Gov. Kelly’s Chief Counsel departs for VP of Blue Cross Blue Shield Kansas

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Governor Laura Kelly’s Chief Counsel will depart her office to help lead Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly says Chief Counsel Clay Britton will leave her Office to lead Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas as its Vice President and General Counsel. She said Justin Whitten has been hired to replace Britton.

“Clay has been a valuable resource to my administration since day one,” Governor Kelly said. “During the pandemic, he played an integral role in our efforts to keep Kansans safe and healthy. I know he will continue to serve Kansas well in his new position, and I wish him the best as he takes the next step in his career.”

Gov. Kelly said Britton has served as Chief Counsel since she took office in 2019 and has advised her and her administration on a variety of legal issues which affected the executive branch, including all emergency response measures taken throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

In April 2020, the Kansas Governor said Britton argued the very first Zoom oral argument at the Kansas Supreme Court. During his time, she said he also oversaw the appointments of 34 state court judges, including three Kansas Supreme Court Justices and four Court of Appeals Judges.

“It has been the honor of my professional life to work for Governor Kelly,” said Clay Britton. “I leave incredibly proud of the small role I have been able to play in helping this administration get our state back on track. At Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, I will continue working on issues that are critical to Kansans. While I’m sad to leave my friends and colleagues in the Governor’s Office, I could not be more excited to meet a new set of challenges and opportunities at BCBSKS.”

Before Britton joined Gov. Kelly’s Office, she said he was an Assistant United States Attorney in Kansas City. He also worked in private practice with Lathrop & Gage LLP and was a prosecutor in the Kansas Attorney General’s Office from 2009 to 2011.

Britton graduated Order of the Coif from the University of Kansas School of Law in 2008 and earned degrees in political science and history from KU in 2004.

Gov. Kelly said Justin Whitten, new Chief Counsel, has worked as Chief Counsel at the Kansas Department of Labor since March 2019 and has provided legal counsel to the Secretary of Labor regarding ongoing litigation and operations of KDOL.

During that time, Gov. Kelly said Whitten oversaw the Legal Division, the Employment Standards Division and the Special Investigation Division. From March through June 2020, she said he worked with Britton to review, draft and defend executive orders issued to protect Kansans from COVID-19.

Before he joined KDOL, Gov. Kelly said Whitten worked both as an Honors Attorney and a Trial Attorney for the U.S. Department of Labor.

Whitten graduated Order of the Coif from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Mo., in 2012. He lives in Lawrence with his wife, Kelly, two young sons, and their beagle Annie.

“Through his extensive work at the United States and the Kansas Departments of Labor, Justin has gained the experience needed to excel in his new position – and he worked closely with Clay during the pandemic to protect Kansans from COVID-19,” Governor Kelly said. “I am confident he will hit the ground running, continuing and adding to the work he started at KDOL to support and strengthen Kansas communities. He will be an excellent addition to the team.”

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