Hidden Gems: Meet Spencer Webster of Webster Law

Today we’d like to introduce you to Spencer Webster. 

Spencer, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up here in the Kansas City metro and I am the middle child of three with an older brother and a younger sister. Both my sister and I are adopted, and she is black as well, the rest of my family is white. To me, it is a bit bizarre to begin my story here, but my childhood played an instrumental role in both how I got where I am and who I have become. 

I was very much the troubled child of the family and was constantly on a mission to do what I wanted regardless of consequences. To that end, a lot of my skills were developed in my room (absent of a television) while serving my grounding sentences. I wasn’t too crazy, but I certainly wasn’t great at taking no for an answer. As far back as I can remember, I was always creative and had a vivid imagination such that I was nearly in a constant state of reverie. I have always enjoyed thinking of creative solutions and finding answers to problems (admittedly, I spent a lot of time figuring out how to get out of trouble). 

My siblings and I have always had great relationships, even to this day. Since my sister got out of the tattling stage of her toddler years, I’ve always been able to count on them for anything I need—they are both fantastic at giving encouragement and much-needed humbling. My brother is five years older, has always been nearly a foot taller, and somehow could beat me at nearly anything. I remember playing basketball in the backyard and getting frustrated that his size alone was too much to overcome. But it was really those years with him around the house that instilled a competitive spirit in me. My sister and I connected on another level; going through life together, figuring out how to reconcile our differences within our family, and understanding what being adopted meant. Further, we really fed off one another’s creativity as she was the artist and I the writer (she is also responsible for anything creative related to my law firm). All of us, including my parents, shared a love for music. 

So often I look back and realize how lucky I was to have such a great family and truly incredible parents. I still struggle to understand how my parents showed so much patience and grace in dealing with me (well… most of the time). When I was very young, my mother suggested law as a future profession, albeit sarcastically, because of my argumentative nature. She always believed in me and encouraged me to be better, by both her words and example. My father was the logical, pragmatic parent. After I would get into a trouble, my father let the tensions cool and then would come talk to me—asking questions and explaining why I needed to change my behavior. 

Oddly enough, I never enjoyed school. I found it boring and just wanted to play basketball. Thus, my parents had to consistently get on me to keep up my grades. I remember one semester my mother offered to pay me for every “A” I received, and wouldn’t you know it… all A’s that semester. When I showed her my report card, she refused to pay me and told me she expected nothing less moving forward. 

The toughest part of my childhood was the struggle to find my identity. I was constantly trying to grapple with the fact I lacked a meaningful connection to the black community while still wanting and needing to be a part of a white family. It wasn’t until my early years in undergraduate that I began to search for and understand who I was and who I wanted to be. At some point, I began to take notice of my talents and explored how they could be utilized best. I remember conversations with my mother about what I wanted to do and what career would be both fulfilling and enjoyable. While she planted the seed of becoming an attorney early, it wasn’t until college that we had serious conversations about it. 

Unfortunately, during my junior year of college, my mother passed after a long battle with cancer. As with my entire family, her passing absolutely devastated me. I didn’t finish a single course that semester which wrecked a bit of havoc on my GPA. But, as much as it devastated me, it also motivated me. Seeing her passion, conviction, and fighting spirit made me want to live the same way. 

Additionally, about a year later, a family friend and the guy that taught me about black culture—that being black wasn’t about listening to a certain type of music, wearing certain clothes, or speaking a certain way—got caught up in the criminal justice system in a very unfair way. For an extended period of time, weeks, we knew nothing about where he was or if he was safe. A black man lost in the criminal justice system is a scary thing and I felt helpless. This situation, along with my mother’s passing, gave me no choice but to go to law school. I never wanted to feel helpless again. 

In law school, my favorite accomplishment was getting an article published in a legal journal. That semester I decided to take a crazy course load that included an independent study. My objective for the independent study was to write an article arguing NCAA non-scholarship, walk-on athletes (in football and basketball specifically) should be paid minimum wage under the Fair Labors Standard Act. I was so passionate about the mistreatment of student-athletes I was ready to take down the NCAA. Interestingly, I took the most credit hours of my law school career that semester and performed better than any other semester. Looking back, I didn’t make the correlation, but that passion led to better overall performance. 

Before I decided to open my own law firm, I was able to work for a few firms around the Kansas City metro. The years at those firms were vital to my growth as an attorney. The firm I was at before my own truly honed my skills and legal knowledge. I worked with so many great attorneys, including one I still lean on when faced with tough situations. To this day, he is one of the best attorneys I’ve interacted with, and I am grateful for all his wisdom and advice. 

Around the time the pandemic began, I had some time to think about what I wanted for my future. Moreover, I was handling a meaningful case where I was able to get the client what they wanted, and I took great satisfaction in the societal implications, standing up for my beliefs, and doing what I knew was right. This was a pivotal as I saw the value, I could provide outside the confines of a law firm. 

Upon the birth of Webster Law, LLC, I had two main objectives: (1) make a living wage (selfishly); and (2) take risks to make a difference. My main areas of practice are business law and employment law, but I’ve been able to use the steady business to pursue and fund objective (2) (with the help of some great colleagues and friends): which is fighting for civil rights and consumer protection. Honestly, it started with one or two cases and somewhat blew up from there. 

The reason for diving into my upbringing was to get to this point. As my family and friends can attest to, I put in a lot of hours at work. But… I don’t mind the hours or work because this is what I was prepared for. I have somewhat of a unique perspective, especially involving race, and, for many reasons, can personally connect with the feelings associated with discrimination and harassment. Moreover, I also have an appreciation for the well-intentioned misunderstandings surrounding race and inclusion. There is a difference between intentional racism, acquiescence to policies yielding discriminatory outcomes and well-intentioned misunderstanding, including lack of interaction, and the latter must be explored for change. This country isn’t perfect, nor is any person in this country; but one of the biggest motivators for me is that every single day I get to use the levers this country has in place to make it more inclusive and to obtain redress for wrongs already committed. 

I could certainly exclusively focus on the business and employment part of my practice; both my friends and family would certainly see me more. When such an inclination arises, I always go back to my mother and why I wanted to be a lawyer. My passion, motivation, and conviction, along with seeing the faces and hearing the stories of victims of social injustices, keeps me moving and fighting. Ultimately, I am an overall better lawyer because of the passion behind making a difference. I really do enjoy business and employment law—but what makes me love them, and what pushes me to be better, is knowing how crucial they are to pursuing the causes that make a difference. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Since opening my firm, I can probably count the smooth days on one hand, and most of them occurred when I was moving into my office building. The biggest continuing challenge is simultaneously running a business and practicing law. I also struggled a bit with confidence at the onset, wondering if I made a huge mistake. Not surprisingly, the more I trusted myself, the better I performed my work, and the more clients came knocking. Additionally, the more I trusted myself, the more risks I was willing to take, and to date, most of the risks have paid off. 

I struggled a bit with asking for help. Never again. Just like myself, I have found most people want to do good and help others. I cannot express how important this has been for me. In the legal field, it’s like constantly walking a minefield of ethical dilemmas, complex laws, tricky clients, etc. I am so thankful to the people who continue to answer my phone calls and emails as they will probably keep coming! 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I want to help! Webster Law, LLC was created so that small to mid-sized businesses can go to one firm for all their legal needs. Whether it’s a start-up looking for entity formation, business litigation, business transactions (large or small), intellectual property, employment counseling, general litigation, or general legal issues, I want to help! One of the greatest joys I’ve experienced in my career is having people from my childhood hire me. From teachers and coaches to friends and parents of friends. I absolutely love that I am in a position to help the people I grew up with. 

My legal experience includes both litigation (resolving disputes in or out of court) and transactional work (preparing documents for business transactions). I’ve dealt with the issues that lead businesses into disputes and ultimately lawsuits. That unique perspective allows me to advise and counsel my clients to avoid common and unusual pitfalls I’ve already encountered. I laugh at myself a bit when I think about how nerdy my younger self would consider me. But I love drafting contracts and coming up with creative, complex solutions to business problems and disputes. 

I see the attorney-client relationship as a partnership and I love working with my clients, some of whom have become good friends. Business law is interesting because it’s all about risk mitigation. I emphasize collaboration because the business owners know their business better than anyone, I see my job as protecting the “baby” and helping move into each new stage of growth. I am passionate about what I do because I know the work and effort required to start and operate a business. Moreover, I appreciate being the first call a new business owner makes just as much as being the call when crisis occurs. My clients are placing their trust and sometimes their business with me. That is a big deal and I never forget that. 

Who else deserves credit in your story?
First and foremost, my father deserves more credit that I can express as he has been there encouraging me and pushing me from the beginning. He has helped me in just about every way possible and still picks up the phone when his days-old text message has accidentally been unanswered. All the attorneys at my previous firm were fantastic and taught me so much. Specifically, Mark McFarland truly helped mold and remold me as an attorney. He took the baseline knowledge and skills I had acquired and helped me understand the process to keep building and growing (he also expanded my vocabulary). Lastly, when I went out on my own, Mike Yonke and Dave Smith have both been incredible resources. Not only are they always willing to provide direction and give feedback, but they were also instrumental in helping me see the impact I could have on the community outside of my business and employment practice. So many people have helped me and I am truly thankful to each and every one. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.swebsterlaw.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/webster_law_kc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swebsterlawkc

Image Credits
Amanda Knight