William Daniel Biles (born August 12, 1952) is a justice of the

Kansas Supreme Court The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Marla Luckert, the court supervises the legal profession, administers the judicial branch, and serves as t ...

. Biles was appointed on January 7, 2009, by Governor

Kathleen Sebelius Kathleen Sebelius (; née Gilligan, born May 15, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 21st United States secretary of health and human services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebelius was instrumenta ...

to replace retiring Chief Justice Kay McFarland.

Personal life and education

Dan Biles was born August 12, 1952, in

El Dorado, Kansas El Dorado ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Butler County, Kansas, Butler County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Walnut River in the central part of Butler County and located in south-central Kansas. As of the 2020 Unit ...

. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in journalism from

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

in 1975 and his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from

Washburn University School of Law The Washburn University School of Law is a public law school located on the main campus of Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Washburn Law was founded in 1903. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and has been a member of t ...

in 1980."Office of Governor ''Kathleen Sebelius''" ''William Daniel Biles'' appointed to the ''Kansas Supreme Court'', January 7, 2009
/ref> He is the father of three daughters.

Career

Before becoming a practicing attorney, Biles was a reporter for the Associated Press Kansas Division from 1975 to 1980. After graduating from Law School, Biles joined the Kansas Attorney General's Office from 1980 to 1985 before entering into private practice. In 1985 Biles became a partner of the law firm of Gates, Biles & Shields, P.A., which is based in

Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park ( ) is the largest city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and the List of cities in Kansas#Highest population listing, second-most populous city in the state of Kansas. It is one of four principal city, principal cities in ...

. Biles focused his legal practice in the areas of

Commercial Litigation Commercial law (or business law), which is also known by other names such as mercantile law or trade law depending on jurisdiction; is the body of law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmenta ...

Education law Education policy consists of the principles and policy decisions that influence the field of education, as well as the collection of laws and rules that govern the operation of education systems. Education governance may be shared between the local ...

administrative law Administrative law is a division of law governing the activities of government agency, executive branch agencies of government. Administrative law includes executive branch rulemaking (executive branch rules are generally referred to as "regul ...

, appellate practice,

Real estate transaction A real estate transaction is the process whereby rights in a unit of property (or designated real estate) are transferred between two or more parties, e.g. in the case of conveyance one party being the seller(s) and the other being the buyer(s). I ...

employment law Labour laws (also spelled as labor laws), labour code or employment laws are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship be ...

, transportation, municipal financing, civil rights, First Amendment cases and

media law Entertainment law, also known as media law, encompasses legal services provided to the entertainment industry. These services often overlap with intellectual property law, which includes key components such as trademarks, copyright, and the right o ...

. Biles while in private practice work was active in political endeavors as he was a member of the Kansas Turnpike Authority Board and also on the Kansas State Board of Education.

Kansas Supreme Court

Biles was one of three candidates recommended by the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission to Governor

. On January 7, 2009, Biles was appointed by Governor Sebelius, the other two choices recommended by the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission were the Chief Judge Robert Fairchild and Judge Tom Malone."Kansas City Star", Biles appointed to the Final Three for the Supreme Court, November 14, 2008
/ref> He assumed office on March 6, 2009.

Associations and memberships

Biles is a member of the Kansas Bar Association; the Kansas Association for Justice, and the Johnson County Bar Association. In addition to his work in the legal community, Biles served as the director of Community Living Opportunities, Inc., which is a not-for-profit organization serving more than 370 children and adults with severe developmental disabilities specializing in residential, day programs, and case management in Kansas. Biles was a former member the National Council of State Education Attorneys.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biles, Daniel 1952 births Living people 21st-century American judges Associated Press reporters Kansas State University alumni Justices of the Kansas Supreme Court People from El Dorado, Kansas School board members in Kansas Washburn University alumni