The primary focus of practice is oil, gas and mineral law including oil and gas leases, title opinions, operating agreements, farmouts, participation and development agreements, division orders, sales and acquisitions of leases and development prospects, regulatory compliance, and litigation. Oil & gas practice extends to formation of business entities such as partnerships, corporations, small business (Sub-S) corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, and limited liability partnerships. commercial transactions and contract negotiations. The practice previously included wills and probate, domestic relations, criminal law, municipal court, and juvenile court; however, over time, it became limited almost exclusively to oil, gas and mineral law. Litigation experience includes jury trials in the following Kansas counties: Allen, Chautauqua, Douglas, Franklin, Jefferson, and Pratt; and bench trials in Anderson, Bourbon, Butler, Coffee, Crawford, Greenwood, Johnson, Labette, Leavenworth, Miami, Montgomery, Neosho, Osage, Shawnee, Wilson, and Woodson; as wells as practice before the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, the Kansas Court of Appeals, and the Kansas Supreme Court. Administrative law practice has included proceedings before the Kansas Corporation Commission, Kansas Board of Tax Appeals, and Kansas Department of Human Resources.

From January, 1987 to July, 1991 practiced in partnership with Lawrence attorney David Berkowitz under the firm name of Berkowitz & Chappell.

• Sample Appellate Cases:

  Duffy v. Casady, Supreme Court of Kansas, Decided October 31, 2001, 272 Kan. 1417; 2001 Kan. Lexis 847; Schlup v. Bourdon, Court of Appeals of Kansas, Opinion Filed February 11, 2005, 3 Kan. App. 2d 564; 105 P.3d 720; 2005 Kan. App. Lexis 121.

Associate in general practice of law with Lawrence attorneys James Rumsey and John Hooge. In addition to oil & gas practice it included general civil practice as well as felony and misdemeanor criminal defense practice and juvenile law. In July of 1983 Rumsey and Hooge dissolved their partnership, and I established my solo practice in Lawrence.

I began the practice of law as a solo practitioner in Iola, Kansas while I campaigned for election as County Attorney in the 1976 elections. Although a Democrat (Jimmy Carter) won the Presidency that year, I prevailed over my Democrat opponent. After assuming my supposedly part-time duties as County Attorney, I continued my solo practice. My opponent went on to become a District Court Judge and presided in the case of Duffy v. Casady mentioned above. Although he ruled in my favor at trial, the Court of Appeals reversed his decision on appeal.

University of Kansas School of Law
Lawrence, Kansas

• Juris Doctor (1976)

Kansas College of Advocacy
University of Kansas School of Law
Lawrence, Kansas

• Trial Tactics and Techniques Course (1980)

University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

• Bachelor of Arts (1973)

• Majors: Psychology and Political Science

St. Louis Country Day School
now Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School (MICDS)
St. Louis, Missouri

• High School Diploma (1969)

Kansas Bar Association

• 1976 to Present

Douglas County Bar Association

• 1982 to Present

Volunteers in Court, Inc.
Lawrence, Kansas

• Board of Directors 1984 to 2000

• Treasurer 1987 to 2000

District Court Hearing Officer
Douglas County District Court
Lawrence, Kansas

• June, 1995 to December, 2000

Conduct court hearings, take evidence, and render judgments and orders relating to establishment, modification and enforcement of support in post-divorce proceedings pursuant to K.S.A. 60-1601, et seq. and other matters authorized by K.S.A. 23-492 and Supreme Court Rule 172, including enforcement of visitation pursuant to K.S.A. 23-701.

County Attorney, Allen County, Kansas
Iola, Kansas

• January, 1977 to January, 1981

Prosecution of all felonies, misdemeanors, traffic and juvenile cases. In addition to duties as prosecutor for the State, county attorneys serve as county counselor to the Board of County Commissioners, which includes such matters as delinquent tax sales, zoning and land use, county contracts, resolutions, etc.

Born: 03/02/51, St. Louis, Missouri.

Spouse: (married 08/07/71) to Rebecca S. Chappell (Clothing & Gifts Dept., Retired KU Bookstore).

Children: Stephen D. Chappell (Electrical Engineer with MSEE from Stanford); Kimberly A. Chappell (BFA Graphic Design from University of the Pacific).

Hobbies: Never took up golf, but enjoyed tennis. Made models, learned to play harmonica, and took up web design, creating websites such as the Chappell Family Website, Steve & Kathie's Wedding Site, the original Jeffrey Chappell - Pianist (he's one of my two brothers), Hanrott & Horsley, Epicurus Today, Black Star 231, and more.

Misc: Work experience during college and law school: gas station attendant (now virtually extinct), auto mechanic (now virtually impossible without computers), machinist (now done mostly by robots), fork lift operator (still relevant), warehouse fulfillment (decades before Amazon), silk screen printing (commercial, as opposed to artistic, though artistic, nevertheless).