Thank You for Being a BAMSL Member

Hon. Glenn A. Norton
BAMSL President, 2020-21
Of Counsel, Blitz, Bardgett & Deutsch, L.C.
Mediator, Special Master, Alaris

Originally published in the September 2020 issue of the St. Louis Lawyer magazine.  View in the archives.

I want to express my gratitude to each of you for renewing or becoming a new member of BAMSL. Your membership reflects your desire to further enhance your legal career and your commitment to helping the legal community make an impact in the St. Louis Metropolitan region. 

As most know, the normal BAMSL bar year runs May 1 through April 30 each year, and membership dues are collected in March and April. Members who choose to not renew are dropped automatically on July 1. This year, membership renewal exceeded our expectations given that dues notices were sent in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. But we still made the decision to allow members additional time to renew and delayed our member drop date until Aug. 1 for the 2020-21 bar year. 

While we have gone virtual for virtually every event so far, we continue to do great things for our legal community and the greater St. Louis region. Our Sections, Committees and the Young Lawyers Division continue to meet regularly via Zoom, and are coming up with innovative initiatives and plans for members. 

The Pandemic Task Force has been hard at work ensuring BAMSL’s stability and analyzing our programs, projects, CLEs and events to make sure they continue to benefit BAMSL members.

We have seen great things coming from our volunteers and donations via the St. Louis Attorneys Against Hunger initiative: BAMSL member Beth Boggs’ Step It Up project with immeasurable assistance from YLD Community Service Chair Sarah Bardol; Judge Carol Jackson’s projects with St. Louis Area Foodbank; and BAMSL member Mary Beth Soffer and her family’s St. Louis World Food Day project, which is going virtual this year. All of these ongoing projects are helping to ensure that families in the community do not go hungry during this pandemic and beyond.

The Motion for Kids Committee is hard at work to ensure we have some kind of celebration for the children negatively impacted by the criminal justice system and/or are in the foster care system. We still plan to try to make holiday dreams come true for these children in the metropolitan area. Stay tuned for more details from the committee.

Whether you are in a large firm, a small firm, solo or in-house counsel, a membership in BAMSL also offers exceptional benefits to you as a legal professional. As a reminder, BAMSL provides:

• Networking and social events that allow you to develop long-lasting relationships with professionals in the local legal community.
• The opportunity to develop relationships both within and outside of your specialty area, helping you cultivate a strong referral base.
• Opportunities to interact with the judiciary in a relaxed environment outside of the courtroom.
• An environment that helps you find and cultivate mentorships.
• Community Service opportunities via the St. Louis Attorneys Against Hunger and Pro Bono initiatives as well as the annual Motion for Kids Holiday Party and the High School Mock Trial Competition.
• The chance to expand your legal education at substantive CLE. You also can hone your public speaking skills by becoming a presenter at BAMSL’s CLEs.
• The chance to write and publish articles in the monthly St. Louis Lawyer magazine and quarterly The St. Louis Bar Journal.

As part of your BAMSL membership, you also receive:

• Access to exclusive member events, including the annual Member Holiday Party (which is scheduled for Dec. 2, hopefully in person) and Rendezvous on the Roof 
• A complimentary 1-hour CLE every month (12 free CLEs; $240 value).
• Up to 50% discount on CLE seminars.
• Subscription to the monthly St. Louis Lawyer magazine.
• Subscription to the quarterly scholarly publication, The St. Louis Bar Journal.
• Complimentary use of the BAMSL Bar Center’s Guest Offices, Conference Room, Boardroom and Classroom.
• Access to BAMSL’s Legal Placement Service for employers looking to fill a permanent position and for legal professionals seeking employment.
• Access to exclusive interest and practice area discussion lists..
• Access to an online Well-Being Forum, where members can anonymously discuss addiction, mental and physical health, work/life balance and other quality-of-life and quality-of-career issues.
• Discounts on professional and personal services, including but not limited to:
  • BAMSL Business and Personal Visa Rewards Credit Cards, issued by Commerce Bank
  • Casetext Legal Research Tools
  • Clio Practice Management Software
  • LawPay Credit Card Processing 
  • LexisNexis Legal Research Tools
  • Real Estate Forms
  • Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists & Website Chat
  • Insurance Specialists, Inc. (ISI)
  • Discounts on AAA Membership, Apple Cleaners Dry Cleaning, Local Hotels and other providers.
  • Discounts through National Purchasing Partners (NPP) such as Office Depot, 1-800-Flowers, Simply Chocolate and PODS Moving and Storage. 

Learn more details about each of your member benefits at www.bamsl.org/MemberBenefits.

Thank you again for being a member of BAMSL. We truly value your membership.