There will be a contested election for the BAMSL Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Chair-Elect position for the 2020-21 BAMSL bar year. The two candidates for the position are:
Lauren C. Collins
Vincent B. Taormina
All members of YLD are eligible to vote, and will receive an email with a unique voting link from "OpaVote Voting Link" (noreply@opavote.com) with subject "BAMSL Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Election: Chair-Elect". Voting opens at 9 a.m. on Monday, March 2, 2020, and closes at 5 p.m. on Monday, March 16.
Lauren C. Collins
Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard P.C.
600 Washington Ave Ste 1500
Saint Louis, MO 63101-1313
314-231-3332
lcollins@sandbergphoenix.com
Lauren Collins is an associate attorney at Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard P.C. where she practices health care and cannabis law. She earned her law degree from the University of Missouri – School of Law in 2013 and her Bachelors of Arts and Science in 2009 from the University of Missouri – St. Louis.
When Lauren is not advocating for her clients, she is involved in her community both as a legal professional and a concerned citizen. In her firm she serves on the diversity committee as well as the recruiting committee so that she able to make sure her firm upholds its commitment to creating to diverse and inclusive workplace. Lauren is Chair-Elect of the Missouri Bar Young Lawyers Council and secretary for the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis Young Lawyers Division. She has also served on various committees and held positions within The Mound City Bar and the American Bar Association. It is not unusual to find her volunteering in her neighborhood during her spare time. In 2018, she received the Missouri Lawyer's Weekly Inaugural Award for Diversity and was also featured in a commercial and billboard as an outstanding alum from her alma mater the University of Missouri – St. Louis.
Vincent B. Taormina
The Taormina Firm
8025 Bonhomme Ave, Suite 413
Clayton, Missouri 63105
314-807-2559
vince@thetaorminafirm.com
My name is Vince Taormina and I am running to serve as Chair-Elect of the BAMSL YLD Board. Although I was born in Kentucky, I spent my formative years right here in St. Louis where I attended Chaminade College Prep. After graduating from Chaminade with honors in 2011, I attended College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, where I earned my B.A. in Political Science.
Like most other Political Science majors, I decided to enroll in law school. While at the University of Kentucky College of Law, I participated on the school's National Trial Advocacy Team. And, in 2018, I helped to lead the team to a third-place finish at the National Trial Competition in Austin, Texas, the highest finish in the school's history.
After graduating in the top-30% of my class in 2018, I returned home to practice in St. Louis. After a year of practice, I decided to start my own law firm, aptly named The Taormina Firm, specializing in estate planning and personal injury for families across the St. Louis Metro Area.
Since joining the BAMSL YLD Executive Board last year, I have been an important voice and advocate for the young lawyer community. While serving on the Board, I won the Young Lawyer Trial Competition, and, in my capacity as a Board member, I helped to plan the Law Day Welcome to the Bar event in May 2019.
Should I be elected Chair-Elect, I hope to work with other members of the BAMSL YLD community to make our presence felt in the budding young professional community around St. Louis. I believe that it is of vital importance for young lawyers to play an integral role in the growth of the St. Louis region. We have a lot to offer, and our passion, intelligence, and grit prove as much.
And while that may be my vision for the BAMSL YLD, I want to hear yours. I will not be a very good ambassador for the young lawyer community without actual input from the young lawyer community. So, I am making it my mission to get in touch with as many young lawyers as I possibly can to discuss how we can work together to strengthen the bonds that tie us together as young lawyers. So check your emails! And if you have any comments, concerns, or ideas, please feel free to email me at vince@thetaorminafirm.com, or call me at (314) 807-2559.
Thank you.
.png)
member center
