President's page: 80 years stronger together

Megan Phillips is 2023-2024 president of The Missouri Bar.

Prior to 1944, the Missouri Bar Association was a voluntary organization of local bars and their individual members. In the early 1930s, the association began envisioning a self-governing bar comprising every lawyer in the state “to assure all the benefits of unity and action by all Missouri lawyers.” In 1943, the association adopted a resolution proposing a wholly integrated bar to “marshal the manpower of the whole Bar of Missouri into one organization … to be much more effective in the work that we are trying to do.” 

The Supreme Court of Missouri realized this vision on June 16, 1944, by adopting the predecessor of Rule 7, creating a unified, integrated entity called, simply, The Missouri Bar. Rule 7 states that it is the responsibility of all Missouri lawyers to uphold the honor and maintain the dignity of the profession and to improve the law and the administration of justice. In recognition of our profession’s collective obligation, the Court promulgated by the rule as a “means of organization” that would best aid Missouri lawyers in the discharge of our public duty.

Put simply, the Court recognized that we could do better together.

Eighty years later, we enjoy the strength of 31,000 members. Regardless of our individual differences, we are united in our charge to improve the profession, the law, and the administration of justice for the benefit of the public. Each of you satisfies this charge through your daily heroics, both for your clients and in countless non-billable endeavors. 

If you wonder how, exactly, The Missouri Bar is fulfilling its charge on an institutional level, I encourage you to peruse MoBar.org to explore the myriad ways in which your enrollment fee (only $259 of which stays with the bar) supports lawyers, elevates the profession, serves the public, and strengthens democracy. A few examples:

• The Missouri Bar helps lawyers in their practice by providing continuing legal education and networking opportunities through CLE programs; in-person, virtual, and hybrid conferences and events; and committees and sections. 
   
• The Missouri Bar offers no-cost access to FastCase; practice management resources; MAI-Criminal; dispute resolution/mediation programs; and mental health and wellness programming and confidential counseling through MOLAP. Members can also access an insurance marketplace; a jobs board; and dozens of third-party discounts for a variety of services, including law practice management consulting.
   
• The Missouri Bar serves the public by providing a wide variety of informational guides, disaster resources, pro bono assistance through Missouri.FreeLegalAnswers.org, and community service events. 
   
• The Missouri Bar educates voters about judicial retention elections by distributing information gathered by the independent Judicial Performance Review Committee.
   
• The Missouri Bar improves the law by serving as a non-partisan resource for the Missouri General Assembly, ensuring clarity, uniformity, and consistency in Missouri statutes.
   
• The Missouri Bar tracks national trends and collaborates with the Supreme Court of Missouri and other stakeholders on issues affecting the profession and the courts. 
   
• And, of course, my favorite, The Missouri Bar promotes civic education by providing resources and training to educators; organizing statewide high school competitions to inspire students to think critically and participate in deeper discussions; and maintaining a speakers bureau, sending volunteer lawyers to schools and civic groups to educate citizens about the law and our legal system. 

The list goes on. In short, your return on investment in The Missouri Bar is stratospheric. 

We, as a profession, couldn’t have this wide influence for good in our state without the strength of numbers and unity enshrined in Rule 7. So, thank you, Supreme Court of Missouri, for creating our unified Missouri Bar 80 years ago. And happy birthday, The Missouri Bar. Here’s to many more!

Read more articles about The Missouri Bar's 80th anniversary:

80 years and counting

80 years of lawyers working together