St. Louis (July 12, 2022) – The Association of Corporate Counsel St. Louis Chapter (ACC-STL) congratulates member Krista S. Peyton on her appointment as associate circuit judge for the 21st Judicial Circuit in St. Louis County by Governor Michael L. Parson.
Judge Peyton was sworn into office Jan., 7, 2022, and began hearing a full civil docket Feb. 7 in Division 41. On any given day, Judge Peyton can touch more than 200 cases ranging from breach of contract to landlord tenant matters and trials de novo that are appealed from small claims court. She is also a co-signor for traffic commissioners and must review and approve their orders for each driver’s license revocations.
Prior to her appointment, Judge Peyton served as general counsel and chief contracting officer for the St. Louis Housing Authority. When asked about the contrast between her role in-house and the judiciary, Judge Peyton, said, “When you are in-house you are trying to guide the client to make the best choices within a legal framework and can have an isolated view, where as a judge I must have a broader global perspective.”
“I enjoyed working with a collective group of individuals because when you are the general counsel, you get to work with everybody because any legal issue that touches the entity means you are involved. As a judge I have enjoyed being in a decision-making role and have enjoyed the wide spectrum of lawyers I get to work with and see every day,” Judge Peyton added.
In addition to her active involvement in ACC-STL while a member, Judge Peyton participates in bar association sponsored community service such as serving lunch at St. Patrick’s Center and volunteering at the St. Louis Area Food Bank and the Urban League Food Distribution. She is a Northwest Academy of Law High School volunteer and invited students to observe her engage in oral argument at the Court of Appeals.
She is a board member of the Beyond Housing Advocacy Council and serves on the board of Fontbonne University for the College of Education and Allied Health Professions. Judge Peyton is a member of the Junior League of St. Louis and serves on the community impact team. Judge Peyton has served on the walk committee for Autism Speaks and is a former board member of Missouri Families for Effective Autism Treatment.
Judge Peyton is a St. Louis native having attended Rosati Kain High School. She received a bachelor’s degree from Southeast Missouri State University and received a law degree from Syracuse University. During law school, Judge Peyton completed a master’s degree in political science at the Maxwell School of Government at Syracuse University.
About the Association of Corporate Counsel of St. Louis
The Association for Corporate Counsel of St. Louis (ACC STL), the pre-eminent professional development organization serving in-house counsel, was founded in 1987. The St. Louis chapter has more than 600 members who represent more than 100 organizations. During its 35-year-history, the ACC STL has been recognized as one of the leading chapters in the world by the Association of Corporate Counsel. The St. Louis Chapter has received the Gold Chapter of Distinction Awards in 2019, 2020 and 2021. To learn more, please visit, https://www.acc.com/chapters/stlouis/.
