BAMSL is a proud supporter of the Judicial Legacy Project sponsored by the Law Library Association of St Louis.

By Alan E. Freed

I’ve spent more than 40 years practicing almost exclusively in the family law arena. Handling all of the family law appeals for a firm that employs around a dozen attorneys in that field, I have kept a steady focus on Missouri’s appellate courts for many years. While I can recall a period perhaps a decade ago when the number of reported opinions touching on family law had waned substantially, that trend has been reversed over the past several years, with numerous opinions, some of great significance, having been handed down. 

Read more in the inaugural issue of the St. Louis Law Journal, coming soon!

By David Truman, Editor-in-Chief of the St. Louis Law Journal

In early 2020 I was approached by the producers of a true-crime TV series, called “Exhumed,” which focused on cases involving the exhumation of buried bodies. The first episode of this series had as its subject the double-murder case of Doyle Kelley. Kelley’s first wife, Diana, had been found dead in her car in a parking lot in Joplin, Mo. An autopsy determined she had died of respiratory failure but the doctor could not determine if strangulation was the cause. The following year Kelley married his second wife, Christy. After they separated, Christy was found dead in the bathtub of her Joplin apartment. Following Christy’s death, Diana’s body was exhumed for a second autopsy. A different doctor performed autopsies on both bodies and concluded that Diana’s death had been caused by soft ligature strangulation. Kelley was tried and convicted of two counts of murder in the first degree.

Read more in the inaugural issue of the St. Louis Law Journal, coming soon!

The Honorable David Mason will receive the William L. Weiss Senior Lawyer Award during BAMSL’s annual Senior Lawyers’ Luncheon, scheduled at Noon on Wednesday, July 24 at the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) in downtown St. Louis. Join us as we honor Judge Mason for his incredible achievement in the law community!

ALA Ad

By Jeff McPherson

It is often said that the best way to win an appeal is by winning at trial (in order to avoid being the appellant). This is because a judgment is presumed to be correct. In a standard civil appeal, the appellant has the burden to show why a judgment is erroneous and should be reversed.

Read more in the inaugural issue of the St. Louis Law Journal, coming soon

Are you interested in the 2027 National High School Mock Trial Championship scheduled for May 13-15, 2027, in St. Louis, Missouri? Please complete our short form below to indicate your interest in volunteering, sponsoring, or supporting the competition in another way!

BAMSL has pledged to raise $25,000; every penny goes toward the purchase of the food being packed. Help us reach that goal!

9/11 Day of Service - BAMSL St. Louis Attorneys Against Hunger Food Packing Event - HELP US REACH OUR PLEDGE OF $25,000!

We are $15,000 away from reaching our $25,000 donation goal for the 9/11 Organization. Every dollar you contribute goes directly to support their important work. We sincerely thank everyone who has already donated

The position of Term Law Clerk to the Honorable Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Ross is a full-time position. The position is located in St. Louis, MO. This position duration is subject to a term time limit and the term September 2024. 

Principal duties of the position include: 

• Research substantive issues of federal and state law
• Draft legal memoranda, opinions and orders
• Prepare the Judge for hearings, trials or mediations
• Assist the Judge with case management
• Generally, provide legal counsel and support to the Judge

By Hon. Susan Block

I am hooked on Ted Lasso. 

True, I was late coming to the party, but with good reason. First, I thought this was a streamed series about soccer. While I appreciate that St. Louis is a big sports town, I am more likely to be found in a theater, movie or live, for my entertainment. Not that I don’t cheer for the home teams, but I was not ready to commit to 15 hours of soccer drama. 

Read more in the May-June issue of the St. Louis Lawyer, out now!