Reports & Surveys
The Missouri Bar is dedicated to improving the profession, the law, and the administration of justice for all Missourians. To fulfill this important mission, the state bar conducts surveys and produces reports to ensure organizational capacity for the organize and information for the future of the profession.
The Annual Report of The Missouri outlines the various programs, activities and events the bar carries out each year to fulfill its core goals as defined by the Strategic Direction.
Certified public accountants complete independent financial reports annually of the finances of The Missouri Bar.
The state bar’s economic surveys provide snapshots of the financial health of the legal profession in Missouri, provide an overview of demographics of Missouri lawyers, and collect accurate information on the economic realities of the legal profession to share with current and future lawyers.
The Lawyers Living Well Special Committee was created under the
direction of then-President John R. Gunn to study and make
recommendations to the Board of Governors on the matters of well-being
within the state’s legal community. The special committee is composed of
40 members, drawn from the bench and the bar and providing a
representative cross-section of many stakeholder different stakeholder
groups. The special committee was also directed to make recommendations
to the Board of Governors on projects, programs, and other efforts to
address those issues and factors and improve or promote the overall
well-being of members of The Missouri Bar.
In a 2020 review of the state bar’s activities concentrated on efforts to increase the retention, promotion, and advancement of lawyers of color, we found we should be doing more. At the same time, the entire country was experiencing a heightened awareness regarding racial and social injustices. That’s when 2019-20 Missouri Bar President Tom Bender created the Special Committee on Lawyers of Color to propose tangible solutions in this area. The Special Committee on Lawyers of Color researched national best practices in the legal profession, with a proven record of success, and recommended six initial initiatives to increase retention, advancement, and promotion of lawyers of color. The Board of Governors of The Missouri Bar accepted this report and voted to approve the six recommended initiatives at its March 4, 2021, meeting.
Under the leadership of Judges Lisa Van Amburg and James Welsh, our COVID-19 Response Task Force continues to work, identifying challenges lawyers and courts face in providing the public with access to justice and proposing potential responses, including a request to come up with best practices for in-person proceedings so that all members of the public can be protected. Their input to bar leadership and the Supreme Court is important in efforts to keep the courts open while preserving everyone's health and well-being. Hundreds of volunteer hours have been donated by the members of the COVID-19 Response Task Force and its subcommittees.
- 5/19/2020 - Task Force Report to the Supreme Court of Missouri on Proposed Operational Directives on Conducting Jury Proceedings
- 5/4/2020 - Governor's Executive Order 20 -10, extending emergency electronic notary to Jun. 15
- 5/4/2020 - Supreme Court of Missouri issues operational directives to help courts statewide begin resuming court activities through specified phases
- 4/17/2020 - Supreme Court of Missouri order re: response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, extends precautionary measures through May 15
- 4/6/2020 - Governor issues executive order authorizing notarization via audio-visual technology, suspends the personal appearance requirement for notarization
The Missouri Bar formed the Special Committee on Guardians ad Litem in September 2019 to review guardian ad litem services in Missouri. The special committee's Feb. 4, 2020, report outlines the committee's work, describes the role of the guardian ad litem, provides an overview of guardian ad litem services in Missouri, and examines current statutory provisions relating to guardians ad litem. The report concludes with recommendations for the Supreme Court of Missouri, the Missouri General Assembly, and The Missouri Bar, as well as outlines areas for further study. The executive committee of the Board of Governors of The Missouri Bar approved this report Feb. 7, 2020.
The Joint Task Force on the Future of the Profession was created when then-Chief Justice Mary Russell invited the Board of Governors of The Missouri Bar to join the Supreme Court of Missouri in creating a task forced dedicated to examining issues facing the legal profession in the near future. Through its subcommittees, the task force focused on the future of the profession from four diverse perspectives: legal education and entry into the profession; leaving or limiting the practice of law; the impact of technology on Missouri’s lawyers and courts; and increasing accessibility of legal services and the sustainability of law practice.