S. Margene Burnett was appointed as Circuit Judge in November 2013 by Governor Jay Nixon. Prior to her appointment to Division 7, Judge Burnett was appointed Deputy Commissioner -- Probate Division in 2003 by the judges of the 16th Judicial Circuit in Jackson County.
Judge Burnett is a life-long Kansas City area resident. She has practiced law in Jackson County since 1987. Judge Burnett started her career as an associate with Morris & Larson and later Hillix, Brewer, Hoffhaus, Whittaker & Wright. In 1995, Judge Burnett began her own practice. Immediately prior to her appointment to the Probate Court, Judge Burnett served as Respondent's Counsel for the mentally ill and adults who are alleged to be incompetent and incapacitated. Judge Burnett is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. She earned her Bachelors degrees in magazine journalism and political science from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
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