Ellen K. Haynes receives MOLAP’s Dorothy Kaiser Award

Ellen K. Haynes will receive this year’s Dorothy Kaiser Award in recognition of her contributions in the field of chemical dependency, recovery, and continuing, compassionate care for lawyers and pioneering contributions to the overall well-being of lawyers in Missouri.

The Missouri Lawyers’ Assistance Program established this annual award to encourage lawyers and legal employers to be inspired by the awardees’ examples.

Haynes is a lawyer in Mid-Missouri and graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law. She previously worked with the 13th Judicial Circuit, primarily as a deputy juvenile officer. She has worked for the State of Missouri in various capacities for more than three decades and currently works for the Division of Legal Services for the Department of Social Services.

Haynes has provided and arranged CLEs for hundreds of lawyers but is most proud of instituting a wellness component to the annual CLE for the Division of Legal Services.

“I speak openly about my own recovery journey and share my experience, strength, and hope with those attorneys (and their staff members) who want assistance in order to provide encouragement and information to demystify recovery,” Haynes said.

Haynes’ message is clear: Taking care of yourself so you can give back to others is not selfish — it is necessary. While assertiveness is appropriate and necessary in the legal profession, she has found that altruism and cooperation are often far more important.

“Helping individuals to persevere is what attorneys do,” Haynes said. “Attorneys need to maintain their own sense of balance and well-being in order to accomplish that, and united, we can accomplish more. None of that would be sustainable without my sobriety.”

Haynes accepted the Dorothy Kaiser Award as part of the virtual 30th annual Missouri Lawyers’ Assistance Conference Oct. 24.

Click here to learn more about annual awards presented by The Missouri Bar, The Missouri Bar Foundation, and other entities. Read about other 2025 award winners here.