Judge Mark A. Styles, Jr. was appointed to the bench as Circuit Judge on July 26, 2016 by Governor Jay Nixon.
Judge Styles was first appointed to the bench as Deputy Probate Commissioner on October 3, 2014 by Circuit Judge Kathleen A. Forsyth of the Probate Division. At the time of his appointment, Judge Styles was a senior associate attorney with the Hardwick Law Firm specializing in probate administration, estate planning and complex civil litigation and commercial transactions. His background also includes working for the Public Administrator’s Office of Jackson County where he handled and provided oversight of the administration of probate estates.
Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Judge Styles obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, with an emphasis in Banking, from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2001. He received his Juris Doctorate degree from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston, Texas in 2004.
Currently, Judge Styles serves the 16th Circuit in several leadership capacities, including the Budget Committee and Executive Committee. He is very active in statewide judicial associations, teaching and educating fellow judges on a variety of legal topics and issues. Judge Styles also regularly provides civic education on a variety of legal topics to law enforcement officers and members of the public.