At Law Day, BAMSL President Anne Brockland unveiled her theme for the 2022-2023 bar year, Upholding the Constitution. She implored all of us in attendance to take time and explore what we could do to fulfill the promise we make in the attorney oath of admission to “support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Missouri[.]”
I believe finding a way to be of service to others is one way, and in the May-June issue, I encouraged young lawyers to get involved with BAMSL YLD and to find a way to be of service to others in our community.
Service to those in our community benefits all, from the person undertaking the asking, to the person receiving the service, and even those who appear to be unrelated, but just by happen chance witnessed someone being of service to another.
For example, I recently was inside of a coffee shop when I witnessed a woman in the drive-through order and pay for her coffee. Before she drove away, she handed the cashier a $20 bill and told the cashier that the $20 was to pay for the next person’s order. The woman left, and the next car pulled forward. The cashier told the man that his order was free and explained what had happened. The man then pulled out a $20 bill and told the woman that he wanted to pass it along.
After watching this transpire, I turned my attention back to the line I was in, inside of the store. I then watched as three people ordered, and every single one of them paid for the next person’s order. Each person who “passed it along” and continued the chain of kindness left the coffee shop with a smile on their face.
I have thought about that experience several times recently and wondered if one person’s small, selfless action did in fact change the outcome of another’s day. I believe it did, and I believe that serving one’s community is the same.
As attorneys, we all have full plates. Finding time to give back may seem impossible given billable hours, family responsibilities, and I don’t know, showering? But in all seriousness, I believe small, selfless actions of one person is what leads to the large, impactful changes that make our communities better for all.
I have been so lucky to be able to make the time to volunteer with many of BAMSL’s different community service programs, including the annual Motion for Kids holiday party, pro bono work, the Missouri High School Mock Trial and St. Louis Attorneys Against Hunger.
I first got involved with St. Louis Attorneys Against Hunger, volunteering at a “Rap and Pack” event at a local foodbank. There, I met Judge Carol Jackson, who is someone I look up to not only because of her trailblazing legal career, but because she is someone who understands the importance of making time to give back.
I have spent countless hours over the last couple of years volunteering beside Judge Jackson, Jeff McPherson, Christina Moore, Beth and Darin Boggs, and other BAMSL members. While I expected to experience heartwarming and moving moments, I expected those moments to come from the “results” of our volunteer efforts. And while I have had those moments, I also have been privileged to see a different type of result. You see, in addition to the attorneys named above, BAMSL YLD also encouraged law students to come and volunteer weekly, making sandwiches to be given out at local food distributions.
Despite all of the work and pressure that comes with being a law student, there have been a group of students who continued to turnout and support our volunteer efforts week after week. I asked one of them, “how on earth do you have the time for this?!” and had to act like I was not about to cry when they said, “well, I didn’t think I did. But, to see you and Christina and Judge Jackson find the time—I realized I had it somewhere too, I just needed to get creative.”
All of this has been a long way of saying that as attorneys, we have an obligation to serve our communities. While it may feel like there is just not enough time, I encourage all of you to “get creative” and find the time, because you never know who is watching and following your lead.
And thank you to Saint Louis University School of Law rising 3Ls Dakota Reckamp, Taylor Hoffman, Emily Polizzi, Alex Cole and Henry Eruchalu for your continuous support of various YLD community service opportunities over the last two years.
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