Lathrop GPM Attorneys Jerry Riffel and Bert Bates to be Honored by KC Shepherd’s Center
KANSAS CITY (November 8, 2021) – Lathrop GPM Partner Jerry Riffel and Senior Counsel Bert Bates honored by the KC Shepherd’s Center.
Riffel has been named a KC Shepherd’s Center 70 over 70 Honoree for 2021. This award celebrates older adults in the greater Kansas City community for their diverse achievements in their respective endeavors.
Throughout his 40+ years with the firm, Riffel has worked on many significant development projects in and around the KC area. He has been named to the Best Lawyers in America® and recognized by Chambers USA more times than we can count. He also served his community as a Kansas City, Missouri Council Member for the Fourth District, is a past chair of the Downtown Council and the Economic Development Corporation, and a past board member for the KC Chamber of Commerce.
Bates has been named the 2021 winner of the center’s highest honor, the Elbert Cole Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Cole was the founder of Shepherd’s Center and endeavored to ensure that older adults were seen, heard and respected.
Bates joined the firm immediately after graduating from law school in 1952. He has guided many companies that have made profound impacts on the state of Missouri and its communities. In 2018, Bates was one of 25 Missouri attorneys honored in the inaugural ICON Awards for his exemplary career and commitment to the Missouri community, both in the legal field and beyond. Also in 2018, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the KC Metro Bar Association. He served in leadership roles in the KC and Missouri Chambers of Commerce, sat on the Board of the American Red Cross (KC Chapter), and has been on the Board of Trustees at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, for nearly forty years, to name a few.