The BAMSL Senior Lawyers Committee on June 22 presented Maury Poscover with the 2022 William L. Weiss Award. The award is given in recognition of long and dedicated service to BAMSL to an individual who, over numerous years of involvement and participation, render distinguished leadership and guidance to lawyers and significant service to the public, as did William L. Weiss. 

William L. Weiss was a longtime attorney who was born and raised in St. Louis. A graduate of Saint Louis University School of Law in 1937, he later joined the Army Reserves and was active duty extended from 1941-1946. He served as a trial judge advocate and a legal officer in locales from Ft. Meade, Md., to Okinawa and Korea. During the occupation after VJ Day, he organized the Korean Commodity Co. to feed millions of Korean people south of the 38th parallel. He was awarded a commendation medal.  
After the war, Mr. Weiss joined the SLU Law faculty for four years and later went into general practice. Mr. Weiss also was an active member of the American Bar Association and the then-named St. Louis Bar Association (now BAMSL). He was the first to organize the Senior Lawyers Committee, and due to his profound impact on the community and his commitment to the local bar, he was honored by having the Senior Lawyer Award named after him.  

Mr. Weiss died in 2008 just shy of his 95th birthday. 

Poscover is a past president of BAMSL, having served from 1983-84. He previously had chaired BAMSL’s YLD. A member of the organization since 1969, he has been involved in some capacity with the organization for more than five decades. 

He made an impact on the Legislative Committee as well as led efforts to direct St. Louis law firms to donate to Legal Service of Eastern Missouri. Additionally, he led the young lawyers in developing a law-related education curriculum for ninth graders in the St. Louis Public School District. 

“From the beginning, the firm expected us to be involved in the local bar,” Poscover said. “I firmly believe lawyers who give back are better lawyers, and better human beings. BAMSL has many opportunities to serve.” 

As president-elect when Hon. Richard Teitelman was chair-elect of the YLD, the two of them set out to change a few things. 

“One of my proudest achievements was when we looked around at functions, there were no black lawyers,” Poscover said. “We contacted (Hon.) Anne-Marie Clarke and went to dinner with her and Frankie Muse Freeman. With Anne-Marie’s leadership, we changed things and dedicated an issue of the magazine to the history of black lawyers.” 
Poscover also held numerous leadership positions with the American Bar Association (ABA), including chair of the Business Law Section and member of the ABA Board of Governors. For three years, he served on the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, which evaluates nominees to the federal bench.  
Poscover has been a partner at the law firm of Husch Blackwell LLP. He joined the firm in 1969 as the 17th lawyer to be hired. Poscover also serves on the firm’s Diversity Council.  

“Maury has been the most nurturing partner in our law firm,” BAMSL Immediate Past President and Managing Partner of Husch Blackwell Bob Tomaso said. “In addition to mentoring great lawyers, Maury intentionally transitioned his vast client relationships to those same lawyers he trained.”  

Despite a long list of recognitions and honors he has received, Poscover told those gathered on June 22 that he could not have done it without his family. He and his wife, Lorrie, met at University City High School and got married after college. They both went to Washington University School of Law.  

“I credit my wife of almost 56 years and my children,” Poscover said. “They’re the reason I’m here. I followed Lorrie to law school and we had our oldest son, Michael (who is here) while in law school. And it has been an incredibly rewarding career. My family is the greatest award ever received.”