I was depressed, anxious and looking for relief in alcohol. I was making those around me miserable. My family was suffering with me.

Zoe Linza, Executive Director for the past 13 years of The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL), was presented with the National Association of Bar Executives (NABE) Bolton Award. The award is NABE's highest honor recognizing Outstanding Bar Leadership. Linza received the award on Aug. 9, 2019, at the NCBP/NABE/NCBF Joint Luncheon in San Francisco, Calif.

You might wonder why BAMSL needs a Well-Being Committee. After all, what does wellness and well-being have to do with practicing law? BAMSL leadership organized the committee in response to concerns about epidemics affecting lawyer health.

August is Health and Wellness Month at BAMSL. Visit https://www.bamsl.org/WellBeing to learn about all the great activities planned.

View the Nominating Committee members and important elections dates at https://www.bamsl.org/2020Elections

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.

The Saint Louis Bar Foundation and The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) has partnered with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri to assist self-represented litigants with completion of initial filings and case review. The St. Louis Federal Court Legal Advice Clinic (LAC), located on the third floor at the Eagleton Courthouse in downtown St. Louis, will open on August 7, 2019.

On July 9, 2019, Missouri Governor Michael Parson signed into law Senate Bill 203, making it easier for individuals and neighborhood organizations in the City of St. Louis and Kansas City to combat nuisance properties using the court system.

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.