Nominate a young lawyer for 2026-2027 Leadership Academy by May 31

The Missouri Bar Leadership Academy has offered networking and leadership development opportunities for young lawyers for more than 25 years, graduating more than 290 leaders in the legal profession. Now, it’s your turn to nominate the next class of leaders! 

If you know exceptional new and/or young lawyers who have shown outstanding leadership skills in their communities, nominate them for the 2026-2027 Missouri Bar Leadership Academy class!

Complete the online nomination form by May 31. Following the nomination period, each nominee will receive an application to complete. A selection committee will review the applications and nominations before selecting the next Leadership Academy class.

“One of the biggest lessons I took from Leadership Academy was how much growth can happen when you’re in a space with other thoughtful, motivated leaders who are all willing to show up fully,” said Brittany Chapman, a member of the 2024-2025 Leadership Academy class. “…The experience reinforced, for me, that with the right mindset and a supportive group, you can do hard things, execute well, and walk away feeling more confident in your abilities to tackle any challenges that come your way.” 

About Leadership Academy

Established in 2000, Leadership Academy encourages diversity among the bar’s leadership by recruiting and targeting young lawyers (under the age of 40) or those recently admitted to the bar (no more than 10 years ago) who have already shown leadership qualities. Each class contains about a dozen lawyers who are diverse in terms of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability (i.e. neurodiversity, visible and invisible disabilities), geography, etc. 

Leadership Academy members participate in The Missouri Bar’s Annual Meeting, Board of Governors and committee meetings, and workshops designed to help the class learn more about the bar, develop leadership skills, and create a public service project. At the end of the year, class members commit to serving the bar in an active capacity for two years.

Many Leadership Academy alumni have served on The Missouri Bar Board of Governors, on Young Lawyers’ Section Council, as committee and section chairs, and as presenters at popular Missouri Bar conferences like MOSOLO Small Firm Conference, Bernard Edelman DWI Law & Science Seminar, and Annual Meeting. View list of Leadership Academy alumni here.

Click here to read how a casual conversation at a restaurant created this 25-year-old Missouri Bar program.

If you have questions about Leadership Academy, contact program liaison Dr. Tony Simones at TSimones@mobar.org.

Testimonials

“I wanted to intentionally develop my leadership skills, connect with other driven and service-oriented lawyers across the state, and contribute meaningfully to The Missouri Bar. The practice of law can sometimes feel siloed, especially early in your career. Leadership Academy provides a platform to step outside of daily litigation and engage in broader conversations about the future of the profession.” - Des’Aire Taylor, 2025-2026 Leadership Academy class

“Being part of the Leadership Academy taught me several valuable lessons. It reiterated the incredible power of networking and building a support group of attorneys who can serve as a resource, guide, and mentor as you navigate practice. I learned the vastness of the services and value that The Missouri Bar provides to our members. Prior to my time in Leadership Academy, I had not realized just how much the bar is doing to support our members from programming to training to support; it’s just incredible.” - Cara Stuckel, 2018-2019 Leadership Academy class

“Lawyers participating in the Leadership Academy can learn, not just about our bar association, but also about the deeper commitment that we, as lawyers, have to service. The service project of each academy year provides time, structure, and resources to bring ideas to improve our profession to life. Sometimes the academy has provided information to people in our communities, and other times, it has created resources for lawyers themselves. Both are worthy opportunities for growth and expansion personally and professionally.” - Nimrod T. “Rod” Chapel Jr., 2001-2002 Leadership Academy class

Read more Q&As from current and past Leadership Academy class members here.