25th Family Law Conference attendees leave with fresh inspiration, new connections

Missouri lawyer Mary Smith said it was her first time attending The Missouri Bar’s Family Law Conference. She enjoyed the first day so much, she asked her legal assistant to join her for the second day, since she helps her with her family law work.

“It’s been a good mix of CLEs,” said Smith, who is going into her second year of practice.

Smith was one of 203 legal professionals who attended this year’s Family Law Conference Aug. 14-16 in Branson. Ninety-one legal professionals attended online.

Nearly 60 speakers presented CLE sessions on a variety of topics, including custody modifications, business valuations, artificial intelligence, and more. The conference also featured a Guardian Ad Litem track and a paralegal track.

Attendees had the opportunity to earn up to 16.3 hours of MCLE credit, including 7.0 Ethics, 2.5 Elimination of Bias, and 10.5 GAL.

Kansas City lawyer David Lee Wells said he was most looking forward to the sessions about AI. He has attended the Family Law Conference since it began 25 years ago and enjoys the new perspectives he gains.

“The Missouri Bar is working so hard to modernize the practice of law, and I really appreciate that,” Wells said.

Smith said she particularly enjoyed the judicial panels and hearing the judges’ perspectives, particularly since they come from different areas of the state.

There were three judicial panels, one about evidentiary issues, one about resist/refuse dynamics, and the last about golden year divorces.

Allison Gerli has been practicing family law for 12 years. She has come to the Family Law Conference the last 12 years, except when it was canceled due to the pandemic. The conference provides members of her firm the opportunity to slow down and consider how they can improve their practice, she said.

Molly Wilson, Springfield lawyer and chair of the Family Law Conference planning committee, said her favorite part of this year’s conference was listening to her colleagues from throughout the state present on relevant topics.

“It was a good reminder of how educated and dedicated our family law professionals are, and how committed they are to staying on the cutting edge of developments in our field,” Wilson said. “My hope is every participant left with a sense of encouragement, fresh ideas, and the momentum to carry that energy back into their daily work on behalf of children and families.”

Wells said he enjoys reconnecting with other legal professionals he hasn’t seen in a while.

His mentor used to tell him that a conference was a success if you learn one new thing.

“And that’s very true,” Wells said. “And so, I always learn more than one thing at this (conference), because they get so many of the folks from all over the state who can interject a new thought about the way we do things.”

Along with CLE and networking opportunities, attendees connected with more than 15 sponsors offering services including insurance, legal intelligence platforms, retirement plans, and alcohol monitoring.

View photos of the 2025 Family Law Conference here.