Missouri lawyers learn and celebrate at 2019 Spring Committee Meetings

Hundreds of Show-Me State lawyers gathered in Jefferson City Friday, May 10, for The Missouri Bar’s 2019 Spring Committee Meetings. The event, held at the Capitol Plaza Hotel and Convention Center, was an opportunity for free CLE, legislative updates and networking.

Held each spring and fall, Committee Meetings are a chance for the bar’s 40+ open-enrollment committees and their members to convene and discuss information relevant to their specialty area and the general practice of law. The Spring Committee Meetings were packed with court and legislative updates, including information about ethics related to animal law, guardians ad litem and technology changes; the intersection of private intellectual property rights and the First Amendment; and representing veterans with PTSD. A CLE session focused on the legal issues associated with the implementation of medical marijuana in Missouri sparked lots of dialogue. The program, hosted by the Health & Hospital Administration Law Committee, focused on the history of medical marijuana in Missouri, as well as some potential ethical issues that may come with it.

Raytown lawyer Charles Hulse has been attending committee meetings for more than 20 years and says the quality of the meetings has remained consistent throughout that time. For Hulse, it’s a good way to keep up with current events.

“I go to committee meetings where the area of law is of interest to me,” Hulse said. This spring, that included a session hosted by the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee. During the program, lawyers broke out into small groups to talk about developing a mediation statute for Missouri.

Committee Meetings are also a time to network. Whitney Payne is based in Jefferson City and has been attending committee meetings regularly since 2012.

“It is a great day consisting of informative programs and an opportunity to reconnect with lawyers you know as well as make new connections,” Payne said.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the unified Missouri Bar, and 2018-19 Missouri Bar President Ray Williams celebrated the long history of the committees in improving the law on behalf of the people of Missouri in his luncheon remarks at the meetings. “The Missouri Bar does an amazing job of convening folks from all views and positions to improve Missouri’s laws,” Williams said. “Working together through our committees, we’ve done some pretty awesome things.”

Attendees were treated to cake in celebration of the milestone and gave a standing ovation when Williams presented a Missouri Bar resolution honoring the work of Jefferson City News Tribune reporter Bob Watson.

See more photos from the 2019 Spring Committee Meetings here.