James B. Betterman

James B. Betterman is senior counsel at Lathrop GPM in Kansas City with a practice focused on trusts and estates. He advises individuals, families, and closely held business owners on estate planning, wealth transfers, charitable giving, and business succession. His work includes wills, trusts, powers of attorney, tax planning, and estate administration. He also handles trusts and estates litigation and disputes involving federal tax obligations.

James earned an LL.M. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law in 1986 and a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1983. He completed a B.A. at Creighton University, summa cum laude, in 1980. This legal and academic preparation supports his detailed work in estate taxation, trusts, business ownership transfers, and the planning options available to families with substantial assets.

James counsels high-net-worth clients on family limited partnerships, gifting programs, generation-skipping tax strategies, and several types of specialized trusts. For business owners, he structures succession plans, corporate reorganizations, recapitalizations, and stock or asset sales. He also prepares estate and gift tax returns and advises on retirement-asset and life insurance planning. When disputes arise, his practice includes trust litigation and resolution of Internal Revenue Service controversies.

James is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and has been recognized in the Chambers High Net Worth Guide for private wealth law. His awards also include distinctions in The Best Lawyers in America for trusts and estates-related work. He has taught estate planning subjects as an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. James B. Betterman combines estate planning and dispute experience for private clients.

Law Office Affiliations

• Attorney, Lathrop GPM LLP
• Member, Kansas Bar Association (1999-Present)
• Member, The Missouri Bar (1983-Present)
• Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)
• Member, Johnson County Bar Association (2003-Present)
• Member, American Bar Association (1983-Present)
• Member, The Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association (1983-Present)
• President, Eastern Kansas Estate Planning Society (2004-2005)
• Board Member, Greater Kansas City Chapter of the American Red Cross (2001-2004)
• Board of Trustees, Rockhurst High School (2014)
• Member, Estate Planning Society of Kansas City, Missouri (1987-Present)
• Professional Advisor, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation (2000-Present)

Licensed State

• Kansas
• Missouri

Education

• University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law
  Master of Laws (LLM)
• University of Notre Dame Law School
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Creighton University
  Bachelor of Arts (BA) Summa Cum Laude

Awards & Badges