Full Name: Gary W. Lynch
Year of Induction: 2022
From 2006 until his retirement in 2022, Gary W. Lynch served as a Judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District and served as Chief Judge twice (2007-2009 and 2021-2022).
He was elected President of the Council Of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal (CCJSCA in 2012 after serving as a member of various committees including the Annual Conference Committee and Website Committee, and as Treasurer, Vice President and President-elect. Since serving as President in the 2012-2013 term, he continued to serve the CCJSCA in various capacities including as Chair of the Nominating Committee and a member of the Long Range Planning Committee, and as Chair of the Technology Task Force Committee. He was elected by the CCJSCA to serve as our representative as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Center for State Courts.
In 1974 he graduated cum laude from South Baptist University and then earned his law degree from the University of Missouri Columbia School of Law in 1976. He practiced law in Bolivar, MO from 1977 to 2002. Following his election in 2002, he served as an associate circuit judge of Polk County in the 30th Judicial District of Missouri until 2006.
Judge Lynch has been involved with many professional organizations including being the chairman of the Missouri Court Automation Commission since 2015, a member and past president of the 30th Judicial Circuit Bar Association. As an active member of the Missouri Bar Association, he served as chair of the Complaint Resolution Program Committee and chair of the Lawyer-to-Lawyer Dispute Resolution Program Committee. He has inspired many through his service to his state of Missouri and his legacy will grow and continue to inspire.