MINUTES
2013-2014 BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEETING
Friday, May 9, 2014
Jefferson City Capitol Plaza Hotel
Members present:
P. John Brady, President
Reuben A. Shelton, President-Elect
Erik A. Bergmanis, Vice-President
Patrick B. Starke, Immediate Past President
Sebrina A. Barrett, Secretary
Bevy A. Beimdiek
Thomas V. Bender
Amy Bender-Levy
Suzanne B. Bradley
Nimrod T. Chapel
Nicole Colbert-Botchway
Morry S. Cole
Mark W. Comley
Hon. Charles Curless
Joel R. Elmer
Brian Francka
Genevieve M. Frank
Wendy Garrison
John W. Grimm
James H. Guest
John R. Gunn
Hon. John F. Kintz
J. B. Lasater
Mark H. Levison
Gregg F. Lombardi
Max E. Mitchell
Nancy R. Mogab
Douglass F. Noland
Joseph P. Rice, III
Brett W. Roubal
Tricia M. Scaglia
Deanna K. Scott
Joan M. Swartz
W. Douglas Thomson
Raymond E. Williams
Members absent
Robert J. Buckley
Dana Tippin Cutler
Neil F. Maune, Jr.
Lauren Tucker McCubbin
Mira Mdivani
Zachary R. Thompson
Eric J. Wulff
Members present by telephone:
Karen McCarthy
Michael E. Gardner
Edward J. Hershewe
Walter R. Simpson
Others Present:
Millie Aulbur
Catherine Barrie
William Bay
Lucas Boling
Anne Chambers
Farrah Fite
Kent Hopper
Chris Janku
Cathy Kelly
Jason Lamb
Cindy Neagle
Gwenda Renee Robinson
Delores Shepherd
Robert Stoeckl
Gary Toohey
Eric Wilson
1. Minutes:
It was moved and seconded that the minutes of the Board of Governors meeting of February 21, 2014 and Executive Committee meetings of February 20, March 5, March 19, and April 1 be approved.
The motion was approved.
2. Finances:
Mr. Doug Thomson reported that the current cash position of The Missouri Bar is about $9 million, which is approximately $2 million more than the balance at the same time in 2013. He noted that this cash position is directly attributed to the increase in enrollment fees. He reported the cash position represents about nine months of operating capital, further noting that most of the annual revenue is received early in the year so this position will change as the year progresses. He reported that revenues exceed expenses for both CLE programs and CLE publications. He noted that both were projected to run a deficit. He also reported that demand for CLE is currently at a high point as members complete their annual MCLE requirements by the June 30 deadline. He thanked the staff for their work.
Mr. Thomson also reported that the investment policy approved at the February meeting of the Board of Governors is being implemented. He noted that approximately $450,000 of mutual funds and securities previously contained in the Bar's portfolio have now been sold. He reported that about $3 million will be invested in bonds and other secure investments and the most recent rate of return is approximately three times the return earned prior to the approval and implementation of the investment policy, noting that the changes illustrate good stewardship of the Bar’s funds.
3. Appointments:
A. May Appointments
(1) Fee Dispute Resolution Committee
Mr. Jack Brady reported that the terms of Ms. Melinda Grace-Beasley and Ms. Donna Thomas on the Fee Dispute Resolution Committee are expiring and both are eligible for reappointment and willing to serve another four-year term. It was moved and seconded to reappoint Ms. Beasley and Ms. Thomas for another term. The motion was approved.
(2) ABA House of Delegates
Mr. Brady reported that The Missouri Bar has seven appointments to the ABA House of Delegates. He explained that one seat is used to establish seniority and extended involvement in the ABA by a Missouri Bar appointee. He noted that Doreen Dodson has held this position for a number of years. He reported that her term is expiring and she is willing to accept reappointment.
Mr. Brady further explained that past presidents of The Missouri Bar traditionally serve two two-year terms upon completion of their term as president. Ronald Baird, Thomas Burke and Charlie Harris, Jr. have completed their two two-year terms and John Johnston, Lynn Ann Vogel and Pat Starke are the next past presidents eligible to serve and all are willing to serve.
It was moved and seconded to reappoint Ms. Dodson and to appoint Mr. Johnston, Ms. Vogel and Mr. Starke to the ABA House of Delegates. The motion was approved.
(3) JPE Committees
Mr. Brady reported on nominees for current vacancies on the Judicial
Performance Evaluation Committees in the 16th, 22nd, 31st and 21st Judicial
Circuits.
(a) 16th Circuit (Jackson County) – It was moved and seconded to appoint Mr. Jeff Ragdale to fill the remainder of the term for the current nonlawyer vacancy on the 16th Circuit (Jackson County) with the term expiring on December 1, 2014. The motion was approved. Mr. Ragsdale would subsequently be eligible for a full six-year term.
(b) 22nd Circuit (City of St. Louis) – Mr. Brady reported that nominations are still needed to fill a nonlawyer vacancy in the 22nd Circuit (City of St. Louis) for the remainder of a term expiring on December 1, 2016.
(c) 31st Circuit (Greene County) – Mr. Brady reported that three nominations have been advanced to fill the remainder of the term for a current nonlawyer vacancy on the 31st Circuit (Green County) for a term expiring December 1, 2018: Mr. Jacob Sanders, Ms. Francine Pratt and Ms. Mary Ann Rojas. It was moved and seconded to appoint Mr. Jacob Sanders. The motion was not approved. It was moved and seconded to appoint Ms. Francine Pratt to fill this vacancy. The motion was approved.
(d) 21st Circuit (St. Louis County) Mr. Brady reported that nominations are still needed to fill a nonlawyer vacancy in the 21st Circuit (St. Louis County) for the remainder of a term expiring on December 1, 2014.
It was suggested that the Bar leadership communicate with all nominees whether appointed or not to express appreciation for their interest in being involved in the JPE program and to encourage those not appointed to consider future vacancies. It was further suggested that consideration be given to the nomination process to eliminate contested nominations for positions on these committees and that members of the Board receive information on the current composition of each JPE Committee.
(4) Legal Services of Southern Missouri
Mr. Brady reported that The Missouri Bar must approve the appointment of attorney members of the Legal Services of Southern Missouri board. He reported that Mr. Joseph A. Murray III and Ms. Mary Eftink Boner have been nominated to fill vacancies resulting from the resignations of Mr. Ed Pultz and Mr. Ken McManaman. It was moved and seconded to appoint Mr. Murray and Ms. Boner. The motion was approved. Ms. Deanna Scott abstained.
(5) Intervention Committee
Mr. Brady explained that both The Missouri Bar and the Supreme Court of Missouri make appointments to the Intervention Committee and that the term of Mr. Jeff Thomsen, a Missouri Bar appointee, is expiring, and he is willing and eligible to accept reappointment for another term. It was moved and seconded to reappoint Mr. Thomsen. The motion was approved.
4. Legislation:
Ms. Catherine Barrie noted that a report on the status of 2014 bar-drafted legislation was included in board meeting materials. She noted that in addition to the successful passage of the legislation to revise Missouri’s Criminal Code, three of the four bills drafted by the Probate and Trust Committee are expected to be Truly Agreed to and Finally Passed by the end of the session. She noted that one of the Probate and Trust Committee drafted bills dealing with granting attorney-client privilege between the trustee and attorney has encountered some opposition and is not likely to pass during this session. She also called attention to a report included in the board materials showing selected bills on which The Missouri Bar took a position during the 2014 session. She further reported that letters have been sent to all Missouri Bar committee and section chairs asking for the submission of any bar-drafted legislative proposals for the 2015 legislative session by mid-June and that any legislative proposals received will be provided for information purposes at the July meeting of the Board of Governors. Mr. Brady and the Board of Governors expressed their appreciation to Ms. Barrie and Mr. Eric Wilson for their work on the passage of the legislation to revise Missouri’s Criminal Code.
5. Report from the Office of State Public Defender:
Missouri Public Defender System (MSPD) Director Cathy Kelly reported on the status of the public defense in Missouri. She noted that the Missouri Public Defender System still needs more attorneys to handle its caseload needs, but that the situation is improving. She reported that the Missouri Public Defender System was chosen to participate in an ABA pilot project to improve the empirical tools for determining public defender workloads. She reported that the ABA provided a financial grant and hired RubinBrown, one of the nation’s leading accounting and consulting firms, to work with MSPD to identify the amount of time required for lawyers to provide reasonably effective representation to their clients in light of prevailing professional norms. She noted the process included input from private criminal defense attorneys and the application of ABA standards for criminal defense. She reported that the standards and methodology developed are expected to be utilized by public defender systems throughout the country and that the standards appear to have credibility with the Missouri Legislature, noting that as of the end of the session, an additional $3.4 million was allocated for MSPD to contract out all conflict cases that currently go to other offices. She thanked The Missouri Bar Board of Governors for its work in addressing the caseload issues of MSPD.
6. Committee Reports:
A. Joint Commission and Missouri Bar Committee on Women in Profession
Mr. Bill Bay reported on developments involving the recently formed Joint Commission on Women in the Profession and the Women in the Profession Committee of The Missouri Bar. He reported that the number of Commission members, appointed jointly by The Missouri Bar and the Supreme Court of Missouri, will increase from 16 to 20. He further reported that the Commission has launched a website, which includes a significant amount of resources, noting that the site is probably one of the best major bar association sources for information related to women lawyers in the country. He shared early analytic data related to the site, noted that it includes a blog, Twitter and social media tools and is adding followers on a daily basis at a rate that far exceeds rates of other similar websites throughout the U.S.
He also reported that the Commission has developed educational programming which included sessions on gender pay equity and that programs have also been presented in cooperation with the four law schools in the state. He noted that Washington University will be funding a summer intern to provide research assistance and efforts are underway to establish internships with the other law schools. He noted that future plans include a fall program on implicit bias, more on gender pay equity and a report on the status of women in the profession within Missouri. He reported that the Commission is considering asking the Board of Governors to support a recommendation to the Supreme Court of Missouri to begin collecting gender and diversity information on the enrollment form. He noted that such a recommendation would likely come before the Board of Governors for consideration in September or November.
Mr. Bay also provided an update on an initiative of the president of the ABA on the future of the profession and provided a report on a conference held in April at Saint Louis University School of Law. He noted that six key issues were identified from a Missouri perspective along with potential innovations/solutions. He indicated that a report will be issued soon and it is anticipated that there may be a dialogue with the Supreme Court of Missouri to establish a group to look at these issues as they relate to our state. Mr. Brady requested that Mr. Bay also share the report with the Board of Governors. Mr. Bay further noted that the ABA Board of Governors plans to study future of the profession issues from a national perspective during the next several years.
B. Client Security Fund Committee
Chris Janku reported that the Client Security Fund met by conference call on April 10 to consider claims. He reported that the committee recommends payment of 24 claims for a total of $23,072 and the dismissal of one claim based on the lawyer having paid restitution directly to the client. He noted that the Board of Governors had approved payment of seven claims for a total of $42,660 at its meeting in February, and as of April 17, the total recommended for payment in 2014 is $65,732, which is within the $118,500 limit established by Article 2.10 of the Regulations and Rules of the Client Security Fund. He reported that the committee also requests authority to submit recommendations on nine different claims held over from 2013 prior to the meeting of the Board of Governors in November 2014. It was moved and seconded to approve the recommendations as stated. The motion was approved.
C. Relevance Committee
(1) Relevance Initiatives for the Public
Mr. Reuben Shelton reported on the work of the committee focusing on increasing The Missouri Bar’s relevance to the public, noting that four projects are currently underway. He reported that plans are progressing to launch a new website containing information and resources geared to the public. He reported that a company has been chosen to develop the new website and noted that the company also has expertise in search engine marketing optimization. He noted that a citizen’s advisory panel associated with the Missouri Bar could play an important role in identifying the information that should be included on this website.
He reported that work is underway to improve classroom civics education resources for the public on the new website, including lesson plans to teach civics and resources to prepare for the constitutional testing requirement in Missouri’s schools. He also noted that information will be developed focusing on next year’s 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act.
Mr. Shelton noted that the Mini Law School for the Public, which has been extremely successful in St. Louis, is being expanded to Kansas City and Columbia. He praised the value of the program for the general public and noted that those who attend the mini-law school sessions represent a talent pool of interested citizens that can be utilized for future initiatives including advisory panels and Judicial Performance Evaluation committees.
He concluded with a review of the activities of members of the Leadership Academy, which include putting together resources for the public related to federal and state courts and the differences between civil and criminal law.
(2) Leadership Academy Service Project Presentation
Mr. Shelton called attention to the Leadership Academy’s group service project, which consists of programming for the Mini Law School for the Public. Two programs were developed. They are titled: (1) Becoming a Lawyer and (2) Civil versus Criminal. Mr. Shelton reported that the content of this service project requires approval of the Board of Governors. It was moved and seconded to approve the Leadership Academy presentations. The motion was approved.
(3) Relevance Initiatives for Members of The Missouri Bar
Mr. Erik Bergmanis reported that efforts continue to produce a library of “how-to videos” for practitioners. He explained that these are brief videos on specific topic areas designed to introduce and help lawyers understand and address specific legal issues. He noted that videos are currently being produced at a rate of approximately one per month and that four videos are currently online and available on the members-only section of The Missouri Bar’s website. He noted that plans are underway to announce and promote the videos, including introducing them at the Solo and Small Firm Conference. He further reported that plans are underway to select 10 Supreme Court Rules and produce videos that explain how to use the rules in practice. He also noted that there may be opportunities in the future to make past CLE programs available as well as providing video of discrete aspects of a legal practice, such as a deposition for view and use by practitioners as a learning tool. He noted the launch of a new CLE program called “CLE on the Go,” which offers archived CLE content at a reduced cost.
Mr. Bergmanis encouraged members of the Board of Governors to make a point of communicating with lawyers in their respective districts about the services and programs available to them, keep these members informed about Missouri Bar events and to be good ambassadors for this organization.
He reported on efforts to put together regional meetings to bring large firms and corporate counsel together to discuss what the Missouri Bar needs to do to be more relevant and to convince this segment that their involvement with the bar is very valuable.
D. Committee on Committees
Mr. Brady reported on the work of the Committee on Committees. He noted that this committee, chaired by Dana Tippin Cutler, was formed to review the current committee structure, the scopes/missions and activities of the current committees and to recommend changes needed to ensure that the committees and sections reflect the current practice of law and remain relevant to members. He reported that the committee conducted a review of all current committees and sections to assess the current name, scope/mission and current level of activity and involvement of members. The committee also sought information and feedback, reviewed the structures and committee activities of other bar associations, surveyed current committee chairs, interviewed members within different firms around the state and engaged the members of the Board of Governors in breakouts sessions held last February. Armed with this input and information, the Committee on Committees is developing a proposal which he anticipates will come before the Board of Governors for action at the July meeting. He reported that the proposal is expected to include the development of a new division structure to facilitate the interaction among individual committees and better reflect the way law is practiced today. He noted that the proposal is also expected to include a recommendation to create several new committees, merge or change some existing committees, dissolve some inactive committees and leave other committees unchanged. He called attention to printed materials provided at this meeting that outline many of the changes under consideration, including a chart depicting the structure under consideration by the committee. He noted that the proposed changes are expected to be implemented over a period of years, allowing for adjustments to be made based on feedback. Mr. Brady asked the members of the Board of Governors to review the materials disseminated at this meeting and provide feedback to the Committee on Committees by June 16. Ms. Sebrina Barrett further reported that this initiative is new and forward thinking in its approach and, if it is as successful as expected, may be emulated by other bar associations.
E. Veterans Clinic Initiative
Mr. James Guest reported that efforts are underway to develop initiatives that respond to the needs of veterans within the state. He reported that these efforts, initiated last year under the leadership of then Missouri Bar President Pat Starke, began with a review of successful veterans initiatives in Texas and Oklahoma and included a dialogue with individuals and organizations currently addressing veterans’ needs within the state of Missouri. He reported that the current clinic initiative is designed to identify and address gaps in services provided to veterans, avoiding redundancy in areas already served by other service providers and/or legal organizations throughout the state. He reported that a pilot advice-only clinic was held in February at the VA’s Hope Recovery Center in St. Louis. He noted that the clinic focused on family law and minor criminal matters, which are often barriers to other services for veterans. He reported that the clinic was staffed by volunteer attorneys and that 24 veterans were served. He further reported that a second clinic is schedule for mid-May also at the Hope Recovery Center and another clinic is scheduled for August in Columbia. Mr. Guest acknowledged the assistance of Missouri Bar staff member Bob Stoeckl and the active involvement and support of the VA Assistant General Counsel for Missouri Laurie Zeveski as being critical in the development and success of this initiative. He reported that the goal is to expand this initiative to other parts of the state and institutionalize a continuing Missouri Bar presence in serving the legal needs of veterans within the state.
F. Committee on Lawyers in a Changing Economy
Mr. Ray Williams requested a moment of privilege prior to his report to speak on behalf of Judge John Gibson, a former federal appeals court judge and a former president of The Missouri Bar, who passed away just prior to this meeting. Mr. Williams acknowledged a number of the significant professional accomplishments as well as some personal remembrances of Judge Gibson, for whom Mr. Williams served as a law clerk early in his career. Mr. Williams also mentioned that memorial information would appear in today’s edition of The Missouri Bar’s ESQ weekly e-news.
Mr. Williams reported that the Committee on Lawyers in a Changing Economy is responsible for reviewing and recommending member benefit proposals, which offer services to members of The Missouri Bar at a financial discount. He reported that the committee focuses on benefits that are legally relevant and that are consistent with ethics rules and practices. He reported that the committee is recommending the adoption of the following five new member benefits, noting that information on each benefit has been included in meeting materials: Casemaker Citecheck, EPC, Surepayroll, Logikcull and Wordrake. It was moved and seconded to adopt the recommendation to add the five member benefits. The motion was approved.
G. Criminal Law Committee
Mr. Brady acknowledged the efforts of Criminal Law Committee Co-Chairs Mr. Jason Lamb and Ms. Gwenda Renee Robinson for their work in the development and passage of the legislation to revise Missouri’s Criminal Code. Mr. Lamb reported that the Criminal Law Committee will now move forward and work with the Missouri Legislature on the two-year implementation schedule that is part of the measure passed in the 2014 session. Mr. Lamb also reported that Sen. Dixon has a bill pending that will create a standing joint committee within the Missouri Legislature to focus on criminal justice issues and that this committee includes a subcommittee that would focus specifically on the ongoing review of the Criminal Code. He noted that going forward, the Missouri Bar Criminal Law Committee intends to use the momentum of the passage of the revised code to continue efforts to modernize and bring all of Missouri’s criminal laws into the 21st century. He indicated that such efforts should and will include cooperation with all groups who were part of the code revision efforts during the past eight years and indicated that the next area of focus is likely to be on criminal justice record management including expungements. Ms. Robinson reported that there already appears to be interest within these groups and with those who have an interest in establishing the joint committee in the Missouri Legislature to consider making changes in the area of expungements.
H. Other Committee Reports
(1) Delivery of Legal Services
Mr. Gregg Lombardi reported that the Delivery of Legal Services Committee’s work related to limited scope representation fits into the relevance efforts directed to both lawyers and the public. He reported that the DLS Committee would like to utilize the forthcoming website for the public to provide a list of lawyers who will provide limited scope representation along with their direct contact information for use by the public. He noted that this list would help provide access to lawyers who through limited scope representation would make legal representation more accessible and affordable to the working poor who cannot afford full legal representation.
Mr. Brady noted that a recent ABA meeting held in St. Louis focused on the need to make legal representation more affordable to middle class citizens as well. He noted that limited scope representation is a practice that is here to stay and is one way to expand legal services to those who now cannot afford it and who are turning to options such as Legal Zoom and other such legal forms providers.
7. Officers’ Reports:
A. President’s Report
(1) Conflict of Interest Policies
Mr. Brady reported that two draft conflict of interest policies, one for the staff of The Missouri Bar and another for the Board of Governors of The Missouri Bar, are included in the meeting materials. He noted that the draft policies were circulated to the Board of Governors in February for comment and that the Executive Committee now recommends approval. It was moved and seconded to adopt the written Conflict of Interest policy pertaining to the staff of The Missouri Bar. The motion was approved.
Further discussion focused on the draft policy pertaining to the Board of Governors included concerns related to the breadth of the language in the policy, the potential for unintended consequences, the possibility of uneven application and fairness, and the application of the policy to specific hypothetical scenarios presented. Additional discussion focused on the need for and value of a written policy, the potential federal requirement for such a policy, the benefit and protection a written policy provides for both members of the Board of Governors and The Missouri Bar, as well as the impetus for such a policy, the resources used in the drafting process and a suggestion of hiring an outside law firm to draft a policy as an alternative approach.
It was noted that the draft policy under consideration should be revised in the following manner. The first sentence in Section 2.c. should be revised to add “Family Member” and “Family Member” should also be added to the exception portion in Section 2.c.(2). In addition, the reference to “committee” and “committees” should be removed from Section 3.
It was moved and seconded to adopt the Conflict of Interest Policy for the Board of Governors as revised. The motion was approved.
(2) Joint Task Force on Lawyers Helping Lawyers
Mr. Brady reported that efforts are underway to develop a joint task force of The Missouri Bar, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL), Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association (KCMBA) and the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association to expand resources related to mental health issues within the legal profession. He noted that Missouri Bar Lawyers’ Assistance Program (MOLAP) does a very good job especially focusing on alcohol and drug issues, but there remains a need to expand resources to address broader mental health issues including suicide. He noted that Kentucky had a tragic slate of 16 lawyer suicides in a single year and sadly noted the suicide of former Missouri Bar board member Wallace Squibb. He reported that Kentucky has established a special committee, which has since developed a number of resources for lawyers and Mr. Brady noted that the information from that program is available to an appointed group. He indicated that the resources developed would be made available to lawyers across the state and through local bar associations in Missouri. He requested authorization from the Board of Governors to establish such a task force. It was moved and seconded to authorize the appointment of a Joint Task Force on Lawyers Helping Lawyers. The motion was approved.
Mr. Brady provided an overview of the timing of key events for the Annual Meeting, noting that the Missouri Bar Foundation and Public Service Awards Luncheon and the Board of Governors meeting are scheduled for September 10; a full day of CLE programming and the Best of Missouri Reception will be held on September 11; and the meeting will conclude on Friday afternoon September 12. He noted that members of the Board of Governors should make arrangements to arrive in time to attend the luncheon, which offers an opportunity to meet so many lawyers who are recognized for outstanding pro bono and public service work. He also noted that this year’s Best of Missouri will be held at the Kaufmann Performing Arts Center, a spectacular facility ranked regularly as one of the top five concert halls in the world.
B. President-Elect’s Report
Mr. Shelton provided an overview of the many events and programs that he has participated in on behalf of The Missouri Bar, which included attending the Bar Leadership Institute in Chicago, serving on a program panel for programs on gender pay equity, access to justice and an in-house counsel forum at events sponsored by the ABA, Washington University School of Law and Saint Louis University School of Law. He was on the faculty of the most recent Mini Law School for the Public, spoke to the Boone County Bar Association/13th Judicial Circuit in Columbia, represented The Missouri Bar at a press conference on the revision of Missouri’s Criminal Code and is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the Saint Louis University School of Law hooding ceremony in May. He also reported that he has been meeting with a number of large law firms to discuss what The Missouri Bar needs to do to be more relevant to that segment of the profession and he has held similar discussions with the Missouri Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC).
C. Vice-President’s Report
Mr. Bergmanis reported that he has been attending a number of meetings and events including legislative dinners in Springfield, Kansas City, Jefferson City, Columbia and St. Louis. He reported that he has testified before the Missouri Legislature several times, attended the press conference on the revision of Missouri’s Criminal Code and organized this year’s Legislative Day at the Capitol. He noted that he attended two leadership meetings in Chicago, including the BLI program with Mr. Shelton and Ms. Barrett. He further reported that he participated in two site visits for the 2016 Annual Meeting venue, noting that the Lodge of the Four Seasons has been selected for the venue of the conference. He noted that work is underway to identify an appropriate venue to hold the Best of Missouri in 2016.
D. Executive Director’s Report
(1) Board of Governors’ Election
Ms. Barrett reported that the deadline to file a petition for current vacancies on the Board of Governors is July 1. She noted that a nominating petition and a list of the district vacancies for the upcoming election were included in the meeting materials. She encouraged early submission of nominating petitions, noting that members signing nominating petitions must be eligible to vote in the nominee’s district and discrepancies related to invalid signatures cannot be corrected if petitions are received too close to the July 1 deadline.
(2) Media Articles
Ms. Barrett called attention to the media articles included in the meeting packet, noting the social media campaign initiated by Farrah Fite related to the legislation to revise Missouri’s Criminal Code and the value of these efforts in establishing strong support.
(3) Civics Education Initiative
Ms. Barrett also reported on a new civics education initiative for prisoners. She reported that Chief Justice Russell received a letter from a prisoner asking if civics education could be taught to inmates and through the work of Millie Aulbur, Missouri educators and members of the YLS, a six-week pilot program is planned for inmates at Algoa prison and additional initiatives may result.
(4) Carol Chazen Friedman Scholarship
Ms. Barrett reported that donations are still being collected from the Board of Governors to fund a scholarship to the Solo and Small Firm Conference in memory of Carol Chazen Friedman.
(5) The Theodore M. McMillian Judicial Excellence
Ms. Barrett further reported that nominations are being accepted from the Board of Governors for this year’s Theodore M. McMillian Judicial Excellence award. She noted that the selection of this year’s recipient will be made at the July meeting of the Board of Governors.
8. Other Business:
Mr. J.B. Lasater expressed appreciation on behalf of the St. Louis County Bar Association for assistance provided by Farrah Fite, Catherine Barrie, Eric Wilson and Sebrina Barrett regarding a legislative matter before that body.
Ms. Suzanne Bradley reminded members of the Board of Governors that they are invited to participate in the District 1 Golf Tournament scheduled for June 20 at the St. Joseph Country Club.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
________________________________________
Sebrina A. Barrett, Secretary