Lexington (MO), Chicago (appointments only), and Philadelphia. The firm represents individuals and families in catastrophic injury and complex litigation matters — including commercial truck and auto collisions, defective products (notably automotive defects and Takata airbag litigation), medical negligence and birth injury, premises liability, wrongful death, railroad accidents, nursing home abuse, gas explosions, and electrocutions — taking on corporations, manufacturers, insurers, and institutional defendants in state and federal courts nationwide.

The firm operates on a contingency fee model, typically 33–40% of final settlement or verdict, with most litigation costs (investigation, forensic analysis, expert witnesses) bundled into that percentage rather than billed separately. Initial consultations are free and the firm maintains no app or proprietary software product; its core technology is human trial advocacy supported by access to accident reconstructionists, forensic specialists, and expert witnesses. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and referral-driven: the firm positions itself as the destination that other trial lawyers and attorneys route complex catastrophic cases to, supplemented by content marketing (blog, firm news, educational resources on trucking regulations, TBI, and product defects) and direct client intake via phone and online forms.

Langdon & Emison has secured over $1 billion in verdicts and settlements across its 40-year history, with marquee results including a $59M verdict in Kumar v. Toyota, $43M in Heco v. Midstate Dodge, $26M in Wasilik v. Ford, $23M in Castillo v. Ford, $17M in Martin v. Ford, and a $16M confidential truck accident case. The firm employs 11–50 people across its locations and is led by seven partners — Robert Langdon, Brett Emison, J. Kent Emison, Mark Emison, Michael Serra, David Brose, and Michael Manners — all recognized in the 2025 Best Lawyers in America directory. The firm is independently owned with no private equity, venture capital, or parent company involvement and reported a data security breach in May 2025.

Name

Langdon & Emison

Legal name

Langdon & Emison LLC

Website

https://langdonemison.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Langdon & Emison is a privately held plaintiff-side personal injury law firm founded in 1985, representing individuals and families in catastrophic injury and complex litigation against corporations, manufacturers, insurers, and institutions across five U.S. offices on a contingency fee basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Injury Law

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Litigation & Dispute Resolution (BPAHAAAB)

Keywords

• Personal injury litigation
• Catastrophic injury law
• Product liability law
• Trucking accident law
• Wrongful death law

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Contingency Fee: Langdon & Emison operates on a contingency fee basis for personal injury cases. The firm only receives payment if they win the case or obtain a settlement. Fee percentages typically range from 33-40% of the final settlement or verdict. Most litigation costs are bundled into the contingency percentage, including investigation expenses, record evaluations, forensic analysis, and expert witness fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Langdon & Emison is a plaintiff-side personal injury law firm that provides legal representation to individuals and families in high-stakes catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and complex litigation matters. The firm takes cases involving commercial trucking and auto collisions, defective products (vehicles, medical devices, consumer goods), medical negligence, premises liability, gas explosions, electrocutions, railroad accidents, nursing home abuse, and roadway defects, handling cases nationwide from its Missouri base on a contingency-fee basis.

Product overview

Langdon & Emison is a law firm offering a unified suite of personal injury legal services rather than a software product platform. The firm's core offering centers on catastrophic injury and complex litigation representation, encompassing trucking and auto collisions, defective products (vehicles, medical devices, consumer goods), medical negligence, premises liability, wrongful death, gas explosions, electrocutions, railroad accidents, and nursing home abuse. The practice areas interconnect through shared expertise in product liability, negligence law, and trial advocacy, with case results spanning multiple decades and jurisdictions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Catastrophic Truck and Auto Collision Legal Services Legal representation for individuals and families who have suffered severe, life-altering injuries caused by commercial trucking and motor vehicle accidents, requiring extensive investigation, accident reconstruction, and expert analysis.
• Defective and Dangerous Products Legal Services Pursuit of product liability claims against manufacturers when unsafe or improperly designed products cause serious injury or death, including defective vehicle, consumer product, and medical device cases.
• Medical Negligence and Birth Injury Legal Services Legal representation for victims of medical malpractice and birth injuries, including cases involving surgical errors, misdiagnosis, and inadequate medical care.
• Wrongful Death Legal Services Legal representation for families pursuing claims when a loved one's death results from another party's negligence or wrongful actions.
• Premises Liability Legal Services Legal representation for injuries that occur on properties due to unsafe conditions, negligence, or inadequate security.
• Gas Explosion and Electrocution Legal Services Legal representation for victims of gas explosions, electrocutions, and related incidents caused by defective products or negligence.
• Railroad Accident Legal Services Legal representation for railroad crossing accidents, involving passenger trains, freight trains, and commuter rail systems, addressing negligent crossing maintenance, defective warning systems, and federal safety violations.
• Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Legal Services Legal representation for elderly individuals who have suffered abuse or neglect in nursing home facilities.
• Roadway Defect and Signage Hazard Legal Services Legal representation for injuries caused by defective roadways, pavement edge drop-offs, inadequate construction zone signage, and improper sign installation.

Quantifiable outcome

• $59 million verdict in Kumar v. Toyota - Defective Vehicle case
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Co-Counsel PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLangdon & Emison collaborates closely with co-counsel partners, pooling collective expertise to achieve strongest possible outcomes for clients. Referring attorneys choose the firm when cases require specialized trial experience and resources for complex catastrophic injury litigation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Morgan & Morgan: Largest plaintiff-side personal injury firm in the U.S. operating on a contingency-fee model with a national footprint and high-volume marketing. Directly comparable in core offering (catastrophic injury representation for individuals and families) and contingency revenue economics.
• The Lanier Law Firm: Plaintiff trial firm with a national practice focused on catastrophic injury, product liability, and mass torts. Comparable on contingency-fee model, trial-court orientation, and pursuit of seven- and eight-figure verdicts against corporate defendants.
• Weitz & Luxenberg: Plaintiff firm with deep mass-tort and product-liability dockets (asbestos, pharmaceutical, defective products) and a contingency-fee revenue model. Comparable in targeting complex, high-stakes matters against manufacturers and the resulting verdict-and-settlement economics.
• Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein: Plaintiff firm recognized for complex and class-action litigation, including product liability and personal injury. Comparable in court-focused advocacy, contingency-fee model, and pursuit of large-aggregate verdicts in product-defect and consumer-fraud matters.
• Baron & Budd: National plaintiff firm specializing in mass torts, product liability, and environmental litigation on contingency fees. Directly comparable in serving individual claimants against corporate defendants with a trial-led playbook and multi-state court reach.
• Plymouth, Cordell, Bergman & Wallace: Mid-sized plaintiff catastrophic injury and product liability firm (Missouri/Illinois) with a similar contingency model and trial-ready orientation. Comparable in Midwestern base, focus on trucking and vehicle-defect cases, and named-verdict track record.
• Shapiro Washburn & McCoy: Plaintiff trial firm specializing in catastrophic personal injury and product-liability cases with contingency fees. Comparable in targeting complex, severe-injury matters against corporations and in cultivating referring-attorney relationships.
• Greene Broillet & Wheeler: California-based catastrophic injury and product liability plaintiff firm known for seven- and eight-figure verdicts on contingency fees. Comparable in trial-led approach, contingency revenue model, and pursuit of corporate defendants.
• Simmons Hanly Conroy: National plaintiff mass-tort firm with strong contingency-fee product liability and catastrophic injury practices. Comparable in targeting vehicle, pharmaceutical, and consumer-product defects and in returning eight-figure verdicts at trial.

Emerging players

• Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd: Plaintiff firm specializing in securities class actions and complex litigation with contingency/percentage fee structures. Overlaps with Langdon & Emison on complex product-liability and corporate-accountability work but primarily operates in a different (securities) docket.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LangdonEmison
• Facebookfacebook.com/langdonemison

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Langdon & Emison