Overview: Missouri Bar Committees

UNIFORM SCOPE

Role and Impact of Missouri Bar CommitteesCommittees represent the driving forces behind the work and activities of The Missouri Bar.

Committees represent the driving forces behind the work and activities of The Missouri Bar. The committees work with uniform scopes, clearly delineating board expectations from each committee. Typically, committee leadership (chairs and vice-chairs) consider each scope area to identify possible committee activities for the bar year. The uniform scope appears below.

EDUCATION: Provide a forum for education, shared expertise, professional development, and networking opportunities for practitioners in the committee’s practice area – all committees are expected to hold a Fall and Spring Meetings.
LEGISLATION: Review, edit and/or draft proposed legislation affecting the committee’s practice area
EXPERTISE: Provide educational programs and materials for the improvement and education of practitioners in the committee’s practice area – statewide MoBarCLE, Fall/Spring Meetings, deskbook updates, guidebooks.
PUBLIC OUTREACH: Provide information which may include resources and materials for the general public to educate and create a better-informed citizenry regarding the committee’s practice area – MoBar blogs, podcasts.
RELATIONSHIPS: Maintain and improve relationships among practitioners, governmental agencies, judges, and court personnel involved in the committee’s practice area.
ALIGN WITH MOBAR: Support the mission, vision, and goals of The Missouri Bar.

Networking, Relationship Building - A Positive Impact on Missouri Lawyers and Their Practices

In addition to having the opportunity to engage in important activities that can have a direct impact on the laws related to particular substantive areas and Missouri's justice system as a whole, active members of committees/sections also benefit by having the opportunity to interact, network, and develop important professional relationships with other lawyers who practice in the same substantive area of law.

Types of Missouri Bar Committees

Open Enrollment Committees
All members of The Missouri Bar are invited to become involved in committee activities. Lawyers can choose from almost 40 open enrollment committees, most with a purpose and activities related to a substantive area of law.
Missouri lawyers can join any of these committees at any time of the year by signing in to their Practice Portal.
Other Permanent and Special Committees
In addition to the open enrollment committees, the president of The Missouri Bar appoints several other permanent committees. Special Committees are often created by the Board of Governors to address specific issues or concerns and the president of The Missouri Bar appoints the members to these committees as well.
Sections of The Missouri Bar
The Missouri Bar has one section – the Young Lawyers' Section, of which all members of The Missouri Bar who are 36 years of age or less who have been admitted into the bar of any state 10 years or less, are automatically members of the section for no additional cost.

Meetings & Online Communities

Spring and Fall Committee Meetings
Most Missouri Bar committees meet twice annually – once at the Fall Committee Meetings in November and again at the Spring Committee Meetings in April. Both meetings are held virtually and many committees offer free CLE programs as part of their meetings. You don't have to be a member of a committee and there is no registration fee to attend the committee meetings. These meetings can also be a great way to try a committee out and see if it is right for you. Use the link under News & Events above to view the latest information about the next committee meetings.
connect.MOBAR
Most of the committees have a corresponding online community to which committee members are automatically subscribed. The communities are designed to foster communication among members. Members can exchange information, offer assistance to one another, and refer cases outside of their geographic area. connect.MOBAR is a collaborative tool designed exclusively for Missouri Bar members that provides instant, active response features of a digital-friendly discussion forum. You can start new threads in each community or find archived discussions through the search feature. All in real time, daily digests, or no emails at all - you decide. As discussions develop within the community, the users’ posts and uploaded documents will create a rich archive of searchable content to help new and existing community members find answers to their practice questions. There are many added bonuses like the ability to share large files without cluttering your inbox and instant access to your member contacts through a more user-friendly member directory.