Philip M. Hess, a Sunset Hills resident, was appointed today — Nov. 21 — to the Eastern District of the Missouri Court of Appeals by Gov. Jay Nixon.

Hess, an attorney who has practiced law in St. Louis for more than 30 years, will fill the vacancy on the appellate court due to the retirement of the Honorable Kathianne Knaup Crane, according to a news release.

Hess is a partner in the St. Louis law firm of Larsen & Hess, and has been a partner with the firm since 1998. He previously was an associate in three other area firms. His practice has concentrated on workers’ compensation law, and he has argued cases before both trial and appellate courts in Missouri.

Hess obtained his undergraduate degree from Rockhurst University in Kansas City and his law degree from the University of Missouri School of Law. He has been active for many years in several local and state legal organizations.

“Phil Hess is a highly respected attorney who has had a long and distinguished practice of law in St. Louis,” Nixon stated in the release. “I am pleased to appoint him to serve on the appellate bench in Missouri, where he will use his legal acumen to ensure the application of justice.”

Hess was one of three nominees for this judgeship submitted to Nixon by the Appellate Judicial Commission for the Eastern District of the Missouri Court of Appeals under the Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan.