Kansas Trial Lawyers Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
480787989
IRS 990 coverage
2017–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Topeka, KS, USA
Phone
7852327756
Rating
89
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$743,358
Expenses
$685,291
Assets
$645,135
Liabilities
$11,806

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CALLIE J DENTON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • RACHEL SMITH (PRESIDENT)
  • PHILLIP SLAPE (INCOMING PRESIDENT)
  • N RUSSELL HAZLEWOOD (IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • CALLIE J DENTON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $121,779 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To coordinate and promote the activities and interests of its trial lawyer members by providing education and training, advocacy, and other professional benefits useful to plaintiffs attorneys practicing law in Kansas.

What it reported doing in 2024

Education and training. Maintained electronic email listservs for members to communicate regarding questions of law, procedure, or other matters relating to the practice of law in Kansas; published a professional magazine for members, the journal of the Kansas trial lawyers association, containing articles and information about plaintiffs practice in Kansas advocacy. Monitored the state courts and state legislature for actions affecting trial lawyers and their practices; notified members of amendments or new laws; submitted amicus briefs on questions of law relevant to the professional interests of members; testified before state legislative committees regarding legislation or policies affecting the professional interests of members and their clients. Meetings. Held meetings throughout the year for members to discuss the practice of law in Kansas and association business, including an annual meeting for all members; quarterly board of governors meetings; practice section meetings; and meetings of committees.

Operating model

Revenue model
Membership-supported. 65% of the money available for current operations came from membership dues.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 48
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 92.3%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 7.8%; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.94; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 17.8%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.8% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.9% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 92.3% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $685K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $122K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and related organizations
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2017 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 57/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 41/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.