LAKC members gathered May 26th at The Nonprofit Village to elect the 2022-23 Board of Directors and Young Lawyers Section Board of Directors. Congratulations to the following members of our 2022-23 Boards, and our sincere thanks to outgoing President Kaitee Brown and YLS President Phil Raine for their dedicated leadership.

2022-23 Board of Directors

Amber Simon, President

Allison Greenfield, President-Elect

Ethan Lange, Secretary/Treasurer

Kaitee Brown, Past President

Patrick Allegri

Sheena Foye

Allison Greenfield

Sam Hofmeier

Nate Jones

Jessica McKinney

Julie Parisi

Phillip Raine

2022-23 Young Lawyers Section Officers

President: Ross Weimer

VP/President Elect: Danielle Atchison

Treasurer: Jordan May

Secretary: Nicci Gudmens

Public Service Officer: Cody Weyhofen

The following YLS members were also elected on May 26th:

John Doyle
Sierra Faler
Andrew Serrone
Bryce Slaughter
Karly Weigel

The senior board and Young Lawyers Section boards are accepting applications and nominations to their respective 2022-23 boards. 

The Lawyers Association of Kansas City (LAKC) was founded in 1935 to promote and advance the following objectives that are just as relevant today: the welfare of the public in the greater Kansas City Community; the administration of justice; the science of jurisprudence; and the cordial and professional relations among the members of the greater Kansas City Bar.

The Young Lawyers Section of LAKC is comprised of members under 35 or who have graduated from law school within the past five years and maintain “service of public interest by advancing the role of the legal profession in serving the public” as a value. For more information, visit www.lakc.net.

The annual meeting and election will be held at Char Bar on May 25th. Applications are due by 5pm on May 20, 2021.

Members with an interest in serving on the LAKC Board of Directors should send an email indicating their interest to info@lakc.net by 5pm on May 20th.

To apply to the Young Lawyers Section Board of Directors, complete the following form: https://forms.gle/eu8PzHtebNzzU8GT9 

The Young Lawyers Section of the Lawyers Association of Kansas City (LAKC-YLS) is pleased to announce that it is offering one $500 scholarship to be awarded for the 2021-2022 school year.  The scholarship application is available below.  In order to be eligible for consideration, applications must be scanned and emailed no later than May 2, 2022.

LAKC Scholarship Application 2021-2022 final.docx

LAKC Scholarship Verification Form.docx

We Need Volunteers!

The Lawyers Association of Kansas City is hosting the Missouri High School Mock Trial Regional Competition January 25 and January 27 (preliminary rounds) and February 15 and February 17 (regional rounds). The preliminary rounds will be held virtually via Zoom and the regional round location is TBD (We are hoping we can hold them at the Eastern Jackson County Courthouse in Independence.)

This is a great event and it's really inspiring to see how hard the high school students prepare for the mock trial and their enthusiasm for the law.

We are seeking volunteers to serve as presiding and scoring judges on each night of the competition.  Judges are asked to log in by 5:45 p.m. We will have a short orientation, then proceed with rounds. Rounds start at approximately 6:00 p.m. and last approximately 2-2.5 hours. 

Presiding judges will preside over the trial, ruling on objections and keeping the trial flowing smoothly.  Presiding judges do not score individual segments of the trial, but do give an overall verdict at the end of the trial.  Presiding judges must have a law degree, and some litigation experience is helpful for ruling on objections.

Scoring judges will evaluate each segment of the trial (opening, direct #1, cross #1, etc) on its own merits resulting in an overall score for the trial that reflects the team that was technically better without regard to the team that would have won the verdict. Scoring judges will not be asked to rule on objections or maintain courtroom order but will instead observe the trial from the jury box. Scoring judges must have a bachelor’s degree but do not have to have any formal legal training or a law degree.”

Sign up to volunteer at https://forms.gle/3CnbrTebF34dLTN7A

To ensure the safety of our members, we have decided to hold our Annual Meeting virtually this year. Below is the slate for the 2021-22 Board of Directors as well as the candidates running for the Young Lawyers Section Board. All LAKC members may vote for the 2021-22 Board of Directors. Young Lawyers Section (YLS) members (age 36 or younger or less than five years in practice) may vote for the 2021-22 slate of YLS officers and 3 YLS board candidates. The deadline to submit your vote is Friday, July 23rd at 5:00pm.

To submit your vote, visit https://forms.gle/4qLoACzLaUN1pKPf7

Please contact info@lakc.net with any questions. Thank you for your vote!

The senior board and Young Lawyers Section boards are accepting applications and nominations to their respective 2021-22 boards. 

The Lawyers Association of Kansas City (LAKC) was founded in 1935 to promote and advance the following objectives that are just as relevant today: the welfare of the public in the greater Kansas City Community; the administration of justice; the science of jurisprudence; and the cordial and professional relations among the members of the greater Kansas City Bar.

The Young Lawyers Section of LAKC is comprised of members under 35 or who have graduated from law school within the past five years and maintain “service of public interest by advancing the role of the legal profession in serving the public” as a value. For more information, visit www.lakc.net.

A virtual election will be held July 21, 2021. Applications are due by 5pm on July 20, 2021.

Members with an interest in serving on the LAKC Board of Directors should send an email indicating their interest to info@lakc.net by 5pm on July 20th.

To apply to the Young Lawyers Section Board of Directors, complete the following form:
https://forms.gle/BiNuFX25zUDXjcMZ8

 

Please let Danielle Atchison (datchison@uslegalimmigration.com) or Phillip Raine (Raine@knightcastro.com) know if you have any questions. Thanks!

To donate online, click here. 

The Sixteenth Circuit Judicial Commission is accepting applications for the position of associate circuit judge, Division 27 of the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit (Jackson County), beginning October 21, 2020. This position is created by the October 20, 2020, appointment of Judge Sarah A. Castle to the position of circuit Judge, Division 1.  

Article V, section 21 of the Missouri Constitution requires that an associate circuit judge be at least 25 years old, licensed to practice law in Missouri, a qualified voter in Missouri, and a resident of the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit.  

Citizens are encouraged to nominate well-qualified candidates for the commission’s consideration. Nominations should be submitted to the contact person listed below.

Public Nomination Form:  Microsoft Word      PDF

For those interested in applying, the application and instructions are available below:

Application:  Microsoft Word      PDF

Instructions:  Microsoft Word      PDF

Guidelines for References:  Microsoft Word      PDF

The commission must receive all completed applications for this vacancy by 4 p.m. Tuesday, November 17, 2020.

The commission expects to meet Wednesday, December 2, 2020, at the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, 1300 Oak Street, Kansas City, Missouri, to conduct public interviews of the applicants and to select a panel of three nominees for the vacancy. Further details regarding the interviews, including the manner in which applicants and the public will participate, will be announced at a later date. Upon receipt of the nominations, the governor of the State of Missouri will have 60 days to appoint one of the three nominees as associate circuit judge in Division 27 of the Jackson County circuit court.  

Members of the commission are Cynthia L. Martin, chief judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District; attorneys Phyllis Norman and Kirk Presley; and lay members Connie Cierpiot and Damon Daniel.

Governor Mike Parson appointed the Honorable Sarah A. Castle as Circuit Judge for the 16th Judicial Circuit. She will fill the Circuit Judge vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Sandra C. Midkiff.

Judge Castle, of Kansas City, currently serves as an Associate Circuit Judge for the 16th Judicial Circuit. She holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and sciences and a master’s degree in political science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.