BAMSL has recently learned that it will be losing two key players. John Rasp, the Editor-in-Chief of the St. Louis Bar Journal, has resigned effective this spring. And, Executive Director Zoe Linza has shared that after 13 years of service, she is planning to step down from her position this summer in order to be able to spend more time with her friends and family.

A group of approximately 15 BAMSL leaders—including current and future executive committee members, members-at-large, a representative of the YLD, and several members of BAMSL's staff—gathered on a Saturday in a conference room at the Four Seasons Hotel. The lawyers in attendance included representatives from large- and mid-sized firms, small firms, solo practitioners, judges and in-house counsel. We wanted to ensure we had a diverse group to represent most segments of our membership.

Each December since I began practicing law, I have attended the ABA Criminal Tax and Civil Tax Controversy Institute in Las Vegas. The conference is critical to my law practice, but invariably conflicts with BAMSL's Motion for Kids (MFK). As such, while MFK is one of BAMSL's and the Saint Louis Bar Foundation's signature projects, I never had the opportunity to attend. As president, there was no way I would miss it this year, so I juggled my trip a little. MFK was, by far, my favorite day as BAMSL president to date.

The holiday season is upon us. We already have had snow and there have been reindeer strategically placed around the Galleria since Halloween. Lego catalogs arrive in the mail every other day (ugh, we have so many Legos at our home we could open a museum) and the holiday aisles at Schnucks are stocked with red and green wrapping paper and M&Ms, mini-Christmas trees, and popcorn tins.

In September, BAMSL hosted its annual "Welcome to the Bar" event for attorneys recently admitted to the Missouri Bar. The Hon. Stephen Clark of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri graciously welcomed the new attorneys in his courtroom, provided them with some sage advice, and then everyone headed to happy hour at the Missouri Athletic Club.

It occurred to me that many of our members are probably unaware of some of the opportunities to volunteer to provide pro bono legal services.

I am writing this column from the airplane on the long flight home to St. Louis and am seated with the newly retired Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, and a 12-year-old boy who just spent the summer with his uncle fishing in California.

I have many memories of my first semester at the University of Missouri—Columbia School of Law. […] There are few things during that semester that I remember as vividly as the 1L presentation focused on lawyer health and wellness. The presenter spoke to us about the statistics surrounding lawyer addiction to drugs and alcohol and told us about how stressful this profession can be and how important it is to develop healthy habits and mechanisms to deal with stress, including exercise.

Many congratulations are in order for two great teams: The St. Louis Blues and the BAMSL Bench and Bar Planning Committee. And coincidentally, these two teams have more in common than one might expect.

When I walked into the Missouri Athletic Club on the morning of May 2 for the Law Day celebration, I was running late due to terrible traffic on Hwy. 40, and I was nervous. My nerves were likely due to anticipation of my remarks and the huge amount of responsibility I was about to take on as president of BAMSL.