Chris Koster practices law with the Law Firm of Tim Dollar in Kansas City, Missouri, where he specializes in the area of civil litigation.

Koster also serves in the Missouri State Senate, where he represents Missouri’s 31st District counties of Cass, Johnson, Bates and Vernon. In the Senate, Koster is Vice-Chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, among other committee assignments. During the 2005 General Assembly session, Koster played key roles in the debates over stem cell research, tort reform, and insurance reform.

Prior to his election to the Missouri Senate in 2004, Koster served as Prosecuting Attorney of Cass County, Missouri for ten years. He was first elected prosecutor in 1994 and was subsequently re-elected in 1998 and 2002 by wide margins.

As prosecutor, Koster supervised a staff of twenty individuals dedicated to enforcing Missouri’s criminal laws in Cass County. Additionally, his office served as the civil counsel for all non-criminal matters before the county government.

During his tenure, Koster supervised litigation in approximately 20,000 cases. He led investigations into many of Kansas City’s most notorious criminal cases, including the investigation against serial killer John E. Robinson. He has developed extensive trial experience and has argued and won cases before the Missouri Supreme Court.

Koster is active in his community. He currently serves on the board of the Missouri Sentencing Advisory Commission as well as on the state’s Bioterrorism Task Force. In the past, Koster has served as a director of the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, a member of the U.S. Attorney’s Anti-Terrorism Task Force and director of the Hope Haven Women’s Shelter. He is a member of the Belton-Raymore Rotary Club and the Belton Chamber of Commerce. In 2002, Ingram’s Magazine named Koster “one of Kansas City’s most influential citizens under 40 years old.” In 2004, the Kansas City Business Journal named Koster to its list of Kansas City’s best attorneys.

Prior to becoming prosecuting attorney, Koster practiced law with the Kansas City law firm of Blackwell Sanders from 1993 to 1994. He also served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Office of the Missouri Attorney General from 1991 to 1993.

Koster was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. He received a liberal arts degree from the University of Missouri – Columbia in 1987 and his law degree from University of Missouri – Columbia School of Law in 1991. Additionally, Chris earned a Masters in Business Administration from Washington University – St. Louis in 2002.