Beth Phillips was appointed to the District Court - Western District of Missouri in 2012. Before her judicial confirmation, Judge Phillips served as the 32nd presidentially-appointed U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Missouri, and the first woman to be appointed to the office. Prior to her appointment, Judge Phillips was a trial attorney, serving as Assistant Prosecutor in Jackson County, Mo., an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and in private practice, where she represented individuals in medical malpractice, nursing home negligence and product liability lawsuits. After earning a bachelor of arts degree and a master's degree at the University of Chicago, Judge Phillips earned her juris doctor at the University of Missouri.