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Deputy Probate Commissioner Kelly J. Willyard was appointed the bench on March 4, 2024 by Judge Mark A. Styles, Jr. of the of the Probate Division.

Previously, Commissioner Willyard was an attorney with Kirkland Woods & Martinsen LLP, where she specialized in probate and trust administration, fiduciary litigation, and establishing guardianships and conservatorships. She also was an associate for the law firm of Kennyhertz Perry, where her practice included business litigation and transactional matters. She began her legal career as an Assistant Attorney General in the Financial Services Section of the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.

A Colorado native, Commissioner Willyard graduated from Colorado State University in 2008 with a degree in English. She moved to Kansas City in 2010 to attend the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, where she earned her law degree from in 2013.