Joshua Christensen, Kutak Rock partner in the firm’s Springfield office, has been appointed as Circuit Judge for the 31st Judicial Circuit Court in Missouri. Mr. Christensen was appointed by Missouri Governor Mike Parson on December 16 and will take the oath of office and begin his service as Judge by January 13, 2023. He will fill the vacancy created by the appointment of the Honorable Becky Borthwick to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District.

“Joshua’s vast legal knowledge and breadth of experience in various types of litigation have prepared him to serve his community well,” said Larry Fields, managing partner of Kutak Rock’s Kansas City Regional Office. “I am confident Judge Christensen will serve in this role with dedication, fairness and integrity. All of us at Kutak Rock are tremendously proud of him and we look forward to seeing all he will accomplish.”

“I am honored and thankful for the opportunity to serve my community as a circuit court judge,” Mr. Christensen remarked. “I am committed to abiding by the rule of law fairly and impartially and will treat everyone who appears before the court with respect.”

Joshua Christensen is an experienced litigation attorney with a particular focus on appellate practice, with experience briefing and arguing cases in Missouri appellate courts as well as the federal Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. His trial-court experience includes several jury trials and judge-tried cases, in addition to many cases successfully resolved prior to trial through dispositive motions. Joshua earned a J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law, summa cum laude, where he was Operations Editor of the Alabama Law Review. He earned a B.S. from Excelsior College.