Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday named Assistant Wyandotte County Attorney Jane Sieve Wilson to serve out the term of retiring Chief Judge Wayne Lampson.
Wilson has spent the last five years as an assistant attorney with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kan.
In that role, Wilson dealt with an array of county legal issues focusing on management, the jail, the sheriff’s department and labor relations.
Before working for the Unified Government, Wilson was a trial attorney with Liberty Mutual. She spent almost four years in private practice at the firms of McAnany, Van Cleave & Phillips as well as Lathrop Gage.
“Jane is not just an accomplished attorney, she’s also a lifelong resident of Wyandotte County, and she will be an excellent judge,” Kelly said in a statement.
“Her experience with a wide variety of legal issues has prepared her for service on the bench, and her performance in last year’s judicial election shows that many voters in Wyandotte County already know and trust her. I know she will serve the citizens of Wyandotte County well.”
Wilson is a 2002 graduate from Kansas State University. She earned her law degree from Washburn University.
Last year, Wilson was the runner-up in the primary election for the Division 5 District Court judge position.
Judges in Wyandotte County are elected. They serve four-year terms. When a judge retires, the governor appoints a new judge to finish out the term.
The Division 8 position to which Wilson was appointed will be on the ballot next year.
Kelly chose Wilson after a committee of the Wyandotte County Bar Association chose three finalists.
The other finalists were: Mike Nichols, a Kansas City, Kan., attorney; and Jennifer Tatum, a prosecutor in Jackson County, Mo.
