Gordon Atcheson to be sworn in to Court of Appeals

TOPEKA—The Kansas Court of Appeals will meet in special session Friday at 1:30 p.m. in the Supreme Court Courtroom to swear in Hon. G. Gordon Atcheson as the newest member of the 13-judge appellate court.

Atcheson was appointed to fill the vacancy on the Court of Appeals that was created by the April 5 death of Judge Jerry G. Elliott.

Court of Appeals Chief Judge Gary W. Rulon said Atcheson is to be sworn into office by Secretary of State Chris Biggs and will be presented to the Court in remarks by Lynn R. Johnson, of Mission Hills; Arthur Chaykin, of Leawood, and Cheryl Pilate, his wife, who also practices law. A reception in the Judicial Center atrium will immediately follow the courtroom ceremony.

Atcheson has nearly 30 years experience as an attorney, including a stint as an assistant district attorney in Sedgwick County following his graduation from the University of Kansas School of Law. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.

He went on to practice business and commercial litigation at Hall, Turner & Pike in Wichita, followed by a short tenure at Shamberg, Johnson & Bergman as a plaintiff’s attorney. For the next 16 years, Atcheson practiced at Blake & Uhlig, P.A. in Kansas City, KS, where he engaged in employment and general litigation. He founded the Atcheson Law Office in March 2005, where he practiced until his appointment to the court.

Atcheson has been married to Pilate, a principal at an Olathe law firm, for 31 years. They have two children, Eric, 24, and Katherine, 20.