Dionne Scherff defends adults and juveniles accused of crimes in Kansas and Missouri courts. Dionne has extensive experience trying felony cases in both federal and state courts. She is one of only a handful of Kansas lawyers qualified by the Kansas Supreme Court to handle death penalty cases and is one of only two lawyers in Kansas’s history of death penalty cases to get a capital case dismissed.

Dionne has an uncanny ability to put you at ease—even in the most trying situations. Her skill at forming connections allows her to get to know her clients and their cases at record pace and, with that knowledge, quickly identify how to proceed. After one client gifted Dionne the nickname “Big Mama,” JHC’s criminal defense team agreed it fit her perfectly. We can think of no better way to express Dionne’s exquisite balance of strength and compassion.

Dionne started her trial attorney career in the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office and the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office, where she specialized in prosecuting child abuse and sex crime cases. After a decade of experience on the prosecution side, she moved into defense practice in 2003. Since then, Dionne has dedicated her practice to defending the wrongly accused, protecting criminal defendants’ constitutional rights, and ensuring just sentences in all types of criminal matters. On the anniversary of her transition to criminal defense practice, Dionne’s colleagues in the Kansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers honored her as the 2024 winner of The Clarence Darrow Award for outstanding criminal defense performance.

Dionne has been a Member of JHC since her former firm, Erickson Scherff LLC, merged with JHC in 2016. And, as Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy for the University of Kansas, she is helping to shape the next generation of litigators.

Dionne is a member of the Kansas Bar Association, Kansas City Metro Bar Association, Wyandotte County Bar Association, Johnson County Bar Association, and the Kansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. She is also active in the Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri, Gamma Phi Beta Alumni Association, American Red Cross, and Humane Society of Greater Kansas City.