Meet your new YLS Council representative – Katie Finnegan; District 8
Katie Finnegan was recently elected to represent District 8 on the YLS Council. District 8 covers all of St. Louis County.
The Missouri Bar Young Lawyers’ Section (YLS) works to facilitate the professional growth and public service of new and recently admitted Missouri Lawyers. The YLS Council is comprised of approximately 35 lawyers from districts across the state who are elected by their peers to serve two-year terms.
Finnegan graduated from the St. Louis University of Law in 2019. After graduation, she clerked for the Honorable James M. Down at the Missouri Court of Appeals – Eastern District before joining her current firm, The Gunn Law Firm.
Finnegan answered the following questions to help her constituents get to know her.
What are you most looking forward to in your role as a YLS Council member?
As a YLS Council member, I am most looking forward to making meaningful connections with other young members of the law community from across the state. We spend a third of our time awake at work. So, those of us in this great profession must have more in common than we realize, right?
What made you want to be a lawyer?
To spend my working day playing golf, kidding. I went to law school looking for a challenge and was met with exactly that. In my view, the profession of law is ever challenging, and every day is an opportunity for personal growth. Becoming a lawyer meant being forced outside of my comfort zone often and building resilience, which continues to be pivotal in my pursuit toward a happy, rewarding, and fulfilling life.
Who is your personal hero?
Of course, it is extremely difficult to nail down just one personal hero when there have been so many aspirational people in my life, especially within my immediate family. But, since we are talking about the legal profession, the cliché answer seems most appropriate here – former Missouri Bar President and my boss, John Gunn, who is the reason I joined the YLS Council in the first place. He is not only extremely intelligent on the topic of law, but he is sensible and empathetic when balancing the high demands of clients, his business, and even his personal life, which, in my opinion, is at the heart of great being a great lawyer.
What is your favorite way to spend a day off?
Sleep a little extra. Exercise outside. Eat good food. Drink a craft beer. Spend time with family, friends, and in my best-case scenario, both.