Nominee for The Missouri Bar Board of Governors from the Western District Court of Appeals Counties

Karen King Mitchell

I am seeking to fill the newly created district-wide position on the Missouri Board of Governors representing the western district.

My legal career spans nearly 24 years. All of my experience has been in the public sector, with the vast majority of that time being spent at the Missouri Attorney General's Office. I began my career clerking for Judge Fernando J. Gaitan, Jr., in Kansas City and then for Judge Charles B. Blackmar at the Missouri Supreme Court. Following those clerkships, I spent a year in the regional counsel's office for the US Department of Health and Human Services in Kansas City, and then joined the Attorney General's Office in 1987. During the last 21 years, I have served at every level of the Attorney General's Office. Since 1999, I have served as the Chief Deputy Attorney General, the senior appointed legal officer for the State.

Although public sector lawyers comprise a significant portion of the Bar's membership, few currently serve on the Board of Governors. As the Chief Deputy Attorney General, not only have I had the opportunity to work directly with the other attorneys in this office, but I have also interacted with a number of other public sector attorneys. I have worked at various times with general counsels for most of the departments, agencies and elected officials in state government and with various prosecutors and public defenders. Because we administer the Legal Expense Fund (the State's self insurance fund) I interact with general counsels for other entities covered by the fund, including state colleges and universities. These experiences give me unique insight into government law practice in Missouri.

The legal matters handled by the Attorney General's Office are extremely diverse. This has allowed me to obtain extensive courtroom experience, including litigating criminal and civil matters, and appearing in state and federal courts and before various administrative tribunals. I have handled over 100 appeals before state and federal appellate courts, including numerous arguments before each of the districts of the Missouri Court of Appeals, the Missouri Supreme Court and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and an argument before the United States Supreme Court. In addition, my duties have allowed me to develop substantial experience managing a large legal office. More than 200 attorneys are employed in the Missouri Attorney General's Office. Although it is rarely thought of as such, the Attorney General's Office is one of the largest law firms in the State.

Although my principal office is in Jefferson City, the Attorney General maintains an office in Kansas City as well. I was raised in Kansas City, attended law school at UMKC and worked in Kansas City for two years early in my career. I routinely appear in court and handle matters in jurisdictions throughout the western district.

I believe that my background and experience makes me uniquely qualified to represent the interests of attorneys throughout the district, and in particular an underrepresented portion of the Missouri Bar: public sector lawyers.