CONTACT

(816) 912-4700
erika@tlfkc.om

Community Involvement

Kansas City St Joseph Archdiocese, Independent Review Board
April, 2020- Present

Child Protection Center, Agency Partner Board Member
2013- 2016

Jackson County Child Fatality Review Panel
2013- 2016

Jackson County Sexual Abuse Response Team
2011-2016

Jackson County Child Sexual and Physical Abuse Monthly Case Review and Urgent Response Team
2006- 2016

Erika Lawler

Erika joined The Lawler Firm in 2016 after serving over 13 years as an Assistant Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney where her focus was compassionately advocating for victims in the prosecution of serious felony cases. In her role as an Assistant Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney, she first chaired over 25 felony jury trials. She second chaired more than a dozen jury trials while working as an Assistant Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney and also mentored young attorneys and interns.  At the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office, Erika worked in the Drug Abatement Response Team, Community Justice Unit, Sex Crimes Unit, and the Special Victims Unit.

Most recently, Erika served as the Trial Team Leader of the Eastern Jackson County Special Victim's Unit (SVU) where she oversaw the prosecution of cases and worked with 18 local jurisdictions and police departments.  In her role as the SVU Trial Team Leader, she supervised 4 other attorneys and oversaw the prosecution of hundreds of cases involving child abuse, neglect and endangerment, kidnapping, interference with custody, child pornography, rape, sodomy, child homicide, elder abuse and domestic violence and other felony cases.

In addition to being a Trial Team Leader of the Eastern Jackson County SVU, she also served on the Child Fatality Review Panel for Jackson County. Additionally, Erika was an active member of the Medical Case Review Panel at Children's Mercy Hospital, which reviews all child physical and sexual abuse cases in Jackson County. Erika served on the Board of Directors for the Child Protection Center, as the Agency Partners Elected Representative, which is the non- profit agency that provides forensic interviews of children who have made disclosures of child physical and, or, sexual abuse, or have been witnesses to homicide or domestic violence.  She is also a POST certified law enforcement trainer.  Erika has trained law enforcement and other multi-disciplinary team members for the Child Protection Network Protocol, which is used to coordinate the investigation and handling of allegations of child sexual and physical abuse in the metro area. Erika actively participated in the Special Victims Subcommittee for the Missouri Office of Prosecution Services, helping to develop the best practices model for all special victims cases in the State of Missouri.  Erika also served on the Kansas City Interdisciplinary Response to Sexual Assault and helped spearhead the training committee for the first metro-wide Sexual Assault Response Team. Erika is also faculty for the Missouri KidsFirst providing statewide training on forensic interviewing, hearsay and exceptions to hearsay and courtroom testimony in child physical and sexual abuse cases.  Erika provided training to Children's Mercy Hospital, Pediatric Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, and COVERSA, regarding prosecution of sex crimes cases involving both child and adult victims.