3 October 2013

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Effective Oct. 21, Missouri will have a new deputy state courts administrator. Earl D. Kraus has been hired into the position, the state courts administrator’s office announced today.

“Earl brings a wealth of knowledge and a wide variety of state government experience to this position,” State Courts Administrator Gregory J. Linhares said. “His legal acumen, measured demeanor, understanding of how to implement policy at a high level and his capability to work well with others in a variety of environments will serve not only my office but also the entire state judiciary well.”

Kraus presently serves as chief legal counsel for the division of professional registration in the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration in Jefferson City. He previously worked as an assistant attorney general in a variety of progressively responsible roles, culminating as deputy chief counsel for the office’s governmental affairs division. Before that, he worked as a law clerk for then Cole County Prosecuting Attorney Richard Callahan; Stephen Hill, then U.S. attorney for the western district of Missouri; and a law firm in Columbia. Before becoming an attorney, Kraus served eight years in a variety of positions in the state’s division of child support enforcement.

Kraus earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration – law enforcement in 1988 from what now is the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Mo., and his law degree in 2001 from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. Kraus lives in Columbia, Mo. He replaces Karen Messerli, who retired Sept. 30 after 31 years of service in progressively responsible positions within the state courts administrator’s office.

###