Total Credits: 14.4 MCLE, 6.9 Ethics, 1.5 Elimination of Bias
Sept. 14-16 | Springfield | University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center
Make plans to join us at this year's Missouri Bar/Missouri Judicial Conference Annual Meeting!
This year's Annual Meeting provides three days of learning, socializing, networking, and building upon the personal and professional relationships that play an essential role in strengthening our profession and our justice system.
We look forward to seeing you in Springfield!
Note: The full registration rate gives access to ALL meals, receptions, and educational programs (except for Judicial Conference programs/meals and the Missouri Bar Foundation Awards Luncheon).
As usual, the Annual Meeting agenda is chock full of educational opportunities – whether cutting-edge plenary sessions focused on timely issues facing the profession or abundant track programming addressing the finer points of practicing law.
In addition, the Annual Meeting will feature all the social events that have become traditional favorites, including:
Judge Bates was appointed to the Court of Appeals, Southern District, beginning Dec. 1, 2003, and he was retained in 2006 and 2018. He has long served on the State Judicial Records Committee and Court Management of Technology Committee.
Judge Bates was engaged in private practice in Springfield from 1984 - 2003, trying complex personal injury and wrongful death cases.
Judge Bates earned his Juris Doctor in 1984 from the University of Missouri–Columbia where he served as associate editor-in-chief of the Missouri Law Review. He graduated in 1979 from Southwest Missouri State University with a B.S. in speech.
Melinda J. Bentley serves as Legal Ethics Counsel in Missouri where she provides oral and written informal advisory opinions to attorneys on issues related to the Missouri Rules of Professional Conduct. In that position, she also serves as administrator and counsel to the Advisory Committee of the Supreme Court of Missouri. She began serving in that position in 2012. Prior to that she worked for the Illinois State Bar Association as Assistant Counsel from 2001-03, First Assistant Counsel from 2003-11, and Assistant Director of Legislative Affairs from 2009-11. She is a frequent speaker and author on professional responsibility matters. Ms. Bentley currently serves as a member of the Planning Committee for the American Bar Association (ABA) Center for Professional Responsibility’s National Conference on Professional Responsibility, the Planning Committee for The Missouri Bar Solo and Small Firm Conference, The Missouri Bar’s Special Committee on Remote Public Access to Case.net, and the National Organization of Bar Counsel’s Committees on Amicus, Website, Program, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She was a board member and officer of the National Organization of Bar Counsel from 2015-2020, including a term as President from 2018-2019, and formerly served on the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility (2020-2023), Editorial Board of the ABA/BNA Lawyers’ Manual on Professional Conduct as a member (2015-2016) and Chair (2016-2018), as well as a member of the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility Coordinating Council (2016-2018). She is licensed in both Missouri and Illinois, and is a member of The Missouri Bar, Illinois State Bar Association, American Bar Association, National Organization of Bar Counsel, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, Cole County Bar Association, and Mid-Missouri Women Lawyers’ Association.
Judge Borthwick was appointed to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District in September 2022. Judge Becky Borthwick was appointed circuit judge for the 31st Judicial Circuit Court in October 2019 and was retained in 2020. She was appointed associate circuit judge in April 2016 and was retained in 2018.
Judge Borthwick was previously in private practice, served as an assistant attorney general for Missouri, and was a full-time municipal court judge for Springfield.
Judge Borthwick received her Juris Doctor from the University of Oklahoma in 1995. She earned a B.A. in political science from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1991.
John Challis is a partner with Kirkland Woods & Martinsen in Clayton. He is an ACTEC fellow that specializes in fiduciary litigation. John is a frequent speaker, the Chair of the Missouri Bar Fiduciary Litigation Committee, and was named 2020 Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers for Fiduciary Litigation.
Anne Chambers, LCSW serves as the Director of the Missouri Lawyers’ Assistance Program. She has significant experience working with people to address mental health and substance concerns.
Ms. Chambers has served as past president of the National Organization of Forensic Social Work, past chair of the National Association of Social Workers Legal Defense Fund Service Board, and past chair of the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs Senior Lawyers Committee.
Ms. Chambers received her Master of Social Work degree from Louisiana State University in 1990. She has been licensed in clinical social work in Missouri since 1992. She lives with her family in Columbia.
Judge Nicole Colbert-Botchway was appointed associate circuit court judge July 2, 2015, and she was retained in 2016 and 2020.
Judge Colbert-Botchway served as an Administrative Hearing Commissioner for Missouri when appointed to the associate circuit bench by Gov. Jay Nixon on July 2, 2015. After working in private practice and serving as an assistant circuit attorney for the St. Louis City Circuit Attorney's Office, Judge Colbert-Botchway served as an assistant attorney general and unit leader for Missouri for over ten years.
Judge Colbert-Botchway has also served for many years in several bar and community leadership roles including on The Missouri Bar Board of Governors.
Judge Colbert-Botchway received her B.A. from Saint Louis University, her M.B.A. from University of Missouri - St. Louis, and her J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law.
Judge Michael Cordonnier has served as presiding judge of the 31st Judicial Circuit Court since 2018. He was appointed to the bench in 2008.
Judge Cordonnier received his J.D. at the University of Tulsa College of Law in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1982. He received his B.S. in Business Administration at the University of Missouri - Columbia in1979.
Judge Cordonnier was engaged in private practice as a partner in the firm of Cunningham, Harpool & Cordonnier L.C. and became a partner with Lathrop & Gage, L.C., in 2004. His private practice focused on medical and professional negligence, product liability, and health care contracting.
Judge Cordonnier has been a past and present board member of Discovery Center of the Ozarks, Friends of the Zoo, Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association, Christ Episcopal Church Foundation, The Kitchen (recipient of the Excellence Award), Boy Scouts of America, and Ozark Trails Council.
Katie Croker is the executive director of Russell House: Response to Domestic and Sexual Violence. Russell House provides services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their children, including an emergency shelter.
Katie graduated with her Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2010.
Katie received the 2009 Public Interest Scholar Award and the 2010 Jackie Macaulay Award for demonstrating exceptional commitment to public interest law. She participated in the Missouri Bar Leadership Academy from 2016-2018. In 2019, she received the Women’s Justice Award for Public Service from Missouri Lawyers Media.
Katie has also worked as both an assistant prosecutor and public defender.
Judge Deborah Daniels serves as a senior judge, after almost 12 years as an associate circuit judge for the 13th Judicial Circuit Court. She was the judge responsible for the probate division. From 1983 - 2023, she was an adjunct professor of law at University of Missouri-Columbia.
Before joining the bench, Judge Daniels served as chief counsel at the Missouri Attorney General's Office and assistant prosecuting attorney in Boone County.
Judge Daniels is ASTAR judge. She has made presentations to judges and lawyers for continuing education and has been a member of the Missouri Supreme Court Committee on Instructions and Rules-Criminal for many years.
Nik serves as a national tax manager in FORVIS’ National Office. In that capacity, he assists with the implementation and support of the firm’s technology and growth initiatives.
Nik has cryptocurrency, NFT, and Digital Asset experience and is the leader of FORVIS’ Digital Asset Tax Team. He is also a member of FORVIS National Commercial Services Group and provides sophisticated income tax compliance, consulting, and planning services to multistate businesses.
Nik is a member of the American Institute of CPAs while maintaining active CPA licenses in Colorado, Indiana, and Texas.
He is a graduate of University of Evansville, Indiana, with B.S. degrees in accounting and management information systems.
Rafe is a senior partner with Hutchison & Foreman PLLC in Fort Worth, Texas. He has practiced as a trial lawyer for over 33 years. He has extensive experience practicing criminal defense, personal injury, civil rights, and labor and employment law.
Rafe frequently serves as an expert witness in various aspects of the law and has trained lawyers internationally. He is also an adjunct professor at Stetson University School of Law and serves as the host of the Trial Lawyers College (TLC) podcast. He served on the board of directors for TLC from 2005 to 2014, and he also served as president and on the board of directors for the F Warriors.
Rafe is completing his book on voir dire called Communication Energy: Decoding Voir Dire.
Rafe received his Juris Doctor from Texas Tech University School of Law and his B.S. from Texas A&M University. He graduated from the Trial Lawyers College in 2002.
After clerking with Strong-Garner-Bauer PC during law school, Chandler joined the firm in 2004. He became a shareholder in January 2008. He has tried a number of lawsuits to juries, and has received several honors since joining the firm, including the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 and Missouri Lawyers’ Weekly Up & Coming Lawyers.
Chandler received his Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law in 2004, where he graduated in the top 5% of his class. His law school honors included receipt of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers Student Advocacy Award, the Deacy Award in Advocacy, and selection to the Regional Moot Court Team, Missouri Law Review, and Order of the Coif. Chandler is published at 70 Mo. L. Rev. 307, “The Medical Malpractice Crisis: A Problem with No Answer?”
Prior to law school, Chandler attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he studied political science and English, was a Roberts Scholar, and graduated with honors.
Chandler was born and raised in Nixa, Missouri.
William Gust is the Probate Commissioner for St. Louis County. Comm. Gust regularly hears a variety of contested probate matters including: adult guardianships, minor guardianships, contested matters relating to decedent estates, trust matters, and mental health civil commitment matters. He also presides over the administration of probate matters.
Prior to his time on the bench, Comm. Gust was a shareholder at an Am Law 100 law firm. While in practice he maintained both a local and national practice. He tried and litigated cases in various parts of the United States, ranging from St. Louis County Probate Court to Delaware Chancery Court. His expertise included everything from contested probate matters to complex civil matters.
Connie S. Haden practices in the areas of estate and business planning, trust and probate administration, elder law, and tax-exempt and non-profit organizations. Prior to starting the firm, she practiced with Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin LLP, specializing in complex estate, business, gift, and tax planning issues. She then served as independent counsel for Graves Bartle Marcus & Garrett LLC in Kansas City where she continued her practice in estate planning and trust and estate administration and expanded her practice into the areas of non-profit organizations and elder law. Her passion is to assist clients in developing and implementing the best possible plan to achieve their goals, while encouraging the participation of family members and other family advisors, minimizing taxes, and offering candid and affordable legal advice.
Connie is licensed to practice in Missouri and Kansas and is a member of the Mid-Missouri Estate Planning Counsel, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), the Missouri Chapter of NAELA, and the Boone County Bar Association.
Connie received her Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the UMKC Law Review and was a member of the Christian Legal Society, the Federalist Society, the Student Bar Association, and the Order of the Bench and Robe.
Connie graduated summa cum laude from the University of Missouri with degrees in Agriculture Business Management and Business Economics. During her time at The University of Missouri, she was active with the Homecoming Steering Committee, the Baptist Student Union, the Ag Week Steering Committee, and the Mortarboard Honor Society. She was a Sam Walton Business Scholar and received her American FFA Degree.
Heather M. Hall is a member of Schormann Law Firm, LLC, where she focuses her practice on fiduciary litigation, probate and trust administration, and minor and adult guardianships. Heather formerly clerked for the Honorable Kathleen Forsyth in the Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri, and has since dedicated her practice to fiduciary litigation and probate related matters. Heather is often appointed by St. Louis County as court-appointed counsel for respondents in guardianship and conservatorship proceedings. Heather received her J.D. with honors from the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Law.
Chuck is a partner with Stinson LLP, drawing on 25 years of experience litigating and negotiating very high-profile cases, primarily involving some sort of government action, to offer clients a broad and insightful perspective on Missouri's judiciary and broader government relations.
Chuck has successfully served as lead counsel before the Supreme Court of Missouri in cases involving the constitutionality of campaign finance and ethics legislation, and expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act. He brought a successful First Amendment challenge to a Missouri Constitutional amendment, prevailing both in the U.S. District Court and at the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. He has represented dozens of clients in Missouri's initiative petition process, writing proposed changes to Missouri law and litigating initiative petition and signature challenges.
Chuck serves as a member of the Missouri Supreme Court Historic Preservation Committee.
Chuck received his B.A. and his Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Rod joined the firm in 1974. He focuses his practice on products liability, insurance defense, and medical malpractice. He has been lead trial lawyer in cases tried in Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Kansas, Arkansas, Illinois, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Rod is admitted to practice in the following courts: U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri; U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit; U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit; U.S. Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit; U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit; and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Rod's legal career has been distinguished by awards and honors, including Fellow of American College of Trial Lawyers; American Bar Foundation, Products Liability Advisory Council; and Missouri Bar President’s Award in 1995.
Rod is a member of the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association (president, 2001); The Missouri Bar (Young Lawyers' Section Council, 1979–1985; member, Board of Governors, 1985–1993); Defense Research Institute; American Board of Trial Advocates; American Counsel Association; American Bar Association; member of the Order of Barristers; and the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers.
Rod received his Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1974. He completed his undergraduate degree at Missouri State University in 1971.
Chief Judge Cynthia (Cindy) Martin was appointed to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, in October 2009. She was retained November 2012 for a 12-year term expiring Dec. 31, 2024.
Prior to being appointed to the Court of Appeals, Judge Martin was in private practice since 1984. Judge Martin earned her Bachelor of Arts degrees in psychology and communications, summa cum laude, from William Jewell College in 1981 and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1984.
Judge Martin’s professional legal affiliations include being a member of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association (past president), member of the Association for Women Lawyers, member of the Missouri Board of Law Examiners (2001-2011), chair of the Supreme Court of Missouri's Ad Hoc Committee to Study Methods Conducting and Grading Bar Examination, the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Foundation (past president), and the National Association of Women Judges.
Judge Martin’s civic activities have included her service as a board member of Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation, Southeastern Jackson County Citizens Association, and Lee’s Summit North Music Parents.
Judge Martin was born in Clinton and is married with two sons.
Judge David C. Mason, circuit judge for St. Louis City, first conceived the Freedom Suits Memorial, unveiled on June 20 in St. Louis. This sculpture represents the freedom suits and the courageous individuals that were involved in them, roughly 400 slaves who petitioned the Missouri courts for their freedom and those who took up their cause. It is situated on the east side of the Civil Courts Building, between it and the Old Courthouse, where most of the suits were tried.
Judge Mason was appointed circuit judge in August 1991 and was retained in 1992, 1998, 2004, and 2010. He earned his B.S. from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, and his Juris Doctor from Washington University School of Law.
Prior to his appointment, Judge Mason served as an assistant attorney general, general counsel to the Missouri Department of Corrections, and was in private practice. Judge Mason has been a teacher of trial advocacy for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, the Yeshiva University Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, and several bar associations. He also has served as an adjunct professor of law at Washington University School of Law since 1989.
Judge Mason has advanced the cause of minority participation while serving on numerous boards including the Affordable Housing Commission, St. Patrick Center, and Affordable Housing Commission.
Judge Mason is married with two children.
Erin R. McClernon, Esq. is Manager of Attorney Development at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart PC. In this role, she assists in the development, design, and administration of a wide variety of internal programs and initiatives that support and enhance the personal and professional development of the firm’s almost 900 lawyers around the globe. She also facilitates the firm’s Well-Being Working Group, which proposes, plans, and executes firm wide well-being initiatives and strategies for both legal and administrative staff.
Prior to joining Ogletree Deakins, Erin practiced general business and commercial litigation for twelve years in a large national law firm, first as an associate and then as a partner. She regularly calls upon her deep knowledge and experience to develop and deliver programming that is designed to help the legal professionals at Ogletree Deakins thrive.
Erin is an avid supporter of the lawyer well-being movement and currently serves as the facilitator of the Education Working Group for The Missouri Bar’s Lawyers Living Well initiative. She is a member of the Institute for Well-Being in the Law’s Programming Committee and will serve as an adjunct professor in Fall 2022 for a well-being-focused course at the University of Missouri - Columbia School of Law.
Erin has been an active member of the KCMBA’s Lawyer Well-Being Committee from its inception in early 2018 and served as chair of the KCMBA’s Second and Third Annual Lawyer Well-Being Summits. She also acts as the KCMBA’s liaison to the Kansas State Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being.
Tim McCurdy is Of Counsel at the firm. Tim grew up on a farm in Southwest Iowa. After obtaining his law degree from the University of Notre Dame, Tim moved to St. Louis to “watch a few Cardinals games” before returning to Iowa. Tim met his now wife and his plans quickly changed – Tim has called St. Louis home for more than twenty years.
Throughout Tim’s legal career, he has helped clients protect their rights in lawsuits throughout the country. After watching a loved one suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, Tim developed a passion for elder law. Tim’s practice now combines his more than twenty years of litigation experience with an in-depth knowledge of estate planning and probate.
Tim devotes his practice to helping families navigate disputes involving estate plans and probate administration. Tim’s trusts and estates litigation practice includes trust and will contests, the removal of fiduciaries, demands for accountings, and contested guardianships. Tim is also frequently appointed by probate judges to represent individuals facing guardianship petitions, and as a court-appointed fiduciary.
Tim also helps families protect their life savings while ensuring access to the health care they need through Medicaid and special needs planning. Tim’s elder law practice also includes helping families develop estate plans to avoid probate and to protect against future challenges to their estate plan.
Tim lives in Chesterfield with his wife, two sons, and two dogs. Outside of the office you can likely find Tim in the stands at a hockey rink or a theater cheering on his sons.
Judge Rebeca Navarro-McKelvey is a St. Charles County circuit judge and former associate circuit judge.
Prior to her election to the bench Judge Navarro-McKelvey worked in the litigation and corporate immigration departments of Armstrong Teasdale. She also served as a felony prosecutor in the white-collar crime unit of the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office, as chief legal counsel for the St. Charles County Juvenile Office, and as a sex crimes and child abuse prosecutor for St. Charles County.
Judge Navarro-McKelvey is active in both professional and charitable organizations. She is the founder and president of Garden of Innocents, an 18 year old not-for-profit organization that provides burial and memorial services for abandoned children and infants throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan region.
Dan is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Digital Silence, a security consulting firm which provides a wide range of security assessment services, ranging from full scope red team testing to social engineering and application security.
Dan is a Certified Ethical Hacker (C|EH) through the EC-Council and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals.
Dan’s past experiences include 27 years as a trial attorney at Armstrong Teasdale, LLP, where he also co-founded the firm’s Privacy & Data Security Practice.
Andrew T. Peebles is a shareholder and member of the Estate Planning Practice Group of Carnahan Evans PC. Mr. Peebles’ practice involves communication with clients aimed at understanding their unique estate planning needs and objectives, and the preparation of various estate planning documents, including simple and complex trusts, wills, powers of attorney, premarital agreements, and business documents to accurately reflect those needs. Mr. Peebles also assists clients in the administration and distribution of the estates and trusts of recently deceased loved ones.
Braden Perry is a regulatory and government investigations attorney with Kennyhertz Perry.
Perry has the unique tripartite experience of a white-collar criminal defense and government compliance, investigations, and litigation attorney at a national law firm; a senior enforcement attorney at a federal regulatory agency; and the Chief Compliance Officer/Chief Regulatory Attorney of a global financial institution.
Perry has extensive experience advising clients in government inquiries and investigations, particularly in enforcement matters involving emerging or novel issues. He couples his technical knowledge and experience defending clients in front of federal agencies with a broad-based understanding of compliance from an institutional and regulatory perspective.
Scott Pierson is an accomplished criminal defense attorney and partner at Twibell Pierson Criminal Law in Springfield, Missouri. He works closely with non-profits, including SMBA's Clean Slate Clinic, in offering expungement services for indigent clients.
Alan Pratzel was appointed as the Chief Disciplinary Counsel by the Supreme Court of Missouri in April 2007. In that position, Mr. Pratzel oversees the system that receives, investigates and litigates ethics complaints against lawyers in Missouri. He began working for the attorney discipline system in 1985, serving as a Special Representative in the City of St. Louis. Prior to becoming Chief Disciplinary Counsel, Mr. Pratzel was in private practice for 30 years in St. Louis, engaging in various types of litigation. He is also an adjunct professor of Professional Responsibility at the University of Missouri School of Law in Columbia and at the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis.
Judge Robin Ransom was born in July 1967 in the City of St. Louis, Missouri. She graduated from Rosati-Kain High School. She completed her undergraduate degree at Douglass College-Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in political science and sociology. Judge Ransom received her Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri–Columbia School of Law.
Following law school, she worked as an assistant public defender in the St. Louis County office from 1992-1995. She was assigned cases primarily in the Family Court – Juvenile Division. In the fall of 1995, she took a position as an assistant prosecuting attorney in the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. She remained in that position for a year. In October of 1996, she began working in the Family Court – Juvenile Division of the 21st Judicial Circuit Court (St. Louis County) as a staff attorney. In that role, she handled juvenile delinquency and care and protection cases which included termination of parental rights matters.
Her judicial career began in 2002, when she was appointed as a Family Court Commissioner for the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court on Dec. 27, 2002. In that role, she presided over juvenile delinquency and care and protection cases, termination of parental rights matters, guardianships and adoptions. She served in that capacity until Sept. 11, 2008, when she was appointed by Gov. Matt Blunt as circuit judge in the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court (City of St. Louis).
Initially as a circuit judge, she was assigned to a general trial division from September – December of 2008. From January 2009 – December 2010, she was assigned to the Family Court presiding over contested divorces and motions to modify. Judge Ransom returned to a general trial division from January 2011 – December 2015. In January of 2016, she began serving as the Administrative Judge of the Family Court, overseeing all facets of the court’s operations both in the Juvenile and Domestic divisions.
In September of 2016, she was unanimously elected by her peers to serve in the capacity of assistant presiding judge of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court for the calendar years of 2017 and 2018. Then in September of 2018, she was again unanimously elected by her peers to serve as presiding judge of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court for the calendar years of 2019 and 2020. After just a few weeks in the role of presiding judge, Judge Ransom was appointed by Gov. Mike Parson on Jan. 9, 2019, to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District. On May 24, 2021, Gov. Parson appointed Judge Ransom to her current position as judge of the Supreme Court of Missouri.
Judge Ransom is a member of The Missouri Bar and the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL). She is the recipient of the Theodore McMillian Service Award from the Black Law Students Association of Saint Louis University School of Law. She also in 2019 received a Women’s Justice Award for Public Service presented by Missouri Lawyers Media. In 2008 she received the Clarence Darrow Award from the Public Interest Group at Saint Louis University School of Law. Judge Ransom is also a frequent presenter to school groups and organizations interested in juvenile laws and juvenile justice.
Judge Ransom was retained in the role of circuit judge in both 2010 and 2016. She was retained as a member of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, in 2020. Her current term as a member of the Supreme Court expires Dec. 31, 2022.
John Reeves is the founder and member of Reeves Law LLC in St. Louis. After serving as an assistant attorney general in the Missouri Attorney General's Office for over six years, he entered private practice in 2015 and opened his own firm in 2019.
He has personally authored over 270 appellate briefs and has conducted oral arguments in all three districts of the Missouri Court of Appeals, the Missouri Supreme Court, and the federal Eighth Circuit. In addition, Mr. Reeves has personally authored both certiorari petitions and applications for extraordinary relief before the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Reeves has also written numerous dispositive motions in both federal and state court.
Mr. Reeves also provides consulting services to trial attorneys about preserving matters for appeal and drafting dispositive motions.
In October 2019, Mr. Reeves co-founded The Missouri Bar’s Appellate Practice Committee. In 2021, Mr. Reeves received the Outstanding Service Award from the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers for his amicus appellate briefing on MODL’s behalf. That same year, he also received the International Municipal Lawyers’ Association Amicus Service Award for an amicus brief he filed in support of a petition for a writ of certiorari in the Supreme Court of the United States.
Mr. Reeves received his Juris Doctor from Washington University School of Law in 2007. He received undergraduate degrees from Washington University in St. Louis in 2004.
Cara is a partner with Franke, Schultz & Mullen PC. She has tried nearly 20 cases before a jury since becoming a member of The Missouri Bar in 2006. This included continuing to try cases during COVID, which involved trying one of the first jury trials in the state during the pandemic.
Cara proudly represents individuals and companies who/which have been sued for personal injury or other damages, in a variety of circumstances, including allegations of malpractice, motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, products liability, construction issues, real estate matters, employment, and harassment.
Cara is admitted to practice in the federal district courts for Missouri. She has argued before many courts in the state at the trial and appellate levels. Cara is also licensed to practice law in Arkansas.
In 2015, Cara was awarded the distinguished Lon O. Hocker Award by The Missouri Bar Foundation, presented to young trial attorneys who exemplify the qualities of Mr. Hocker; namely professionalism and high ethical conduct. Cara has additionally been honored with a Women's Justice Award from Missouri Lawyers Weekly as a litigation practitioner and has been elected into the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Cara is a member of the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association, the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers, and is on the board of directors for Sporting Springfield.
Cara graduated cum laude from Drury University with degrees in psychology with honors and speech communication, after which she attended the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. There, she was named Top Oralist in the Board of Advocates' Moot Court.
When not working, Cara enjoys spending time with her husband and four sons, usually outdoors and involving one sport or another.
Joshua S. Rose joined the St. Louis Office of Kirkland Woods & Martinsen LLP in August 2020. Josh focuses his practice in fiduciary litigation, trust and estate administration, and guardianship/conservatorship. He routinely serves as court-appointed counsel for respondents in guardianship and conservatorship proceedings in St. Louis County.
Josh was recently admitted to the BAMSL Probate and Trust Law Steering Committee, and he is a graduate of the Heart of America Fellows Institute of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.
Josh received his Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University School of Law.
Patricia M. "Tricia" Scaglia is a solo practitioner in Independence primarily practicing in family law. She frequently serves as a guardian ad litem and mediator.
Tricia has served on The Missouri Bar Board of Governors since 2012. She is a past chair of the Family Law Section. Tricia was a recipient of the President's Award in 2016 and was the 2012 recipient of the Roger P. Krumm Family Law Award.
Tricia earned her Juris Doctor from University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law in 1997.
Kelly St. John is a seasoned personal injury attorney at DiPasquale Moore. Her experience includes personal injury, criminal defense, municipal prosecution, ordinance drafting, and contract review.
Kelly is an active member of the community. She is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Association for Women Lawyers of Greater Kansas City. She was selected to participate in the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association’s Ross T. Roberts Trial Academy and regularly volunteers at the association’s annual telethon, during which lawyers field phone calls from the public and answer basic legal questions. Additionally, she was elected to serve on The Missouri Bar’s Young Lawyers’ Section Council to represent District 3 (Jackson County). Her other community work involves raising money for Hope House, Wayside Waifs, and Missouri Pitbull Rescue, among other charitable organizations.
Originally from Manhattan, Kansas, Kelly has now made Olathe her home. She went to high school in a small town called Meriden before attending Washburn University to earn her bachelor’s degree. From there, she moved on to study law at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law.
When Kelly is not in the office or helping her neighbors, she enjoys bonding with her dog at the “bark park” and spending time with family and friends. She loves to travel, play softball, participate in a bowling league, and play recreational sand volleyball. And even though she’s a diehard Denver Broncos fan, she often uses her Chiefs season tickets to go to football games.
Judge Cristian Stevens was appointed to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, in October 2021.
Judge Stevens served as First Assistant Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General for the Criminal Division of Missouri Attorney General's Office from 2019 to 2021. He served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri for 15 years. He also was in private practice for several years, and he was a law clerk for Chief Judge Pasco Bowman, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, from 1998-1999.
Judge Stevens has received serveral awards: the W. Oliver Rasch Award by The Missouri Bar Foundation for outstanding substantive article in the Journal of The Missouri Bar in 2019; the U.S. Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service in 2015; and the U.S. Attorney's Award for Most Outstanding Trial of the Year in 2014.
Judge Stevens received his Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, cum laude, in 1998. He was editor-in-chief of the Missouri Law Review and was a member of the Order of the Coif. He received a B.A. in political science, magna cum laude, from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1995.
Judge Sweeney is a retired circuit court judge for the 31st Judicial Circuit (Greene County), serving since his appointment as associate circuit judge in 1984 and his appointment as circuit judge in 1990. He served nine years as presiding judge. Judge Sweeney has tried over 300 jury trials. He served the judiciary of the state in a variety of committee positions.
Since retirement, he has conducted over 300 mediations and arbitrations as well as trial consultation and expert witness assignments. He has served on four cases as a special judge to the Supreme Court of Missouri and one for the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District. He is a member of the National Association of Distinguished Neutrals.
Judge Sweeney received the Spurgeon Smithson Award from The Missouri Bar in 2007. He also received the Judicial Excellence Award from the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association, and the Wall of Fame Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Kansas Army ROTC.
Judge Sweeney was born in Pittsburg, Kansas and attended the University of Kansas for both his undergraduate and law degrees, where he was an editor of the Law Review. Between degrees, he was a First Lieutenant in the U. S. Army, serving one year in Vietnam.
Erwin (Erv) is a co-chair of the appellate practice group at Greensfelder. He has argued or briefed dozens of appeals in state and federal court. He has written numerous articles and presented or moderated appellate practice seminars for The Missouri Bar and other organizations. In addition to his appellate practice, Erv has deep knowledge of areas of law including consumer protection, governmental regulatory affairs, and data security. He is a co-editor of the treatise State Consumer Protection Law, recently published by the American Bar Association.
For 11 years, Erv served as chief counsel in the Office of the Missouri Attorney General, where he led litigation on matters including the Merchandising Practices Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, civil rights, First Amendment law, and taxation in state and federal trial and appellate courts throughout Missouri. He has been involved in dozens of high-profile matters, including the relocation of the Rams to St. Louis, representation of the Missouri Commissioner of Securities and Secretary of State, and litigation resulting in a ban against the sale of ephedra products in Missouri. Recently he represented the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority (the governmental body responsible for the Dome at America’s Center) in negotiations with St. Louis City and St. Louis County regarding the allocation of a $500 million settlement with the NFL and the Rams.
Erv has significant community and leadership experience, including serving as president or chair of the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners, the St. Louis Housing Authority, and the St. Louis Public Library. He also served on the St. Louis Police Board, the Missouri Technology Corporation Board, the Governor’s Council on Disability, and the Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life. Missouri Lawyers Media has recognized Erv with an ICON award, a Mentorship award, and attorney Power List designations. He has been included in Best Lawyers in Appellate Practice and was named Lawyer of the Year in Government Relations Law.
Janet Thompson, who received her Juris Doctor and LLM from the University of Missouri-Columbia, currently serves as Boone County's District II Commissioner, a position to which she was first elected in 2012, and re-elected in 2016 and 2020. Prior to this service, she was a Missouri Assistant Public Defender for almost 25 years.
Janet has spearheaded Boone County's participation in the National Association of Counties' (NACo) Stepping Up Initiative, and serves as vice chair of NACo's Justice & Public Safety Committee; as NACo liaison to the National Judicial Task Force to Examine State Courts' Response to Mental Illness; as a member of the NACo and National Sheriff's Association Joint Task Force on the Federal Medicaid Exclusion Policy, and as chair of the Missouri Association of Counties' Policing, Justice & Mental Health Steering Committee.
Prof. Twitty’s research focuses on questions of nineteenth-century American social and cultural history, with a special emphasis on legal and labor history, slavery and freedom, gender and women’s history, and the history of the South and Midwest. She teaches courses on the rise and fall of American slavery, the early national and antebellum eras, gender history, and historical methods.
Prof. Twitty joined the faculty at the University of Mississippi in the fall of 2010. She is currently a Kinder Institute Distinguished Visiting Professor of Legal History at the University of Missouri.
Prof. Twitty completed her bachelor’s degree in political science at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and her master’s and doctoral degrees in history at Princeton University.
Her first book, Before Dred Scott: Slavery and Legal Culture in the American Confluence, 1787-1857, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2016. It draws upon a remarkable collection of nearly 300 freedom suits filed in the St. Louis circuit court to examine the legal history of slavery and freedom in the American Confluence, a site where portions of present day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri meet. In this fluid region, it argues, ordinary people—including masters, slaves, indentured servants, and all those they came into contact with—developed a distinctive legal culture characterized by a sophisticated and widespread knowledge of formal law, the hallmark of which was the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Scott v. Sandford.
Prof. Twitty also served as secretary for the American Society for Legal History from 2018-2021. She is pursuing a new book project that examines the multiple forms of unfreedom that persisted across the putatively "free North" in the early national and antebellum eras.
Alex Krasnomowitz is a member of Smolin Lupin and a licensed CPA in New Jersey with over 20 years of experience. He is a Certified Valuation Analyst and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants. Alex is also an advisory board member of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy for Certified Financial Litigators.
In his role on the firm's Forensic & Valuation team, Alex leverages his extensive track record and experience servicing clients in both the private and public sectors to assist lawyers and clients through their disputes. Having worked as an auditor, a controller, and a litigation consultant, Alex is able to bridge the gap between the services provided by the firm and the various business challenges his clients are facing.
He specializes in supporting both clients and a tremendous network of legal partners seeking support for business valuations, matrimonial litigation, corporate investigations, forensic accounting, public trust matters, and shareholder disputes.
Alex is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University (BBA and MBA) and has a history in the Big Four Accounting space where he worked on large corporate investigations and fraud recovery matters.
As the father of four daughters, Alex spends his spare time coaching softball and soccer.
8 AM – 6 PM
Registration
9:30 AM – 12 PM
Judicial Conference Meetings
12 – 1:30 PM
Missouri Bar Foundation and Public Service Awards Luncheon (separately ticketed event)
1 – 4 PM
Judicial Conference Plenary Session
2 – 5 PM
YLS New Lawyer Practice Series
6 – 8 PM
President’s and Chief Justice’s Opening Night Reception
7 – 9 AM
Continental Breakfast
7 AM – 6 PM
Registration
7:30 – 8:30 AM
CLE After Sunrise – Ethics Series
8 – 10:00 AM
Judicial Conference Awards Breakfast & General Business Meeting
9 – 10:15 AM
Plenary Session on Conducting Free and Fair Elections
10:30 – 11:45 AM
Plenary Session on Legal History of Freedom Suits During the Antebellum U.S.
12 – 1:40 PM
Opening Luncheon and Chief Justice’s Address & Swearing-In Ceremony
2 – 5 PM
Track Programs
• All About Business
• Family Law
• Probate, Trust & Elder
• All About Litigation
6 – 8 PM
Best of Missouri Reception – Hammons Field
8:30 PM – ?
YLS-Sponsored After Hours Reception
7 – 9 AM
Continental Breakfast
7 AM – 12 PM
Registration
7:30 – 8:30 AM
CLE After Sunrise – Ethics Series
9 AM – 12:10 PM
Track Programs
• All About Business
• Family Law
• Probate, Trust & Elder
• All About Litigation
12:15 – 2 PM
Law School Alumni Luncheons
Wednesday, Sept. 14 | 2 - 2:50 PM
Presenter: Scott B. Pierson, Twibell Pierson Criminal Law, Springfield
Wednesday, Sept. 14 | 3:05 - 3:55 PM
(Qualifies for 1.0 Ethics hour)
Presenters: Andrew T. Peebles, Carnahan Evans PC, Springfield; Kelly L. St. John, DiPasquale Moore, Kansas City
This presentation will highlight the fundamentals of marketing a legal practice, both on a firm-wide and individual basis. Attendees will learn:
Wednesday, Sept. 14 | 4:10 - 5 PM
Presenter: John M. Reeves, Reeves Law LLC, St. Louis
Thursday, Sept. 15 | 2 - 2:50 PM
Presenters: JT Gaietto and Daniel Nelson, Digital Silence Ltd., Denver, Colorado
Thursday, Sept. 15 | 3:05 - 3:55 PM
(Qualifies for 1.0 Ethics hour)
Presenters: Anne Chambers, Director of Missouri Lawyers’ Assistance Program (MOLAP), Jefferson City; Erin R. McClernon, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart PC, Kansas City
Recent research on well-being describes legal professionals struggling to establish and keep boundaries between work and non-work life, with links to burnout, mental health issues, and leaving the profession. Participants will learn to recognize burnout and mental health issues in a hybrid or remote environment—including what you might see (and miss)—and receive take-aways from recent research on well-being in the legal profession. We will discuss strategies to support attorneys and staff in hybrid and remote environments, how to respond to concerns, factors promoting employee retention, ethics issues and firm liability, the negative impact of neglecting well-being issues, and available resources.
Thursday, Sept. 15 | 4:10 - 5 PM
Presenter: Braden M. Perry, Kennyhertz Perry, Mission Woods, Kansas
This CLE will discuss NFTs' impact on the business world, including the unique aspects of blockchain technology. From smart contracts to gamification, NFTs have had an immediate impact on business. This CLE is designed for all sophistication levels and describes various business uses associated with emerging blockchain technology.
Friday, Sept. 16 | 9 - 9:50 AM
Presenter: Julia M. Vander Weele, Spencer Fane, Kansas City
Friday, Sept. 16 | 10:05 - 10:55 AM
(Qualifies for 1.0 Ethics hour)
Presenters: Leslie A. Greathouse, Spencer Fane, Kansas City; Ryan Mitchem, Husch Blackwell, Kansas City
The pandemic required law firms, whether large or small, to consider remote work issues on a large scale and the various related ethical implications. Now two and half years later, with the traditional bricks-and-mortar landscape of a law firm likely forever changed, law firms and lawyers continue to manage their ethical obligations, often in situations never contemplated by the rules and prior opinions. This presentation will be a primer on some of those key ethical issues that all lawyers and law firms, no matter the size, need to understand including issues related to technology competency, confidentiality, and the unauthorized practice of law.
Friday, Sept. 16 | 11:10 AM - 12 PM
Presenters: TBD
Thursday, Sept. 15 | 2 - 2:50 PM
Presenter: Joel Harris, Harris Law LLC, Nixa
Thursday, Sept. 15 | 3:05 - 3:55 PM
Presenter: Jason L. Clough, Clough Law Firm LLC, Springfield
Did you know the Form 14 and directions for use changed twice in the last year? It was much more than an update for inflation. Join us for a discussion on the effect of equal time parenting, rebutting the presumption of the "paying parent" in an equal time situation, the new considerations for imputing income, the Court’s ability to take judicial notice of a parent’s income potential, and the new Line 2 options.
Thursday, Sept. 15 | 4:10 - 5 PM
Presenters: Elizabeth K. (Liz) Magee, Law Office of Elizabeth K. Magee, Columbia; Comm. Janet M. Thompson, 13th Judicial Circuit Court, Columbia
This session will focus on how to discern the nature of your client's disability or impairment in order to better represent the client, including a discussion of communication techniques and questions of competency. The session will also include suggested strategies for identifying resources relating to the client's disability or impairment that may be critical for your representation.
Friday, Sept. 16 | 9 - 9:50 AM
Presenters: Kathleen E. (Katie) Croker, Russell House: Response to Domestic and Sexual Violence, Rolla; Kelly H. Martinez, Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (MOCADSV), Jefferson City
In this session, attendees will learn how working with domestic violence survivors may differ from other clients. This session is for any practicing family law attorney and GAL. Topics will include signs and evidence of domestic violence, safety planning for clients, and community resources available.
Friday, Sept. 16 | 10:05 - 10:55 AM
Presenter: Patricia M. (Tricia) Scaglia, Scaglia Law Firm LLC, Independence
Friday, Sept. 16 | 11:10 AM - 12 PM
Presenter: Alex Krasnomowitz, Smolin, Lupin & Co. PA, Fairfield, New Jersey (invited)
Thursday, Sept. 15 | 2 - 2:50 PM
Moderator: Judge Deborah Daniels, 13th Judicial Circuit Court, Columbia
Presenters: Heather M. Hall, Schormann Law Firm LLC, Kansas City; Joshua S. Rose, Kirkland Woods & Martinsen LLP, St. Louis
Thursday, Sept. 15 | 3:05 - 3:55 PM
Presenters: Nik Fahrer, FORVIS LLP, Denver, Colorado; Andrew T. Peebles, Carnahan Evans PC, Springfield
This presentation will highlight the fundamentals of cryptocurrency and the application of this emerging technology to estate planning and estate administration. Attendees will learn::
Thursday, Sept. 15 | 4:10 - 5 PM
Presenters: John M. Challis, Kirkland, Woods & Martensen LLP, St. Louis; Michael P. Downey, Downey Law Group LLC, St. Louis
Friday, Sept. 16 | 9 - 9:50 AM
Presenters: Comm. William J. Gust, 21st Judicial Circuit Court, St. Louis; Timothy F. McCurdy, Mitchell, Brown & Associates LLC, Kirkwood
This program will be an interactive CLE exploring the options and ramifications of representing a client in a decedent estate probate context without opening a full administration. The topics covered will include refusals, small estates, heirships, and other statutory options. The program will walk through hypothetical fact patterns, statutory language, and strategy involved in choosing not to open a full estate.
Friday, Sept. 16 | 10:05 - 10:55 AM
Presenter: Connie S. Haden, The Law Firm of Haden & Colbert, Columbia
Friday, Sept. 16 | 11:10 AM - 12 PM
Presenters: Daniel P. Wheeler, Kirkland Woods & Martinsen LLP, Liberty; additional presenter TBD
Thursday, Sept. 15 | 2 - 2:50 PM
Moderator: Judge J. Miles Sweeney, 31st Judicial Circuit Court, Springfield
Panelists: Judge Becky J.W. Borthwick, 31st Judicial Circuit Court, Springfield; Judge Nicole J. Colbert-Botchway, 22nd Judicial Circuit Court, St. Louis; Judge Michael J. Cordonnier, Presiding Judge, 31st Judicial Circuit Court, Springfield; Judge Rebeca Navarro-McKelvey, 11th Judicial Circuit Court, St Charles
Thursday, Sept. 15 | 3:05 - 3:55 PM
Moderator: Erwin O. (Erv) Switzer, Greensfelder, St. Louis
Panelists: Judge Robin Ransom, Supreme Court of Missouri, Jefferson City; Judge Jeffrey W. Bates, Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District, Springfield; Judge Cynthia L. Martin, Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, Kansas City; Judge Cristian M. Stevens, Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, St. Louis
We will discuss the following:
Thursday, Sept. 15 | 4:10 - 5 PM
Moderator: Rodney Loomer, Turner Reid Duncan Loomer & Patton PC, Springfield
Panelists: Citizens who served as jurors for recent civil and criminal trials
Presenter: S. Rafe Foreman, Hutchison & Foreman PLLC, Ft. Worth, Texas
Friday, Sept. 16 | 10:05 - 10:55 AM
Presenters: J. Chandler Gregg, Strong-Garner-Bauer PC, Springfield; Cara R. Rose, Franke, Schultz & Mullen PC, Springfield
Friday, Sept. 16 | 11:10 AM - 12 PM
Presenters: TBD
Thursday, Sept. 15 | 7:30 - 8:30 AM
(Qualifies for 1.2 Ethics)
Presenter: Alan D. Pratzel, Chief Disciplinary Counsel, Jefferson City
The CLE will provide statistics regarding the number and types of complaints received by the OCDC and how those complaints are processed through the system. It will also provide pointers on best practices for an attorney who is the subject of an OCDC investigation. Finally, attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel.
Friday, Sept. 16 | 7:30 - 8:30 AM
(Qualifies for 1.2 Ethics)
Presenter: Melinda J. Bentley, Missouri Ethics Counsel, Jefferson City
The Missouri Legal Ethics Counsel will provide an update including a discussion on recent changes to the Rules of Professional Conduct, recently published Informal Advisory Opinions, and changes effective Jan. 1, 2023, to Rule 5 – Complaints and Proceedings Thereon relevant to the Office of Legal Ethics Counsel.
Social Events
Social event descriptions go here.