About Our Firm
Our Attorneys
Madeline Johnson
She/Her
- Barred in
- State of Missouri
- United States District Court for the District of Kansas
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
- United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
- Focus of Law
- Civil Rights and Discrimination Law
- Education Discrimination Law
- Gender Marker and Name Changes
- Criminal Defense
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Arden Pearson
f/k/a Alexis
They/Them
- Barred in
- State of Kansas
- State of Missouri
- United States Tax Court
- United States District Court for the District of Kansas
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
- United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
- Focus of Law
- Civil Rights and Discrimination Law
- Family Law
- Gender Marker and Name Changes
- Power of Attorneys and Living Wills
JD
Madeline has been practicing law since September of 2005. Since 2012, her primary focus has been representation of the LGBT community, and her practice encompasses multiple areas of law that frequently impact LGBT rights, such as Employment Law, Education Law, Civil Rights, and where necessary, Criminal Defense.
Prior to entering private practice in 2009, she worked at the Missouri State Public Defender’s Office, Jackson County Trial office where she defended everything from bad check cases to first degree murder. Through her twenty plus-year legal career Madeline has tried 21 jury trials and many more bench trials. She is a committed and fierce advocate for the queer community.
Her professional affiliations currently include the Missouri State Bar Association, the United States District Courts for the District of Kansans and the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri. She has been a member of the Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce, having served on the board of directors from 2015 2018. She has also served on the board of directors of the Kansas City LGBTQ+ Bar Association and the Kansas City Justice Project. She is a current member of the Kansas City chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association and has been a member of the Association of Women Lawyers as well as the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys.
Madeline has a Bachelor’s Degree in German Language and a Master’s Degree in German Literature from the University of Missouri – Columbia; she attended the University of Augsburg in Augsburg Germany on a Fulbright Fellowship where she studied Medieval German Language and Literature; and she received her law degree from UMKC School of Law in 2005.
She is a veteran of the United States Army where she served for four years as a translator of German and Polish and as an intelligence analyst.
Her hobbies are painting, gaming, and shopping, and she is fluent in German.
JD, Mediator
Arden was born and raised in a small town in Indiana, eventually attending Purdue University and graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business with a focus on Finance. Arden then attended the University of Kansas School of Law where they were heavily involved in Outlaws & Allies, Kansas Law Review, Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy, and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. After graduation, Arden worked for Kansas Legal Services, where they practiced in the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic and the Parent Advocate Program, working primarily on tax, family law, and protection order cases.
Arden joined Madeline to open Missouri Kansas Queer Law and focuses their practice on discrimination, civil rights, name and gender marker changes, family law and estate planning cases. Arden is licensed in Kansas, Missouri, Federal Tax Court, the United States District of Kansas, the United States Western District of Missouri and the United States Eastern District of Missouri.
Arden enjoys conducting educational presentations on representing the LGBTQ+ community in the legal profession and seminars to the local Kansas City queer community on their rights.
BA, CP, Mediator (MO & KS)
Co-Founder, Rings of Care | President, MARCH Mediation | Certified Paralegal | 2026 Women in Justice Award Recipient
With more than two decades of experience in Family Law, Rachel Blankenship brings a wealth of expertise, compassion, and dedication to her work as a Certified Paralegal and Approved Mediator in Missouri and Kansas.
Rachel holds dual Bachelor’s degrees in History and Legal Studies from Missouri Western State University and has earned certifications in Human Resources, Core, Domestic, and Bioethical Mediation from Johnson County Community College. She is also an approved Special Education Mediator through the Departments of Education for both Missouri and Kansas and serves as CJA Resource Counsel for the Kansas Federal Defender Office.
Her professional affiliations include the Association of Missouri Mediators, Kansas City Paralegal Association, Kansas Paralegal Association and the Excellence in Special Education Dispute Resolution Workgroup (DRSE).
Deeply involved in her community, Rachel contributes her expertise to numerous boards and initiatives, including the Johnson County Community College Paralegal Advisory Board, the Senate Subcommittee for the Missouri Master Plan on Aging, UnitedWE, & Central Exchange.
At the Missouri Kansas Queer Law Firm, Rachel is devoted to advocating for and empowering the LGBTQIA community, ensuring access to equitable legal support and compassionate care.
An accomplished educator and speaker, Rachel regularly presents at conferences and professional organizations across the country, including the Roselyn Carter Institute for Caregivers Guest Speaker, Association for Conflict Resolution Annual Conference, Nebraska Association of Mediation, Kansas City Greater Chamber of Commerce Health Equity Conference, KC Global Entrepreneurship Week, Association of Missouri Mediators, MARC Annual Conference on Aging, The Missouri State Summit on Aging, National Federation of Paralegal Associations and KC PrideFest. She also serves as a mediation coach and guest lecturer for Johnson County Community College, MARCH Mediation, and numerous professional development programs.
AA, paralegal
Taylor originates from Indiana and has completed their AA in General Studies at Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana. Taylor is an accomplished artist and gamer. They have been working and training as a paralegal with MKQL since 2024. Taylor is responsible for all Name Change and Gender Marker Change cases for the firm. In addition to their paralegal duties Taylor is responsible for marketing, social media and office management.
Additionally, they helped spearhead the Empowered Choices signing event series sponsored by MKQL, Rings of Care and Modern Family Alliance.
Security, HR and CEO for Emotional Support and Cuteness
Annie has her master’s degree in Emotional Support and Cuteness with a BA in Security. She is very skilled at making our days happier and takes her job as our alarm system very seriously. She enjoys barking and prefers to be ignored when you come visit. She is an excellent licker and sleeper. She enjoys treats but especially loves tummy rubs.
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