BCBA: Current Newsletter

Current BCBA Newsletter

The September 2010 Newsletter, Volume 25, Number 9, with a mailing date of August 30, 2010, can be downloaded and viewed in PDF format by clicking here. The contents also appear immediately below in browser-readable format.

'State of Court' address planned at Sept. 8 meeting

13th Circuit Presiding Judge Gary Oxenhandler will deliver his inaugural “State of the Court” address at the next regular BCBA meeting at lunchtime on Wednesday, Sept. 8 at Boone Tavern.

Meal service will begin at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 8 in the County Room on the lower level of Boone Tavern, 811 E. Walnut St. The lunch price will be $9, payable to the restaurant. A brief business meeting will precede the program.

RSVP: To reserve your spot for this meeting, contact BCBA Secretary Todd Werts at 875-1991 or werts@learwerts.com by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7.

CLE credit for the meeting is being applied for. Members will be advised by subsequent email whether CLE credit has been approved.

Judge Oxenhandler has indicated he plans to discuss the following topics: New key employees in the 13th Circuit and changes in the court; the court’s budget; anticipated docket changes; plans for a “unified civil docket”; the status of development of an online attorney conflicts calendar for trial-setting purposes; public defender caseload issues; revision of bonding qualifications; and jail overcrowding.

Hamilton retirement reception Sept. 24

Bar members are reminded to mark their calendars for a retirement reception for Circuit Judge Gene Hamilton to be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 24 at Westminster College in Fulton.

The Hamilton Retirement Committee, headed by Fulton lawyer Tom Dunlap, is still seeking donations to help pay the costs of the event and to contribute to a gift of appreciation. Donations may be sent to “Hamilton Retirement Committee” at P.O. Box 1502, Columbia, MO 65205. Gary Stamper is chair of the finance subcommittee for the event.

Final photo sittings scheduled Sept. 13

A final photo session for a new BCBA Composite Photo has been scheduled on Monday, Sept. 13, at the Boone County Courthouse, and Friday, Sept. 10, is the last day bar members can schedule a private photo sitting for the composite at the PhotoGliff studio.

So far about 140 members have had their photos taken for the new composite. The last previous composite was done in 2002 and included more than 200 photos.

The final photo session will be held from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 13 in the Counsel Chambers located on the second floor of the Boone County Courthouse.

Each sitting only takes only a minute or two, so please stop in when you are at the courthouse on Sept. 13 to have your photo taken. No appointment is necessary.

Members are strongly encouraged to have their photos taken at the courthouse, but they also may schedule sittings at PhotoGliff’s studio, 212 East Green Meadows Road, Suite 6, through Friday, Sept. 10. Contact PhotoGliff at 823-1577 or 881-0862 to schedule a studio sitting.

Members who have not had their photographs taken by Sept. 10 at PhotoGliff’s studio or by Sept. 13 at the courthouse will not be included in the new composite.

A large version of the new composite will be purchased by the BCBA to hang in the Counsel Chambers at the courthouse. Also, the composite will be available to members for purchase upon completion, and members may also purchase prints or digital copies of their individual photographs directly from PhotoGliff.

For more information, contact composite project leader Sander Sowers at 256-8989 or sander@dansimonlaw.com.

'Chipping in for Charity' golf tournament set Oct. 11

The BCBA Young Lawyers Committee annual charity golf tournament, “Chipping in for Charity,” is scheduled Monday, Oct. 11 (Columbus Day, a court holiday) at the Columbia Country Club. The registration deadline is Sept. 20.

Net proceeds from the tournament will be split between the Mid-Missouri Access to Justice Project and the Boone County Bar Association Scholarship Fund.

The tournament will be a four-person scramble format, open to both lawyers and non-lawyers. There will be a shotgun start at noon, with lunch and check-in beginning at 10:45 a.m. The entry fee is $100/person and $400/team, which includes green fees, range privileges, cart, lunch, beverages (beer, soda, water), and a post-tournament reception. Prizes will be awarded to winning teams and for various on-course games and contests. There will also be hole-in-one prizes.

The registration deadline for the tournament is Monday, Sept. 20. Click here for the registration form. Checks should be made payable to the “Boone County Bar Association” and mailed with the entry form to Chris Schappe, Abbott, Schappe & Francis, LLC, 19 East Walnut St., Columbia, MO 65203.

The YLC also is seeking various sponsorships and prize donations for the tournament. Please see the registration form for more information on the tournament and sponsorship opportunities, or contact Gretchen Yancey at 443-2828 or gyancey@edorr.com, Sander Sowers at 256-8989 or sander@dansimonlaw.com, or Drew Schauffler at 449-2613 or dschauffler@fpb-law.com.

Last year’s golf tournament raised more than $7,000 for the Mid-Missouri Access to Justice Project.

Committee to study defense appointments

BCBA President Stan Clay has appointed an ad hoc committee to make recommendations for a local court rule regarding appointment of private counsel to represent indigent criminal defendants should the court find such appointments necessary in the event the local Public Defender’s Office declines to accept additional cases.

Committee members are Tom Schneider, chair, and Stan Clay, Adam Dowling, C.J. Dykhouse, Travis Jacobs, Kevin O’Brien, and Jeff Parshall.

An earlier informal gathering of local bar members resulted in a consensus that any system for appointments to represent criminal defendants should have understandable and fair guidelines and that the pool from which appointments are made should include all lawyers, not just criminal defense specialists. However, some lawyers have asserted that such appointments are unconstitutional.

13th Circuit Presiding Judge Gary Oxenhandler has indicated he is staying in touch with the Public Defender’s Office to keep abreast of developments and that the court will welcome the bar’s input on appointments of counsel for criminal defendants.

Foley, Markel nominated for Executive Committee

The slate of nominees for 2010-11 BCBA officers has been completed with the selection of Carlyle Foley and Amy Markel as candidates for the two at-large Executive Committee positions.

As reported last month, Tom Schneider, current Vice President, has been nominated for 2010-2011 President. Other nominees are Marvin Tofle for Vice President, Adam Patchett for Secretary and Ben Nelson for Treasurer.

The election will take place at the annual Jim Butcher Memorial Picnic Oct. 8 at Twin Lakes Park. The picnic was moved into October this year because of scheduling problems in September and will substitute for a regular meeting in October.

Gary Stamper chaired this year’s Nominating Committee. The other members were Lori Green and Erick Creach.

Around the bar . . .

Bob Buckley recently was elected to the Missouri Bar Board of Governors from our district. Gretchen Yancey also ran for the seat.

Former Columbia Mayor and BCBA member Darwin Hindman and MU Political Science Prof. Emeritus Fred Spiegel (who taught constitutional law principles to thousands of students) are among five recipients of the 2010 President’s Award to be presented at The Missouri Bar Annual Meeting in Columbia Sept. 29-Oct. 1. The award recognizes meritorious service to the bar.

The BCBA will host a hospitality room at The Missouri Bar Annual Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 29, from 8 to 10 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Select Executive Center. Members are encouraged to stop by for food and drinks.

The Women Lawyers’ Association of Mid-Missouri will meet for “Manicures and Martinis” from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13, at Room 38, 38 N. 8th St., Columbia. Call 449-3838 and mention WLAMM to schedule a manicure. If just going for food and drinks, no appointment is necessary. Members who have not paid their $25 dues for 2010-11 may do so at the meeting. For more information, contact Tamara Kopp at 573-751-2619 or tamara.kopp@insurance.mo.gov. WLAMM also is now on Facebook.

The Young Lawyers Committee will meet for happy hour at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21 at Coley’s American Bistro, 15 South 6th St. The upcoming annual charity golf tournament, among other matters, will be discussed. All are welcome to attend. Contact Sander Sowers at 256-8989 or sander@dansimonlaw.com for more information.

The first annual Central Missouri Immigration Summit will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25 at Columbia Hope Church, 4603 John Garry Dr., Suites 5-6, Columbia 65203. The event has been approved for 4.2 CLE credit hours including 1.2 ethics hours and is sponsored by Centro Latino, Columbia Hope Church, the Diaz & Ardila Law Firm, and the Law Office of Fehlig and Fehlig Tatum. Click here for a flyer describing the summit and the schedule and registration information.

The Newsletter reported incorrectly last month that Harriet Francis is no longer associated with Abbott, Schappe & Francis, LLC. She remains “of counsel” with the firm while working in her new job at MU.

Jennifer K. Bukowsky is leaving the Public Defender’s Office Sept. 17 to open a criminal defense firm, The Bukowsky Law Firm, LLC. Effective Oct. 1, her office will be at 810 E. Walnut St., Columbia, and she may have office-sharing space for one attorney. She can be contacted at JBukowsky@gmail.com.

Ashley Kremer recently left full-time practice with Grimes, Fay & Kopp, LLC to take care of her children. She plans to open a solo practice in January.