Michelle is a partner of Kranitz, Sadoun & Carpenter as well as holds a Doctorate in Nursing Practice, and is Board-Certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She worked as an Emergency, Trauma, and ICU nurse at the University of Kansas and North Kansas City Hospital. Michelle’s current role is as Managing Partner for the firm. Historically, Michelle has tried more than 40 jury trials and her practice is devoted to 100% litigation work. She is admitted to practice in Missouri and Kansas. She is also admitted to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, and the United States District Court Western District of Missouri.
Michelle is proud to serve individuals in Missouri and Kansas. Michelle is passionate about representing the rights of those injured. Michelle employs a team/client-centered approach to all cases to achieve the best possible results. Michelle has successfully represented a wide variety of injured clients including medical record privacy violations, sexual assault of inmates while in custody, assault of an inmate leading to his death while in custody, pharmacy negligence, product liability matters, workers’ compensation claims, and Section 1983 civil rights litigation claims. The firm has also handled cases concerning victims of crimes, trucking and automobile injuries, and slip and fall injuries.
Michelle has a niche of cases revolving around the fair medical treatment of those incarcerated. Michelle’s background provides her with the unique medical-legal perspective to identify and bring attention to the seriousness of medical mistakes. Michelle has a unique way of connecting with people; she understands that listening to her clients’ story, and their experience is the foundation of a successful case and the basic tenant of caring for that client. Just as importantly, Michelle understands that compassion must be balanced with empathy, creativity, tenacity, and legal rigor. Much like talking to her clients, she can tell these same stories to juries in a manner that accentuates the injustice and results in favorable verdicts.
Michelle and her team handle civil rights violations in both State and Federal courts. Michelle has represented a recent claim that resulted in positive changes in the law after the defendant appealed to the highest court in the land, the United States Supreme Court. In addition to the above civil cases, Michelle is particularly interested in high-conflict parental alienation matters representing the targeted parent. Michelle recognizes and exposes that most of the parental alienation matters concern a parent with a serious mental health condition.
Michelle also teaches at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas where she is responsible for teaching Professional, Legal, and Ethical Issues; Pathophysiology; and Critical Care Clinicals.
Michelle graduated from the University of Missouri–Kansas City with a Doctorate in Nursing Practice and a Master’s in Nursing. She is a Washburn University School of Law graduate with honors on a full-ride scholarship.
Michelle is a member of the American Nurses Association and Missouri Nurses Association. She is board-certified through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is a member of the St. Joseph Bar Association, Missouri Bar Association, and Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. She is a former member of the Kansas City International Academy School Board as Vice President 2015-2019. She has volunteered on missionary trips to Guatemala and acted as a board member of the Optimist International Club. She has also presented continuing legal education courses for the Missouri Bar Association – most recently Practical Evidence for Civil Litigators: Real-World Applications and The Entrapment Defense.
Michelle is married to a senior architect with a Kansas City firm. They reside in Johnson County, Kansas where they are parishioners at Holy Trinity. They enjoy time on the lake in the summers, traveling abroad, and loving their new labradoodle, Lucy.
