What Does “Building Better Lawyers” Mean and Why Should I Care?

Kristine H. Bridges
Loss Prevention Counsel, Thompson Coburn LLP

Originally published in the January 2019 issue of the St. Louis Lawyer magazine.  View in the archives.

Did you ever see the BAMSL slogan, “Building Better Lawyers,” and wonder what that really means? Well, we are going to let you in on the secret.

“Building Better Lawyers” is the creation of the BAMSL Communications Committee. It came about several years ago when I originally took the position of chairperson of the committee. We were asked to break down BAMSL's philosophies and what the organization has to offer its members and devise ways to communicate this to our members.

As we began to note the various benefits BAMSL offers to its members, a theme started to emerge. BAMSL was not just an organization to belong to because someone is a lawyer. BAMSL wanted to assist lawyers in various ways, including growing their business, getting their CLE credits, communicating with other lawyers and judges and the list goes on. BAMSL wanted to assist lawyers to become better lawyers. Thus,”Building Better Lawyers” was born.

We divided the benefits of a BAMSL membership into five general categories. Those categories are: individual development, networking/social, communication, community service and philanthropy, and member support in practice. We broke these five categories down further and outlined what BAMSL does for its members in each category and how each category contributes to the theme of Building Better Lawyers.

Now that you have the background to the Building Better Lawyers slogan, we want to expand on each category so that all BAMSL members know and understand what BAMSL can do for them and their law firms. Over the next several issues of the St. Louis Lawyer magazine, we will educate you on each individual category addressed herein. Of course, you probably know that BAMSL has an awesome Holiday Party every year. But did you know that the Holiday Party is attended by many of the local judges and is an opportunity to speak with them outside of the courtroom in a casual atmosphere? It is also an opportunity to get to know other lawyers in the region who are in your same practice area.

Similarly, you probably know that BAMSL offers various CLEs throughout the year to ensure that lawyers obtain all the credits they need. However, did you know that BAMSL also offers leadership training?

These are the type of things we want you, as BAMSL members, to know. You pay for a BAMSL membership – now make it work for you.

We hope that with each article you become familiar with something you either did not know BAMSL offered or you just forgot is available. Hopefully, each article will offer you something to assist in your practice, encourage you to want to participate in a BAMSL event or community service project, or attend or present a CLE.

BAMSL wants to assist each and every member in becoming a better lawyer. After all, BAMSL is Building Better Lawyers.