About Us

Kyle Murphy and Kenton Kinney founded the firm (then Murphy & Kinney) in March of 2022 after practicing law together at Burkhart Law. Later on, in September of 2022, Gunner Sumy joined the firm. Kyle and Gunner are natives of St. Joseph, Missouri and developed a friendship with one another through football, school, and mutual friends. Conveniently, Kenton and Gunner knew each other from law school where they competed together on the same mock trial teams. In early 2023, the firm was transformed to its current state - Murphy, Kinney, & Sumy.

Kyle E. Murphy

Kyle was born and raised in St. Joseph, Missouri. His journey has included stops in Liberty, Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri, and, most recently, Blue Springs, Missouri.

Kyle has always been inspired by the law because he was raised around it. His dad, Ed Murphy, is a trial lawyer. This had its pros and cons. On the one hand, it was rather convenient for your father to be a lawyer in the event of any unforeseen legal troubles. However, on the other hand, it was next to impossible for Kyle to ever win an argument with his dad.

Kyle has also always been very competitive, playing football and basketball for roughly a decade when he was growing up. From playing with the Eastside Indians and St. Joe Celtics, he was able to realize that putting forth hard work and determination often yields amazing results.

Kyle is an alumnus of William Jewell College. After graduating from Jewell, Kyle’s interest in the law and his competitiveness set the stage for him to attend UMKC School of Law. Throughout college and law school, Kyle clerked at Murphy, Taylor, Siemens & Elliott, P.C. , House Packard, LLC , and the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District. At MTSE and HP, he worked on a variety of personal injury cases, including cases involving motor vehicle accidents, products liability, premises liability, catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, and more, at many different stages of the litigation process. At the Court of Appeals, Kyle prepared initial drafts of legal opinions for the Honorable Gary D. Witt (Chief Judge).

In April of 2017, Kyle was admitted to practice law in Missouri and sworn in by the Honorable Zel M. Fischer (then Chief Supreme Court Judge). In May of 2017, Kyle began working as an associate attorney at Burkhart Law, a small plaintiff’s employment firm, where he zealously advocated for employees who had been treated illegally in the workplace. At Burkhart Law, Kyle handled nearly every aspect of each of his cases from the moment the client walked through the door until the case either resolved or went to trial.

In March of 2022, Kyle co-founded Murphy & Kinney with Kenton Kinney. Kyle has a wide array of experience litigating employment and personal injury matters and maintains the following memberships and bar admissions: National Employment Lawyer’s Association - Kansas City Chapter, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, State of Missouri, U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, and U.S. District Court, District of Kansas.

Kyle is married to his lovely wife, Hanna , and has two wonderful children, Collins and Miles. In addition to his family, Kyle is extremely passionate about the Missouri Tigers, Chiefs, and Royals.

Kenton T. Kinney

Kenton T. Kinney received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice – legal studies and graduated with honors from Missouri Western State University. At MWSU, Kenton served on student panels representing MWSU in its legal undergraduate certifications, and performed valuable legal research and investigations on Missouri Innocence Project cases. Kenton also served as a Teaching Assistant on subsequent Missouri Innocence Project cases. After graduating, he quickly rose the ranks to become the Compliance Officer of a private finance/bad debt collection firm where he frequently dealt with state and federal regulatory agencies, as well as fraudulent claims and legal issues arising throughout the course of business.

Kenton then attended UMKC School of Law, where he participated on Mock Trial, Moot Court, and National Negotiation Teams, served as the Business and Technology board member on the UMKC Law Review, and served as Chief Justice of the Honor Court. Kenton represented UMKC School of Law in multiple national competitions where he went head to head against the best law schools in the nation. Upon graduation of UMKC School of Law, Kenton was admitted to practice law in Missouri and initiated his own firm where he focused on traffic, criminal, and family law. Kenton brings his expertise in those areas to Murphy, Kinney, & Sumy.

Since starting Murphy& Kinney in 2022 with Kyle Murphy, Kenton has expanded his practice areas to include the following: consumer fraud, violations of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, whistleblower claims, and employment discrimination claims under the Missouri Human Rights Act and federal equivalents. His extensive background in litigation and trial practice allows him to fiercely advocate for his clients in cases where the opposition may attempt to leverage a settlement rather than going to trial. Kenton considers it a privilege to represent the “little guy” when employers try to push them around and treat them illegally.

In addition to Missouri, Kenton is admitted to practice law in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, and is a member of the Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and National Employment Lawyers Association - Kansas City Chapter. Kenton is originally from Northwest Missouri. He has been a Missouri State High School Official for over 17 years in the sport of wrestling and is an active member in the Western Missouri Wrestling Officials Association. When he is not in the office or on the mat, he enjoys working and spending time at the family farm in Northwest Missouri.

Gunner Sumy

Gunner is a lifelong Northwest Missouri resident, growing up in St. Joseph, Missouri. He cultivated a desire for helping the community through his parents. He grew up in a family of educators. His mom was his high school principal and his dad a superintendent. Gunner earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Northwest Missouri State University where he graduated with honors and attended UMKC School of Law.

Gunner developed his commitment for helping those who have been injured while working at the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office after law school. He prosecuted violent, gun, drug, and DWI crimes in eastern Jackson County. Gunner prepared cases for trial and performed a thorough amount of legal research. Prior to joining Murphy & Kinney, Gunner worked as a trial lawyer for a reputable Missouri personal injury firm. He was heavily involved in their products liability, dram shop, and catastrophic injury trial teams, and oversaw his own caseload of personal injury cases.

While at UMKC School of Law, Gunner worked on the UMKC Law Review and was awarded the American College of Trial Lawyers’ Medal for Excellence in Advocacy after competing in the National Trial Competition. He is a member of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys and the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association. He is an avid supporter of the Chiefs, Royals, Oklahoma Sooners, and Oklahoma City Thunder.