2022 Missouri Bar Senior Counselors offer advice

Each year, The Missouri Bar designates a group of lawyers as "Senior Counselors." To become a Senior Counselor, a lawyer must reach the age of 75 or have been admitted to The Missouri Bar for 50 years. During The Missouri Bar's 2022 Annual Meeting, Laurence (Larry) Tucker took to the stage to offer remarks on behalf of his group.

We also asked this year's class to share some words of wisdom with their fellow Missouri lawyers -- specifically those recently admitted to the bar. Here's what they said:

Senior Counselor Name:	Advice:
Gary E. Beatty	Thoughtfulness and patience with others and yourself!
Rice P. Burns Jr.	Select a particular area of the law you enjoy practicing and learn all you can about that area of the law. By doing so, you will serve your clients well and you will enjoy the practice of law.
Hon. Richard G. Callahan	No cause, case, nor client is more important than one’s integrity. The best lawyers are invariably the most honorable.
Philip F. Cardarella	Follow Twain’s advice: Do what is right. It will please your friends and confound your enemies.
T. Jack Challis	Build and treasure relationships. Always be the professional.
Fredrich James Cruse	Treat your clients and other lawyers as you would like to be treated. The Golden Rule works for a reason.
David J. Curtin	In all matters of substance, seek the views of other lawyers.
Hon. Glen A. Dietrich	Always be prepared, and always be honest and truthful with clients, other attorneys, and the court.
Steven Barney Farabi	Find the niche in the broad practice of law that you enjoy and fits your particular strength. You will do very well by your clients.
Lawrence L. Ferree III	I’m privileged to have been a member for 50 years and attained the age of 75 still in good health and enjoying the practice. The internet and computers changed everything, but I hope the younger generation does not forget to make friends along the way!
Franklin E. Foster	Speak the truth and fear not! Do not be afraid to tell the client what the client may not wish to hear.
Gordon E. Freese	Try to always walk worthy and honorably of your profession. Be a strong but honest advocate for your client. Place your client’s best interest above everything. You need to know and understand the thinking and attitude of both your client and your opponent. To do this you must be willing to walk in their shoes; put yourself in their position. You may not always succeed, but it is a worthy goal to strive toward.
William Bacon Gresham III	After practicing law for 44 years in many jurisdictions and in state and federal courts, I have found it most helpful and beneficial to cultivate and nurture good working relationships with “worker bees” that I have come into contact with and have had to work with on an ongoing basis. By this I mean to get to know and have respect for the assistant and deputy clerks in the courthouse, the deputies and officers of law enforcement agencies you will work with; and, the other clerical and administrative staff and employees of the many state, federal, and local agencies that you will work with mostly closely and on a routine and ongoing basis as you advocate for your clients. These individuals can make your job much easier… or much more tedious and difficult. They can help you speed up the process; or they can slow it down. They can go out of their way to help; or not.
Joe A. Harter	[Being a lawyer is o]ne of few jobs/professionals that provides freedom on a daily basis and provides fun and challenges most of the time.
Philip D. Heagney	Tell the truth rather than shading what you say.
Michael W. Hillard	Cultivate, foster, and nuture relationships and a reputation for honesty, for listening before speaking or acting, for creative problem-solving, for proactive engagement, and for exceeding expectations; be respectful; be intellectually curious and always keep learning; be relentless – in your client service, in your commitment to quality, in your pursuit of excellence, in your desire to solve problems and add value, in understanding the industries and clients you serve, in seeking opportunities, and in overcoming challenges.
James E. Martin	Remember that your client hired you to resolve a problem and not create more problems. Also, when considering your clients, make sure you remember they all count the same.
J. Justin Meehan	Serve the community, not just yourself.
John A. Meier	Always put the client first.
Hon. David Harrison Miller	Consider practice in a rural or small-town setting. Your scope of practice can be wider and your opportunity to know your clients personally and thus take (possibly) a greater interest and thus reward is infrequently available in an urban setting.
Randall S. Parker	Be professional, be polite, and think before you speak.
Veo Peoples Jr.	You have nothing more valuable than your good name and reputation. An ethically sound practice secures that reputation for generations. No one is perfect, but you have to try. It is worth the effort.
Kirk Rahm	Accept no more cases than you can competently handle; and do your best on all the cases you accept. Regardless of how you are treated, always treat everyone with respect and courtesy.
Robert W. Rasch	Integrity matters! Just because a client asks you to do something, only do it if is morally and ethically right to do and tell the client if he/she doesn’t like it, find another lawyer.
Jerry Lee Reynolds	Remember Moses and how he kept the Ten Commandments short and to the point; remember, we must save the law to make life work; remember, practice your faith as you practice law. You will have a life well lived.
Hon. Barry S. Schermer	Congratulations. You are a professional. Be collegial. Be prepared.
Baerbel E. Schiller	I have enjoyed every minute of my legal career because of the challenges this career has offered to me, the clients I have had the opportunity to serve, and the people I have had the fortune to meet, and the colleagues with whom I have had the opportunity to work. I entered law school a few decades ago not fully acquainted with the American way of life and totally unacquainted with the American legal system as I had grown up in Heidelberg, Germany, where I attended the University and had only moved to the United States a few years before starting law school. Law school was therefore a challenge for me, but I loved it. I did not know then how much fun I would have practicing law. I suppose my three daughters experienced a happy working mother. All three of them became lawyers, and I am proud of them.
Frederick K. Starrett	Time flies when you are having fun!
Hon. Cynthia A. Suter	Thank you, Missouri Bar. I am so thankful to be a member of this organization. From the time I was sworn in by the Supreme Court and introduced by the president of the bar (and my boss!) Ernie Fremont until my partner, Channing Blaeuer, becoming presiding judge of the 14th Circuit, I have always had wonderful mentors who always were ready to teach me and help me to learn how to “practice” law, try a case, and become the best advocate I could be. I would encourage all lawyers to reach out to mentors, become a mentor, and enjoy being a lawyer.
Stephen L. Taylor	The 4 F’s: Faith, Family, Friends, Fairness for All. Enjoy what you are doing or move on.
W.B. Tichenor	Take pride in your chosen profession, never do anything personally or professionally to dishonor it, exemplify the best of what it means to be an attorney.
Hon. Scott B. Tinsley	Be Honest. Be Prepared. Do not jeopardize your integrity in representing a client.
Robert B. Thomson	Honesty, thoroughness, and timeliness.
Jerome S. Wade	Wisdom comes after many years of practicing the law.
Hon. Timothy J. Wilson	Don’t lie. Be an advocate, but don’t mislead. Courts need to trust lawyers.