Kennedy Womack calls Leadership Academy ‘rewarding’ growth opportunity
Meet Kennedy Womack, a member of the 2025-2026 Missouri Bar Leadership Academy class! A graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law, Womack is an associate attorney at Stange Law Firm, PC in Columbia, providing free legal representation in family law cases, including those involving divorces, paternity, and custody proceedings. She was previously a family law staff lawyer at Mid-Missouri Legal Services, where she primarily represented survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Every year, The Missouri Bar brings together a select group of new and young lawyers to serve on the Leadership Academy. Each class completes a service project, engages in leadership workshops, networks with leaders in Missouri’s legal profession, and attends bar meetings. Following graduation, members continue to serve The Missouri Bar in an active capacity for two years.
Womack recently chatted with The Missouri Bar about this year’s Leadership Academy project to even better engage with young lawyers, her advice to new lawyers, and the special photo of her grandfather in her office.
Why did you decide to apply for Leadership Academy?
“I believe wholeheartedly that being an attorney is a privilege to not be taken for granted, and we should use that privilege to give back in any way we can … I felt that Leadership Academy was the best way to do so, as it provides the opportunity to complete a service project that directly benefits the bar and its members, which will in turn benefit the state of Missouri and its people.”
Why should new lawyers consider applying for Leadership Academy?
“Leadership Academy is not just an opportunity to grow in conventional ways — you will grow in ways you never knew you could. Since becoming a member of this year’s class, I have grown as an attorney in my practice, a leader in the bar, and a human overall … This has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and I will just say that if you are on the fence about applying — do it!”
This year's class service project centers around learning about new lawyers’ needs, wants, and perceptions of The Missouri Bar. How do you see this work shaping the bar’s overall ability to continue helping lawyers even better serve their clients?
“When new lawyers are given the opportunity to be heard and in turn, supported, they will feel much more confident as practitioners. Entering the legal profession can be daunting and, at times, overwhelming, but if new attorneys feel that they have mentorship and guidance through their bar, they can lean on that and be better advocates for their clients.
“With that, The Missouri Bar offers many helpful resources that new attorneys may not be aware of that can be extremely useful to their practice as well, and bridging the gap between attorneys and their bar creates opportunities for newer attorneys to utilize these resources that will benefit their clients.”
Why did you want to become a lawyer?
“I wanted to become a lawyer because I recognized that change comes from being an advocate in the justice system for those who need someone by their side … [E]very individual deserves a lawyer who will give their all every time they step into the courtroom to fight for them … I push myself to do the best I can every day for every client, and I love having the chance to do this work.”
What advice would you give to new lawyers?
“Always remember that you belong here. We all know that familiar feeling of imposter syndrome, especially as a new attorney. You leave law school, take the bar exam, and suddenly you are in front of a judge in a hearing against an attorney who has practiced 25 years, and you feel like a fish out of water. You ask yourself, ‘Do I really belong here?’ The answer is ‘yes’ … Just show up prepared, be the best advocate you can be, and learn from every experience.”
What is one interesting/unique thing in your home/work office that brings you joy?
“My grandfather passed away last year, and I was very close to him. He gave me a photo before he passed away, and I have kept it on my desk ever since. It is a photo of him after his first jump out of an airplane in the Army — he was 101st Airborne Division, otherwise known as “Screaming Eagles.” … I always look at the photo of him when I get overwhelmed or stressed, and how he would tell me to persevere because my clients need me to fight for them.”
Editor’s note: These answers have been edited for clarity and conciseness. Learn more about Leadership Academy here.