The Hon. Lori D. Dougherty-Bichsel is a judge for the 3rd Judicial District Court of Kansas in Shawnee County. She was appointed to the bench by Governor Laura Kelly in 2020, filling the vacancy created by the elevation of the Hon. Evelyn Z. Wilson to the Kansas Supreme Court.
Prior to her appointment, Dougherty-Bichsel presided as the administrative judge and department director for the City of Topeka Municipal Court since 2017.
Over the course of her legal career, she also handled civil litigation and employment matters in private practice at Simpson, Logback, Lynch, Norris, P.A. (2012 to 2017) and was a former assistant district attorney with the 18th (2006 to 2007) and 3rd (2007 to 2008) Judicial Districts and litigation counsel for the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts (2008 to 2011), the City of Maple Hill City (2009 to 2011), the City of Topeka (2011 to 2012), and the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (2017).
Dougherty-Bichsel received a B.A. in political science from the University of Arizona in 2002. She then completed a J.D. at the University of Kansas School of Law in 2006.
Her memberships include the Topeka Bar Association, the Kansas Bar Association, the Sam A. Crow American Inn of Courts, the Kansas Women Attorneys Association, and the Women Attorneys Association of Topeka. Dougherty-Bichsel has also presented on the subjects of mental health courts, municipal court practice and procedures, and general case law updates.
She was born in Arizona. In her free time, Dougherty-Bichsel enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family. She and her husband have two children and several rescue animals.