Joseph D. Growney

Joseph D. Growney is a partner at Lathrop GPM, with offices listed in Kansas City and Overland Park. He advises individuals, families, high-net-worth clients, and owners of closely held businesses on estate planning and related tax matters. His work includes preparing estate planning documents, structuring trusts, and designing strategies for transferring wealth. He also assists clients with succession planning, life insurance arrangements, and charitable giving.

Joseph received a J.D., with distinction, from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law in 2004. He earned a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish from Rockhurst University in 2001, graduating as valedictorian. He also served on the staff of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law Review. This background supports work involving estate taxation, legal documentation, and the complex needs of family-owned business clients.

Joseph’s experience includes the creation of corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies for business succession and tax planning. He also structures reorganizations and recapitalizations for closely held businesses. For individual clients, he prepares basic and sophisticated estate plans and addresses retirement benefits, charitable planning, and life insurance considerations. His practice connects personal wealth transfer objectives with the structure and future management of family businesses.

Joseph has been recognized in the Chambers High Net Worth Guide and The Best Lawyers in America. He regularly presents on estate and charitable planning, including discussions of donor-advised funds, private foundations, retirement assets, and inheritance questions. He has also participated in professional education programs for attorneys and advisers. Joseph D. Growney helps clients consider both immediate planning needs and the long-term consequences of ownership and wealth transfers.

Law Office Affiliations

• Partner, Lathrop GPM LLP
• Member, Kansas Bar Association
• Member, The Missouri Bar
• Member, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
• President, Mid-America Charitable Gift Planners (2022)
• President, Estate Planning Society of Kansas City (2018-2019)
• Board Member, Kansas City Estate Planning Symposium
• Member, Children’s Mercy Hospital Donald H. Chisholm Planned Giving Council

Licensed State

• Kansas
• Missouri

Education

• University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Rockhurst University
  Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science

Awards & Badges