NEOSHO — A trial attorney who has practiced law for 21 years is running for an associate judgeship in Newton County for the 2018 election.
In making the announcement that she was running for Newton County Associate Circuit Judge Division 2, Christine Rhoades said that she has walked her clients through the judicial system and understands their frustrations with it.
"I feel as if I have spent a lifetime in a career, which now leads me ideally designed and perfectly at home to serve Newton County and its justice system," she said, according the Neosho Daily News. “For 20-plus years, I have walked with clients through this system, and I have felt all too sharply their frustrations and their anxieties. I am confident today that I am the best person and in the best position to fix this system for them and make improvements upon it.“
Rhoades is a lifelong Missouri resident. Born in Columbia in Dec. 30 1970, her family moved to Noel in 1972 and then six years later, they made the move to Neosho.
Rhoades grew up in Neosho, attending the city's public schools from second grade until her high school graduation in 1989.
She received a Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Missouri in 1993 and a law degree from Washington University in 1996.
In October 1996, she was granted her license to practice law from the Missouri Supreme Court. Rhoades worked in the state defender’s office in St. Louis from October 1996 to May 1997 and then joined the family law firm with her father, Ross Rhoades.
Rhoades is a member of the Newton-McDonald County Bar Association as well as the Missouri Bar. She has been a certified Family Law Mediator since 2005 and she also served on the Region XV Disciplinary Committee and the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel, according to her website.
She is married to Brett Day, who is an attorney based in Neosho, and they have two children, Abby and Michael.
The Newton County primary is set for Aug. 7, 2018, and the current associate circuit judge is Greg Stremmel.