The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) officially kicked off its 2021-22 bar year on Fri., April 30 with a hybrid ceremony. Some members of BAMSL's 2021-22 Board of Governors and Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Executive Committee were sworn in at the BAMSL Bar Center in downtown St. Louis while others took the oath virtually via Zoom at 11:30 a.m. on April 30.

5/5 theme: Engage & Grow (intellectual/career well-being) seeking personal satisfaction, continuous learning and growth in our professional and personal lives, and financial stability. Engaging in creative or intellectually challenging activities that foster ongoing development and monitoring cognitive wellness.

Every day this week (except for yesterday, because I forgot) I will be sending an email with a daily well-being theme and some prompts for do this, read this, and watch this.

{Public} The Institute for Well-Being in Law defines intellectual well-being as the charge to "engage in continuous learning. Pursue creative or intellectually challenging activities that foster ongoing development. Monitor cognitive wellness."

{Members Only} Robert (Bob) Tomaso is all about fun and laughter. He has said that if it can elicit a laugh or two, thereby making people remember something as a result, he is more than willing to do something quirky.

{Members Only} It is unbelievable that the legal profession remains one of the least diverse of any profession.

{Members Only} It is important to note that while a party may request the appointment of a Guardian Ad Litem (GAL), the court has a duty to appoint one in cases involving abuse or neglect. The GAL is not for the benefit of either of the parties; it is for the best interest of the child.

{Members Only} Sasha Riedisser, a commercial-disputes associate at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, has been instrumental in a successful partnership between BCLP, Citigroup, and Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSEM) to provide assistance to people needing advance healthcare directives and powers of attorney, as well as beneficiary deeds.

{Members Only} Of course, the reality is, as times and attitudes change, language changes, the new replaces the old, and the young replace their parents' and grandparents' generations.

{Public} "How's it going?" That is the top question asked of me in my first 90 days. And the truth is that it is going great.