Alumna Judge to Give May Commencement Address

Kayla Jackson-Williams will provide the commencement address at the spring graduation, May 10.

In 2012, Jackson-Williams graduated from Truman with a degree in justice systems before continuing her education at the University of Missouri-School of Law. Her exceptional skills in trial and oral advocacy, as well as brief writing, earned her membership to the Order of Barristers, an honor awarded to only 10 Mizzou Law graduates each year.

Following law school, Jackson-Williams began her legal career representing families in Boone County, Missouri, ensuring that each individual she assisted not only received a skilled attorney in the courtroom, but also a representative who listened and explained each part of the legal process encountered.

Jackson-Williams continued her service to her community by serving as a public defender, where she handled hundreds of criminal cases from the date a charge was filed to the final disposition of the case. She viewed her position as a public defender as another avenue to demonstrate excellence, and an opportunity to advance her skills in her advocacy through making oral arguments, preparing witnesses, researching legal issues, preparing motions, and conducting trials. More importantly, she took this opportunity to provide a voice to individuals who often felt overlooked and unheard.

Looking for a change, Jackson-Williams left the Public Defender’s Office in 2020, and she worked as a senior associate at Rogers | Ehrhardt Attorneys at Law, where she practiced civil litigation. During this time, she also served as an adjunct professor, teaching client interviewing and counseling, at Mizzou Law.

In 2021, the Supreme Court of Missouri appointed Jackson-Williams as a member of the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness and a member of the Juvenile Justice Subcommittee. In 2022, the Supreme Court of Missouri appointed her to a second committee – this time focused on reforming the juvenile justice system in Missouri.

On Aug. 2, 2022, Jackson-Williams was elected associate circuit court judge in Boone County where she has served since Jan. 1, 2023.