Megan Phillips is the 2023-2024 Missouri Bar president.
I submit this last column to you with the star-struck humility of a sports fan in the presence of the entire U.S. Olympic team. Having spent the past year traveling across the state to spread the goodwill of The Missouri Bar, visit with you, and understand your work and your worries, my respect and admiration for our bar and its members has expanded exponentially. Through your dedication, excellence, and professionalism, you demonstrate that, in our legal system, YOU are the Olympians. As I enter the final weeks of my term as president of your wildly zealous fan club, I offer this year-end accounting, with a side of earnest sentiment.
Governance
The Missouri Bar president’s duties generally fall into one of two categories. First, there’s the governance part, and The Missouri Bar did quite a bit this year.1 The Board of Governors saw the completion of a comprehensive external evaluation of the Missouri Lawyers’ Assistance Program to ensure that we are employing best practices to support lawyers facing substance use or mental health challenges. It also voted to transition the Family Law Section into an open enrollment committee to facilitate greater engagement and participation from this large sector of the profession.
Other works include an amendment to the bylaws of The Missouri Bar Young Lawyers’ Section that expands eligibility for the increasing population of non-traditional law school graduates entering the profession later in life, as well as revisions to the bar’s executive director performance review process by members of the executive committee. (Riveting, I know.2)
And board members continued to volunteer their time and talents on numerous committees to appoint lawyers to leadership positions throughout the state, optimize our resources and member benefits, maintain the dynamism of our strategic plan, and serve as a non-partisan resource for lawmakers and other stakeholders. We propelled the Leadership Academy and the judicial internship program to cultivate a profession that reflects the public we serve, with a focus on rural and underrepresented communities.
As a certified bar nerd, I’ve enjoyed these aspects of my role immensely. Advancing The Missouri Bar’s mission – to improve the legal profession, the administration of justice, and the law on behalf of the public – enables us all to have a positive impact with a lasting ripple effect. This is why so many of us went to law school, right?
And I’ve been privileged to work with brilliant, kind, dedicated people throughout the state who work tirelessly to fulfill our collective charge. To all who supported the bar’s efforts this year in any way, whether big or small, visible or stealth: Thank you. It matters. Your individual dots of paint are essential to our pointillist canvas.
Gas tank
The second prong of a president’s duties is the public-facing part as the official spokesperson of The Missouri Bar: the gas tank. I have traversed the state this year to peek into your communities, see the profession through your eyes, thank our public servants, build relationships with lawmakers and local press, engage with students, and share news from the bar world.
Every gathering has left me inspired, uplifted, and optimistic about our profession and the Third Branch. Wherever and whatever you practice, know that your colleagues everywhere share your commitment to civility, fairness, and each other. You are the subtle heroes and guardians of our democracy.
I am truly honored and sincerely grateful to have served as your president this bar year. As I pass the gavel into supremely capable hands, I hold onto a profound appreciation for every element that animates The Missouri Bar – our institutional history and Supreme Court of Missouri charge; our exceptional and patient staff; selfless volunteers at all levels of the organization; courageous leaders past and present; and most of all you, the everyday Olympians of our noble profession.
Greater than the sum of our parts, together we ARE the widest influence for good.
Endnotes
1 For a fuller description of The Missouri Bar’s services and good works, check out the 2023 Annual Report under the “Publications” tab of MoBar.org.
2 But don’t be fooled. The Board of Governors had some fun, too. It’s quite possible that my greatest achievement as president was to orchestrate walk-up music for speakers on the May meeting agenda.