Vanessa Riebli:
Our District Attorney
Vanessa has extensive jury trial experience from her 25 years of practicing in the criminal justice system as both a prosecutor and defense attorney. She sees the courtroom as the great equalizer where individuals go to seek justice.
Vanessa began her career in Johnson County as an Assistant District Attorney, where she spent over 21 years working as a tireless advocate for victims of crime. Vanessa prosecuted thousands of complex, high-profile cases during her tenure in the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office ranging from traffic offenses to homicides. She supervised the Economic Crime Unit where she specialized in white collar crime as she enjoyed the challenge and complexity of fraud cases. In 2016, in recognition of her hard work, the Kansas County & District Attorneys Association named her Kansas Prosecutor of the Year.
She left the District Attorney’s Office in 2021 to work in the Johnson County-based law firm of Bath & Edmonds, PC. She is a partner in the firm where she represents victims of crimes as well as individuals accused of municipal, state and federal crimes.
In 2020, she received the Regional Vanguard Award from the American Elder Abuse Conference for her efforts advocating for our elders through the Attorney General’s Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse Prevention Council and the Elder Abuse section of Johnson County’s Community Violence Action Council. She is also the Secretary of the Cy Middleton Memorial Benefit Fund, Inc., which is a public charity that supports our first responders and their families in their time of need.
Vanessa was raised by a single mother in western Kansas. She graduated from Bethel College with Accounting and Business Administration degrees and worked as an accountant prior to attending law school. She moved to Johnson County 25 years ago to begin her career and start her family. Her proudest accomplishment is her son, Cade. He graduated from Olathe West High School and attends Washburn University. He is following in her footsteps and plans on attending law school to be a prosecutor.