#MoBarNews December 2024 recap

Don’t miss the top stories from this month!

President’s Page: The essential role of lawyers in bridging divides

In the November-December 2024 issue of The Journal of The Missouri Bar, President Shelly Dreyer discussed the role lawyers play in bringing communities together.

“Many of us in the legal profession serve as community leaders, where we participate in or organize discussions that promote understanding across political lines. We can help our communities unite if we lead by example.”

Read the full article here.

Management matters: Major upgrades to member benefit vLex Fastcase launched November

As of Nov. 19, Missouri Bar members can access the new and upgraded vLex Fastcase. The no-cost legal research member benefit now sports AI-powered skills, a new editorial citator, and more that will allow lawyers to even better serve their clients and communities.

In this article in the November-December issue of the journal, Ed Walters, chief strategy officer at vLex and co-founder of Fastcase explains the upgrades.

Sober curious?

Stacey Parmer, director of the Missouri Lawyers’ Assistance Program explains the idea of sober curiosity and the benefits it can bring to Missouri lawyers during the holiday season.

“Sober curiosity isn't about completely abstaining from alcohol; rather, it encourages you to question the impulses and societal expectations surrounding drinking. It’s an exploration of your relationship with alcohol — an invitation to assess whether those drinks truly enhance your experience or merely numb the underlying stressors and pressures in your life.”

Read the full article here.

How do I... become a Foundation Fellow?

A fellow of The Missouri Bar Foundation is a member of the bar in good standing who has contributed $1,000 in one payment to the foundation or made a pledge to pay a minimum of $200 per year for five consecutive years and contributes as pledged.

After completing the initial pledge of $1,000, a fellow’s continued support is optional; however, the foundation depends on donations to continue its mission of supporting and expanding law-related education and charitable programs in Missouri. These additional donation levels are opportunities for fellows to continue contributing to the foundation after completing their initial pledge. There are also options for firms to become fellows.

Click here to learn more about how you can become a Foundation Fellow.

Meet your new YLS Council representatives

Members of the Young Lawyers’ Section of The Missouri Bar, voting in districts throughout the state, elected several new members to the group’s governing council and retained incumbent council members for new terms which began in late September. Members of the Young Lawyers' Section Council serve two-year terms. Learn more about these newly elected council members through this series of articles:

Most popular stories

This month, the bar’s most popular articles continued to be The Missouri Bar’s weekly case summaries, followed by the November-December “In memoriam.”

View the Supreme Court of Missouri and Missouri Court of Appeals hand-downs each week online, with headings and summaries for each case. These summaries are not part of the opinions of the Court and should not be quoted or cited.

Those wanting to pay tribute to a Missouri lawyer can submit an obituary here.

The Missouri Bar makes every effort to provide valuable information and resources through MoBar.org and MissouriLawyersHelp.org. To stay up to date, follow The Missouri Bar on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.