As an African-American female attorney, UMKC School of Law alumna Dana Tippin Cutler (J.D. '89) has had some unique experiences in the courtroom.

“I’ve had on so many occasions jurors tell me ‘I’ve never seen a black attorney in real life.’”

Accustomed to finding herself as the only person of color in the courtroom, Cutler says she regularly faces hurdles she must climb over. But she handles them. Her solution? Be authentic. For her, that approach has worked to overcome any potential issues, she says.

Cutler was inspired by her father, a lawyer himself, to attend law school. Not wanting to pressure his daughter into attending, Cutler’s father initially tried to talk her out of going. Once he understood that law school was her choice, Cutler says her father became her biggest cheerleader.

Today, Cutler is a partner in her family’s firm, James W. Tippin and Associates Attorneys at Law. She works with her father, James Tippin (J.D. '73), and says her father is more than a parent. He is now her friend.

“It’s different when you move to your parents to being your friends and you can value them as individuals and not just your parents. I don’t know that wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t worked together.”

Cutler also works with her husband, Keith Cutler (J.D. '89), a lawyer at the firm. Cutler practices education law with a focus on charter schools and hybrid schools. She assists nonprofit organizations with governance issues and serves as legal counsel for nonprofit entities and boards. She is versed in insurance defense with an emphasis on trucking accidents.

In addition to her career, Cutler has held a number of leadership positions. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Swope Community Enterprises and Swope Parkway Health Center, served on the Board of Curators of Lincoln University and is the immediate past president of the Board of Directors of the Missouri Bar Foundation.

Recently, Cutler was selected as the new president of the Missouri Bar, an organization that supports Missouri attorneys by providing continuing legal education and information and also supports the citizens of the state of Missouri by ensuring that they have access to attorneys and to the court and also by assisting them in getting information about the law. Cutler is the first African-American woman to fill this role.

Cutler says she is excited to be a part of the Missouri Bar at this time because the board’s diversity has increased exponentially. Other firsts for the Missouri Bar include the first Asian-American woman, a disabled man and an openly gay man all serving on the board.

Though the board reflects the changing population demographics, Cutler acknowledges that there is still a long way to go. According to Cutler, people of color and other backgrounds including the LGBTQ community are overwhelmingly underrepresented in the field.

“While I am excited about what our board reflects, we still have work to do.”

“I think about all the women of color who have served in our community before me and who because of time and place didn’t have the opportunity. And I know, but for them, I wouldn’t be here.”