Biography

Judge Kea S. Bird-Riley was appointed Associate Circuit Judge of Division 27 on December 23, 2020 by Governor Michael Parson.

At the time of her appointment, Judge Bird-Riley was serving as Family Court Commissioner of Division 41, having been appointed to the position by the judges of the Jackson County Circuit Court on March 16, 2018. She oversaw the Family Drug Court in addition to other dockets related to juvenile matters.

Prior to her judicial appointments, Judge Bird-Riley was an attorney with the law firm of Krigel & Krigel, P.C. Her legal practice included representing clients in matters involving dissolutions, custody modifications, adoptions, child abuse and neglect, paternity, and protective orders. She served as a mediator in family law matters, and was a presenter for Guardian ad Litem training seminars. Her legal practice also included litigating insurance matters.

Judge Bird-Riley is a 2007 graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School. She earned her B.S. degree in 1998 in Communications, with an emphasis in Public Relations and a minor in Business, from Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi. She worked as a marketing and public relations executive prior to attending law school.

Judge Bird-Riley is a member of the Jackson County Bar Association, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, and the Missouri Bar Association.