Maggie McConville honored with YLS JoEllen Engelbart Award
Maggie McConville was presented with the Young Lawyers’ Section JoEllen Engelbart Award at the Annual Meeting of The Missouri Bar in September.
The award honors the late JoEllen Engelbart, who was chair-elect of the council when she died in 2021. Engelbart dedicated her career to public service. She was a fierce advocate for special victims through her job as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Jackson County. YLS members at the time described her as an invaluable member of the council who was always willing to help and mentor new members.
McConville graduated from the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Law in 2022. After graduating, she returned to her hometown of Chillicothe and joined Chapman and Cowherd, P.C.
Danielle Atchison, 2024-2025 YLS Council chair, selected McConville for the award because of her dedication to her community and her outreach efforts on the council. McConville chairs the Civic Education and Outreach Committee and has been instrumental in expanding its work.
“She is always working to make the project she’s in charge of better,” Atchison said. “I am proud to have her on our YLS Council and proud to give her this award.”
McConville is driven by a desire to increase legal representation in rural Missouri. As a rural lawyer, she serves 13 counties. In many of them, the only lawyers are the judge and prosecutor.
McConville has seen firsthand the benefits of rural communities and investing in them. She has found many mentors who have helped her along the way.
“I also know the value of mentorship, as I have had amazing attorneys guide me in my first years of practice,” she said. “Not everyone has that support, so I want to be a resource for others who may have questions or concerns about rural practice.”
While she didn’t personally know Engelbart, McConville has seen the impact she had on the council.
“I am honored to be considered in the same class as JoEllen, but I know that any success I have on the council is because of the amazing people I serve with — especially those who have mentored me, just as JoEllen mentored them,” she said. “I look forward to this next year and to all that the council has planned for our great state.”
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.