Fox, Glesner Fines, Sullivan receive 2025 Spurgeon Smithson Awards
Mary Fox, Barbara Glesner Fines, and Hon. Sherri B. Sullivan will be recognized for their contributions toward increasing the quality of justice.
Established in 1976, The Missouri Bar Foundation Spurgeon Smithson Awards recognize judges, law teachers, and/or lawyers who have provided outstanding services toward the increase and diffusion of justice. The Missouri Bar Foundation Board of Trustees selects the recipients, who each receive a $2,000 stipend.
The three recipients will receive their awards on Sept. 17 in Branson during the Annual Meeting of The Missouri Bar and Judicial Conference.
Fox
Fox, of Clayton, earned her J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law and spent her career helping low-income Missourians.
Fox served as director of the Missouri State Public Defender System from January 2020 until her retirement in June 2025. She previously worked as managing attorney for the St. Louis City Trial Office, hearing officer for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Internal Affairs Division, and commissioner for the 21st Judicial Circuit.
Fox said she is most proud of creating the Holistic Defense Services program at MSPD, which supports client advocacy by connecting clients to resources and services to improve both case and life outcomes.
“HDS advocacy results in less pretrial detention and incarceration — saving taxpayers money — and improved stability for clients, which improves their lives, the lives of their families, and increases community safety,” Fox said. “The continued work of HDS will allow clients to escape from criminal legal system involvement and eventually reduce the number of criminal prosecutions in the state — a positive step for all Missourians.”
Glesner Fines
Glesner Fines, of Kansas City, earned her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin School of Law and her Master of Laws from Yale Law School. She is a professor and dean emerita at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, where she has been a faculty member since 1986. She was executive associate dean from 2013-2017.
Glesner Fines has focused on professional ethics and formation. She has taught more than 40 courses, created multiple programs, and co-founded the school’s Academic Support Program, the UMKC Child and Family Law Emphasis, the Solo & Small Firm Lawyering Program, and the UMKC/LAWMO Self Help Clinic.
She said she is honored to represent the law school faculty who work to advance justice by helping students become lawyers committed to advancing understanding and development of the legal system.
“If my teaching, research, and service have played even a small part in advancing justice, I am privileged beyond measure,” she said.
Sullivan
Sullivan, of St. Louis, earned her J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law. She began her judicial career in 1989 as an associate circuit judge. She was appointed circuit judge in the 22nd Judicial Circuit in 1994 and joined the Missouri Court of Appeals-Eastern District in 1999. She served as chief judge in 2003-2004 and 2021-2022 before retiring in 2023.
Sullivan encourages all lawyers to remember the privilege of their role.
“As we swore in our oath of office, it is our responsibility and duty to maintain the dignity of our profession and to ensure the continuation of the rule of law and the balance of the three equal branches of government,” she said.
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.