Stefan Hughes grew up in one of Kansas City&rsquo;s most accomplished families. He could have pursued any career he wanted in the legal world &mdash; perhaps a lawyer for a prestigious law firm, or maybe a judge.</p><p>But along the way, Hughes discovered his niche. </p><p>He&rsquo;s been an assistant U.S. attorney assigned to narcotics and gang-related cases since May 2008. This is his second stint as a prosecutor. He was an assistant Jackson County prosecutor for 18 years. </p><p>While some are born to litigate, Hughes prefers to prosecute. </p><p>&ldquo;Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with prosecution,&rdquo; Hughes said. &ldquo;I decided making a fortune wasn&rsquo;t as important as job fulfillment.&rdquo;</p><p>Practicing law runs in the genes. His oldest brother, Leonard S. Hughes III, is a Kansas City Municipal Court judge. Judge Hughes also is a former Jackson County Associate Circuit Court judge, the youngest person ever to hold that post.</p><p>His father, Leonard S. Hughes Jr., was a Jackson County magistrate judge who became a Kansas City Municipal Court judge. Leonard S. Hughes Jr. was also an assistant Jackson County prosecutor, like his son. He died in 1993 in a car accident. </p><p> &ldquo;The inclination is to think that I aspire to be a judge,&rdquo; Hughes said. &ldquo;Truth of the matter is, I honestly don&rsquo;t have aspirations to be one. I&rsquo;m happy where I am right now.&rdquo; </p><p>Several years ago, though, he was approached by a local attorney who offered him a job. </p><p>&ldquo;He made me a very, very lucrative offer to come work for his law firm,&rdquo; Hughes said. &ldquo;It was an extraordinary opportunity.&rdquo; </p><p>Hughes graduated from the Thomas Cooley Law School in Lansing, Mich., in 1990. He received his bachelor&rsquo;s degree in English from Fisk University in 1981. The 18 years he spent working in the Jackson County prosecutor&rsquo;s office helped prepare him for his current job. </p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s helpful that I&rsquo;ve had so much experience dealing with the various agencies,&rdquo; Hughes said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s helped me with contacts. I know a number of assistant prosecutors.&rdquo; </p><p>Hughes has never lost sight of where he came from. His mother, Mamie Hughes, is the former head of the Black Economic Union. She helped start the Central Exchange networking group. </p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m also proud to have had an extraordinary father,&rdquo; Hughes said. &ldquo;I definitely trace the fact that I&rsquo;m sitting in this seat right now to their guidance. Likewise, I can see how a number of defendants that we&rsquo;ve prosecuted who haven&rsquo;t had the benefit of two loving parents end up leading lives of crime. In my family, it was understood you were going to finish high school and go to college.&rdquo;</p><p>Matt J. Whitworth, acting U.S. attorney, said Hughes is an outstanding prosecutor. </p><p>&ldquo;Last year, he tried more cases than anyone else in our office,&rdquo; Whitworth said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s just a hard-working guy. He understands how to present a case to a jury in a persuasive and effective way. And he&rsquo;s fair.&rdquo;