Springfield attorney Ginger Gooch is the key piece to a historic moment for Missouri courts.
Gov. Mike Parson appointed Gooch to a judgeship on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District. The seven-member judge panel now has four women, making it the first majority female appellate court in the history of the Show-Me State.
“I am humbled and grateful to be selected first by the Appellate Judicial Commission and now by Governor Parson,” Gooch said in a press release from the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association. “I look forward to serving the people of Missouri in the capacity of judge and in doing so, honoring the many people who have mentored me and supported me from the time I started law school and throughout my career.”
Gooch joins a panel of judges that includes Jennifer Growcock, Becky Borthwick, Mary Sheffield, Jack Goodman, Jeffrey Bates and Don Burrell.
Gooch is a past president of the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association. She is a partner at Husch Blackwell, a firm with 22 physical offices, including one on East Sunshine Street in Springfield.
Gooch began her career as a clerk for Judge Ann Covington, the first woman to serve on the Missouri Supreme Court. Gooch then joined Husch Blackwell and has been a partner since 2008.
According to her biography from Husch Blackwell, Gooch does general counsel work, employment counseling, employment discrimination claims and construction negotiations and disputes. She has argued on behalf of her clients before the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District and before the Missouri Supreme Court.
“Ginger brings a depth of knowledge and breadth of experience that make her uniquely positioned to serve as an appellate court judge,” Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association President Nate Dunville said. “She is also liked, respected and admired by lawyers not just here, but across the state. We could not be happier for her.”
Gooch holds a bachelor’s degree from Stephens College and a juris doctorate from the University of Missouri School of Law.
