Nimrod “Rod” Chapel, Jr., is a Missouri trial lawyer and former Commissioner of the Administrative Hearing Commission who has dedicated his professional and private life to helping people stand up for their rights.
Rod founded The Chapel Law Group, LLC, to create a vehicle for the protection of workers and their families through not only the court system, but also administrative and legislative avenues and venues. Chapel’s advocacy has protected the rights of workers in Missouri, impacted multi-million dollar settlements, and helped to make Missouri a safer place to live and work for everyone.
As a person who entered the workforce early in life, Rod knows the value of an honest days work. He served the State of Missouri at numerous levels after working in a variety of construction and food service positions for more than a decade.
Rod believes every person that works must be treated fairly and receive the compensation agreed upon and/or required by law.
Rod’s history of public service began before he was a lawyer when he exterened as a summer clerk at the Missouri Supreme Court where he later clerked full time and served as a JEA (Chief of Staff) to the then Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Duane Benton.
Most recently though, Rod served as a Commissioner on the Administrative Hearing Commission. The Administrative Hearing Commission is a neutral, independent, administrative tribunal. The bulk of the cases heard there relate to licensure discipline, applicant who want to be licensed and tax issues. The Administrative Hearing Commission has jurisdiction in over one hundred (107) statutorily specified matters including state tax, professional licensing and Medicaid provider issues. Decisions are made under a contested case procedure, usually involving a contested hearing. All decisions are subject to judicial review and published on its website and by Westlaw and Lexis. Rod completed his six year term in September of 2013.
Rod has held over 900 hearings and issued nearly as many decisions. Rod led the Commission as Managing Commissioner and as the Presiding Commissioner for years.
Prior to that, Rod served as the 12th Director of the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations where he lead the only department in the state that exclusively protects workers, provides a safety net for those who want to work and addresses wrongs such as discrimination, sexual harassment, and other unsafe working conditions. As Director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Chapel managed over 900 employees with an annual budget of $145,000,000. The Department is responsible for administering programs that provide a financial safety net for workers to offset the loss of a job because of injury or layoff, regulate wages for public works and construction projects, promote safe and health workplaces, mediate and issue resolutions between certain management and labor groups and enforce Missouri’s anti-discriminatory statutes in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodation.
Rod also served as General Counsel/Director of Legal Services for the Missouri Department of Revenue. Armed with an LLM in Taxation and years of experience litigating and adjudicating state tax controversies, Rod looks forward to litigating in this complex area of practice.
Rod’s service to the state and his communities is predicated upon his work as a trial lawyer. Rod won his first trial before he entered law school. Prior to returning to the State of Missouri, he worked in Kansas City and around the state as a trial lawyer with legends such as Sly James, John Garner, Greg Leyh and many other talented lawyers who nurtured his desire and ability. He worked on litigation such as the state’s case against tobacco companies that resulted one of the largest settlements in the state’s history. He participated in the litigation against Robert Courtney.
The Chapel Law Group, LLC, has a practice restricted to the representation of people and families injured in any way, deprived of wages due for their labor, and consumer issues that affect working families. If you have been injured, mistreated or cheated, we can help.
He is married to Denise Chapel and has 2 young sons.
Rod is active in his community and believes strongly in community service. Currently, he serves as President of the Jefferson City, MO, NAACP as a member of The Board of Governors for The Missouri Bar and he is on a number of other boards including the Missouri Kid’s First, YMCA, Crimestoppers, Boy Scouts of America, St. Mary’s Hospital in Jefferson City, United Way and Rotary.
Education
- L.L.M. in Taxation from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, 1997.
- Juris Doctor, Tulane Law School, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1995.
- Bachelor of Science in Economics (minor in history) from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, 1992.
Prior Employment
- Served as Director of the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations from 2006 to 2007
- Served as General Counsel and Director of Legal Services for the Missouri Department of Revenue, Jefferson City, 2005 to 2006.
- Lawyer in private practice, Kansas City, 1998 to 2005.
- Judicial Executive Assistant, Supreme Court of Missouri, the Honorable Duane Benton, Jefferson City, 1995 to 1998.
- Judicial Clerk, Supreme Court of Missouri, Jefferson City, 1993 and 1994.
Publications
- Authored 2008 Missouri Corporation Franchise Tax Chapter 14 of MoBarCLE library Taxation deskbook.
- Reviewed 2008 Chapter 25 Professional Employee Companies, Employer-Employee Law deskbook.
- Authored 2008 Race Discrimination Chapter 11 of MoBarCLE library Emplyment Discrimination deskbook.
- Co-authored 2007 Leaking Underground Storage Tank Chapter supplement of MoBarCLE library Environmental Law deskbook.
- Reviewed 2005 MoBarCLE library Evidence deskbook.
- Reviewed Chapter 20 Strict Liability, Tort Deskbook 2003.
- Co-authored 2002 cumulative supplement Race Discrimination Chapter 7 of MoBarCLE library Employment Discrimination deskbook.
- Co-authored 2000 Race Discrimination Chapter 7 of MoBarCLE library Employment Discrimination deskbook.
- Authored The Limited Liability Company: Small Business Applications in Missouri, The Journal of the Missouri Bar. November-December 1997, 348-357.
- Reviewed 1997 Missouri Business Organizations Chapter 27 MoBarCLE library Limited Liability Companies deskbook.
- Authored 1997 cumulative supplement to Contracts Chapter 8 MoBarCLE library Missouri Civil Practice deskbook.
Professional Memberships and Activities
Member
- The American Bar Association
- Judicial and Tax Sections 2007-2010
- The National Association of State Bar Tax Sections, 2006-2010
- The National Bar Association
- Judicial Section 2007-2010
- The Missouri Bar
- Annual Conference Planning Committee 2006-2008, 2010
- On-line Legal Research Taskforce Member, 2006-2007
- Legal Education Committee Member, appointed 1998-2010
- Solo and Small Firm Conference Planning Committee, 1999-2010
- Taxation Committee Chair, 2005-2010
- Leadership Academy, 2001-2003
- Mid-Missouri Regional Coordinator for Speakers Bureau, 1998
- Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
- Labor and Employment Law Committee Vice Chair
- Young Lawyers Section ABA Representative, 2004-2005
- Leadership Academy
- Jackson County Bar Association
- 2nd Vice President of Jackson County Bar Association, 1999-2000
Committees and Boards
- District Administrator for the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA), 2006 to 2007
- Served as Vice-Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Committee for NASWA, 2007 to 2007
- Second Injury Fund Taskforce, 2006 to 2007
- Board of Unemployment Fund Financing, 2006 to 2007
- Children’s Service Commission, 2006 to 2007
Civic and Charitable Activities
- National Eagle Scouts Association – Member
- Tulane Alumni Association, Director 2003-2009
- University of Missouri Extension Council, Jackson County
- Chairman/President, 2006-2007
- Board member, 2003-2005
- Rotary International, Jefferson City, Missouri
- Member, 2007 to present
- Board Member July 2010
- Family and Community Trust Board of Directors
- Director, 2006 to 2007
- NAACP, Jefferson City, Missouri
- President, 2008-2010
- 1st Vice-President, 2006-2008
- Health Committee Chair, 2005-2006
- Friends of the Kansas City Museum, 2006-2008
- NAACP, Kansas City, Missouri
- Young Adult Committee Chair, 2003-2005
- Jefferson City YMCA, Board Member 2010-2012
Awards
- NAACP Life Time Achievement Award
- Voted by the public as Best Kansas City Attorney, The Pitch 2012
- Missouri Lawyers Weekly Up and Coming Lawyer 2009
- 2017 President’s Award Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys