We are saddened to report that one of the highlights of the holiday season, the BAMSL Member Holiday Party, has been cancelled for 2020. Just like many of our other in-person events since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, it was determined that it is not feasible to host an in-person event right now due to capacity restrictions and social distancing guidelines currently in place.

Please stay tuned for some safe social networking events, hopefully sooner rather than later, in 2021.

National Pro Bono Week will be celebrated Oct. 25-31.

The BAMSL Pro Bono Committee will host free Pro Bono Week CLEs from 1-4 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 28 and Thurs., Oct. 29 via Zoom. All topics will involve COVID-19-related issues as they pertain to orders of protection, housing/landord-tenant, municipal court, and business and transactional.

For more information and updates in the next few days, please visit www.bamsl.org/events.

Volunteer Public Defender Training, hosted by the Missouri Coalition for the Right to Counsel, will be held via Zoom 1-5:30 p.m. on Thurs., Nov. 5. 

The Missouri Coalition for the Right to Counsel, an award-winning initiative, enlists volunteers to undertake felony jury case assignments from the Missouri State Public Defender, pending in the Circuit Courts of Jackson County, the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, and Greene County. Volunteer attorneys have a realistic opportunity to gain priceless "first chair" jury trial experience, advocating for the indigent, while also easing the caseloads of overworked and underpaid public defenders.

MCLE credit provided by the Missouri State Public Defender.

Registration is free. For more detailed information about the program and to register, please click here.

Judicial Performance Reviews are now available ahead of the Nov. 3, 2020, general election. 

The Missouri Judicial Performance Review Committee reviewed the performance of all nonpartisan judges who are up for retention. Their findings are available at YourMissouriJudges.org.

The committee reviewed the performance of 52 judges, including one Supreme Court judge, four court of appeals judges, 26 circuit court judges and 22 associate circuit court judges in circuits where the judges are appointed under the Missouri Non-Partisan Court Plan. 

Once on the Web site, to access the judges that will appear on your ballot depending on your county, click on "Reviews" in the upper right-hand corner; scroll down to the bottom and click on "2020." Click on your county and then click on each individual judge to read more information, see recommendations and jury/attorney surveys.

Please share this information with your colleagues, neighbors, friends and family.

The BAMSL Young Lawyers Division is sponsoring a free Missouri Election Protection Legal Training from 3:30-5 p.m. on Thurs., Oct. 22. The training CLE, which has been approved for 1.8 Missouri MCLE, is on Oct. 22 and the volunteer opportunity is on Election Day (Nov. 3).
 
Election Protection is the nation’s largest non-partisan voter protection coalition. The Election Protection hotline (866-OUR-VOTE) offers voters a direct line to answer questions about voting and assist voters in advocating for their right to vote.
 
Lawyers, law students and paralegals are needed to respond to voter questions and incidents reported into the 866-OUR-VOTE Election Protection Hotline during the Nov. 3 General Election. Participation will be remote from the safety of your home, but will allow for collaboration via Zoom with other participating lawyers and team captains. Flexible shifts are available; volunteer as few as 2 hours on Election Day. Sign up to volunteer at ProtectTheVote.net (this is the address to volunteer; the link for the training for volunteers is below).

The free training will include a primer on top issues in Missouri voting rights and election law, including emerging issues arising with voting in Missouri in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Register at: 
https://wustl.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMoc-uppjgsHtTA3rNbwaBfH5L9Os4OEj-3

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information for joining the Zoom meeting.

Co-sponsored by BAMSL YLD CARES (Committee Addressing Racial Equity in St. Louis).

This year, Motion for Kids is a project of The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, The St. Louis Bar Foundation, the Isaac Bruce Foundation and the St. Louis Fire Department. The Motion for Kids party will be a drive-through distribution-style event scheduled for Sat., Dec. 5, 2020, at the St. Louis Fire Department Headquarters and Training Tower (Jefferson Ave. and Cass Ave.).

MFK partners with local support organizations to identify the children invited to attend the holiday party with their parents or legal guardians. Those children are matched up with sponsors from the St. Louis legal community (lawyers, judges, paralegals, office administrators, law students, legal secretaries, and their families). Each sponsor is asked to purchase and wrap two gifts chosen from the child’s wish list. The party is unique because the gifts are specific to what the children want, selected from their own wish lists.

This year, children and their families/legal guardians will remain in their cars and drive through the St. Louis Fire Department’s parking lot. Children will receive their gifts, food and arts and crafts packets with detailed instructions to complete at home. 

If you would like to volunteer to help set up on Fri., Dec. 4, as well as volunteer during the event on Dec. 5, please email MotionForKids.contact@gmail.com.

The Motion for Kids Holiday Party cannot happen without your generous contributions. Please donate to the St. Louis Bar Foundation securely online at www.bamsl.org/donate (select Motion for Kids for the fund) or mail a check payable to the St. Louis Bar Foundation, 555 Washington Ave, Suite 100, St. Louis, MO 63101 (please note “Motion for Kids” in the memo line). 

The BAMSL Young Lawyers Division (YLD) presents a Virtual Trivia Night this year to benefit the annual Motion for Kids Holiday Party. This year's Trivia Night is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thurs., Nov. 5. 

Go back to the time of windbreakers and Blockbuster with this year’s '90s theme Trivia Night.

This virtual trivia competition will include prizes for first-, second- and third-place teams; best dressed; and a consolation prize to the last-place team. In addition to trivia, the event will include a link to our silent auction, 50/50 raffle, Dead or Alive game and other fun games and surprises.

The Zoom opens at 6:30 p.m. (link provided on registration confirmation). The Trivia starts at 7 p.m. An individual registration is $10 or teams of 10 can register for $75. To register, visit www.bamsl.org/2020MFKTriviaNight.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Event Sponsor: $200
Logo displayed during event
Recognition on BAMSL Web site
Recognition in the St. Louis Lawyer magazine
Recognition on Social Media

Round Sponsor: $50
Logo displayed during event
Recognition during beginning of round
Recognition on BAMSL Web site

For more information about sponsoring Trivia Night, contact Audrie Howard at ahoward2@schnucks.com or Kristen Sparks at ksparks@garnholzlaw.com.

Thank you to the following for sponsoring this year's Trivia Night: 

Brown & Crouppen, P.C.
Garnholz Sparks
Husch Blackwell LLP
Ogletree Deakins
The Bar Plan

During these troubled times, BAMSL appreciates everyone's continued support and determination to help these kids in our community have some holiday cheer.

Be A Hunger Hero from Home in 2020. The annual St. Louis World Food Day, held the first Friday each November, has gone virtual this year.

Volunteers are always welcome beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays every week to assist Step It Up, Inc., in making sandwiches for weekly distribution events. The volunteer opportunities are held in the lower level of Boggs, Avellino, Lach & Boggs (9326 Olive Blvd., Olivette, MO 63132).

Come for an hour, or stay for the evening. Gloves and masks are provided.

Additionally, there are ongoing distributions where volunteers are needed during the day, several days each week.

For more information and to volunteer, contact Sarah Bardol at sarahbbardol@gmail.com or Nick Johnston at njohnston@balblawyers.com.

The BAMSL St. Louis Attorneys Against Hunger Committee is seeking donations via the BAMSL Virtual Food Drive for the St. Louis Area Foodbank. You may donate food directly from your computer or phone via www.bamsl.org/VirtualFoodDrive.

Thank you to the following who have contributed so far to the BAMSL St. Louis Area Foodbank Virtual Food Drive:

Boggs, Avellino, Lach and Boggs, L.L.C.
Dowd & Dowd, P.C.
Husch Blackwell LLP
BAMSL individuals

It's October and we're still focusing on our physical well-being this month. Did you know that your physical well-being includes seeking help for physical health when needed. This includes regular checkups with your doctor and preventative care. Make those appointments for your yearly physical and get your flu shot!

There's a connection with mental and physical health. Want to know more? Check out THIS article.

Questions or comments? Post them anonymously, email Well-Being staff liaison Dan Barnett at dbarnett@bamsl.org, or email Well-Being Committee Chair Amy Rebecca Johnson at ajohnson@pcblawfirm.com.

Upcoming CLE Opportunities

Reminder that announcements about upcoming CLEs are now condensed into one weekly e-mail arriving every Thursday in your inbox. The weekly emails will list all upcoming CLEs with a link for more information and to register for each one.

Please visit http://events.bamsl.org for all BAMSL events, details and registration information.

BAMSL's Legal Placement Service

Multiple Paralegal Openings

BAMSL’s Legal Placement Service is currently assisting multiple St. Louis area law firms with their paralegal recruiting. If you know a paralegal with experience in one of the following practice areas, please send them our way: workers’ compensation, products liability, personal injury, transportation/trucking, employment litigation, family law, trusts/estates, medical malpractice, and real estate. Interested candidates should e-mail their resume directly to jmacke@bamsl.org for confidential review.

Member Benefit Spotlight