Timothy McCurdy receives 2021 legal writing award

Timothy F. McCurdy received The Missouri Bar Foundation’s 2021 W. Oliver Rasch Award for his Journal of The Missouri Bar article regarding eliminating discrimination during jury selection. 

The Journal’s Editorial Board created the award in 1986 to recognize outstanding articles in the publication. The editorial board recommends an author to the Board of Trustees of the Foundation, and the foundation selects the award winner. Named after the former chair of the editorial board, the award includes a $500 cash stipend. 

McCurdy’s article, “Change begins with us - elimination discrimination during jury selection,” ran in the Journal’s November-December 2020 issue. 

“As lawyers, we have a duty to protect jury selection from discrimination,” McCurdy said. “As the Supreme Court recognized the importance of a jury selected without discrimination, the Court turned to lawyers to police the process. Protecting jury selection depends on our ability to exercise that right. My hope is this article will serve as a quick refresher for the lawyer preparing for trial, and as a reminder for all lawyers that change begins with us.” 

This is McCurdy’s second time to receive the award. His previous recognition was in 2018. 

McCurdy graduated from the University of Notre Dame School of Law in Indiana and currently practices trusts and estates litigation, elder law, and civil litigation at Lashly & Baer, P.C. in St. Louis. McCurdy is a former president of the Trial Section of The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis and has published other articles in the Journal over the last 12 years. 

Click here to learn more about annual awards presented by The Missouri Bar and Missouri Bar Foundation. For a list of all past recipients of this award visit this link.