Missouri Bar elects 2026-2027 officers

Jennifer M. Crompton, chief operating officer and trial lawyer at Crompton Pancoast in St. Louis, was elected as 2026-2027 president of The Missouri Bar during the Sept. 16 Board of Governors meeting. She was sworn in Sept. 17 during the Annual Meeting of The Missouri Bar, held in Kansas City. Her oath was delivered by Hon. Michael Stelzer, with the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court.

Crompton succeeds Athena Dickson, of Kansas City, as president of the 31,000-member Missouri Bar. Dickson transitioned into the role of immediate past president.

During her term as president, Crompton wants to empower Missouri lawyers to even better serve their clients and communities through a focus on education — informing lawyers and Missourians about judicial retention elections, access to legal services in rural communities, and alternative dispute resolution programs.

“I love being of service, so this is the ultimate way to give back,” Crompton said. “We’re going to do our best to move the bar forward and improve the lives of Missourians.”

Crompton has extensive civil and criminal litigation experience, having tried more than 40 jury trials and countless bench trials over her career. She also serves as an adjunct professor at the Saint Louis University School of Law teaching courses on mediation and trial advocacy. She graduated from the Saint Louis University School of Law and was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 2004.

Scott Robbins was elected as the new president-elect of The Missouri Bar. Robbins, a partner at Kennedy, Robbins, Yarbro & Henson, LC in Poplar Bluff, focuses his practice on rural utilities, real estate, business and commercial law, workers’ compensation, and probate and estate planning. Robbins is a life fellow of the Missouri Bar Foundation, has served on numerous Missouri Bar committees and boards, and was elected to The Missouri Bar Board of Governors in 2017.

Scott S. Bethune became vice president of The Missouri Bar. Bethune is a founding member of the law firm Davis Bethune Jones in Kansas City. He concentrates his trial practice in the areas of complex litigation, personal injury/wrongful death cases, product liability, and mass torts. He has served on The Missouri Bar Board of Governors since 2020 and has previously received the Missouri Bar Foundation Purcell Professionalism Award.

Learn more about The Missouri Bar Board of Governors here.