Morgan Murphy, Esq., managing partner with the law firm of Zevan Murphy, has been elected to serve as president of the Saint Louis Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL). She will serve a two-year term.

Murphy has served on the Bar Foundation board since 2023. She has been a BAMSL member for more than a decade and served on multiple sections and committees.

The Judicial Legacy Project features interviews with retired judges and jurists in the 22nd Judicial Circuit.

Many of the judges profiled were among the first women and members of the African American community to serve in this role. Their reflections and insights are preserved through this project. 

Danny Barnett-Foster, Esq., assistant executive director at BAMSL, has been elected to serve as chair of the Operations and Member Services Section of the National Association of Bar Professionals (NABE). His one-year term will begin on August 7. In addition, he is serving a one-year term on the NABE board of directors as a section representative.

The position of Term Law Clerk is a full-time position. This position duration is subject to a term time limit and the term begins late August or early September 2026. It involves working for both Chief United States Magistrate Judge Shirley P. Mensah and United States Magistrate Judge Noelle C. Collins (a 50% workload for each). The position is in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Nomination Committee for the 2026-2027 BAMSL bar year Board of Governors announces the opening of nominations for the following positions: President-Elect, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and ABA Delegate. As a member-driven organization, the Board of Governors plays a pivotal role in shaping our future and ensuring that we continue to uphold our mission and values. To nominate yourself or other qualified candidates for these important leadership positions or for more information, please visit our website!

The Saint Louis Bar Foundation seeks to grant annual awards that meet the Foundation’s criteria for innovative projects that address identifiable unmet needs in the community. The typical grant amount is $1,000 with a maximum limit of $5,000.

The Foundation will consider grant applications for projects or programs within at least one of the following categories: (1) The advancement of the philosophy of law; (2) The promotion and/or improvement of the administration of justice; (3) The promotion and/or maintenance of high standards for the judiciary and lawyers; (4) The promotion of the public’s awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the rule of law, the practice of law, the court system, and individuals’ rights and responsibilities under the law; or (5) The promotion of diversity and inclusion.

Applications may be submitted online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WJPDJMM until July 15.

The Saint Louis Bar Foundation seeks to grant annual awards that meet the Foundation’s criteria for innovative projects that address identifiable unmet needs in the community. The typical grant amount is $1,000 with a maximum limit of $5,000.

The Foundation will consider grant applications for projects or programs within at least one of the following categories: (1) The advancement of the philosophy of law; (2) The promotion and/or improvement of the administration of justice; (3) The promotion and/or maintenance of high standards for the judiciary and lawyers; (4) The promotion of the public’s awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the rule of law, the practice of law, the court system, and individuals’ rights and responsibilities under the law; or (5) The promotion of diversity and inclusion.

Applications may be submitted online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WJPDJMM until July 15.

The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) will celebrate Law Day 2025 on Thursday, May 1st, with its Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony. The event will bring together members of the legal community to honor the rule of law, recognize outstanding service, and usher in a new chapter of leadership with the official swearing-in of BAMSL’s incoming president and board of governors. 

Happy Women’s History Month! In these uncertain times, it is comforting to know women are still celebrated, encouraged, and empowered by those who support us. Women have made significant contributions to society, whether those contributions were in the courtroom, the classroom, or the family room. The first woman in America admitted to law school – Lemma Barkaloo – studied right here in St. Louis and was the first woman admitted to the Missouri bar. In her 2014 book Redemption Songs: Suing for Freedom Before Dred Scott, Lea VanderVelde observed that most St. Louis freedom suits were initiated by women, who aimed to keep their families together. In her 1915 crusade to get women in the Missouri judiciary, St. Louis lawyer Adelaide O’Brien – one half of the only women law partnership practicing in the west at that time – quipped, “[T]here is nothing in the statutes requiring that a Supreme Court Judge be a ‘legal male voter.’ But no woman has presumed to take advantage of that oversight as yet.” In 1988, the Honorable Ann Covington was the first female judge appointed to Supreme Court of Missouri, which now maintains a female majority. Barely 2 months ago, St. Louis County swore in its first female Prosecuting Attorney, Melissa Price Smith. The battle for women to be in the courtroom has been fought in the U.S. for hundreds of years. 

In the first two installments of this series, I identified challenges in navigating rapidly evolving Generative Artificial Intelligence (“GenAI”) technology. I suggested adoption of a long-term perspective and predicted that GenAI technology tools for legal will look very different in 18-24 months. Part 1. Next, I outlined some strategies to prepare yourself and your firm to leverage GenAI in practice:  the need for education about AI developments; reviewing contracts with current service providers, who will likely provide your first exposures to legal GenAI tools; designating a point person or committee to take the lead on legal GenAI issues, and performing a readiness assessment of firm data that might be accessed in your first GenAI use cases. Part 2.