BAR NEWS February 2012 MONTHLY CLE LUNCH Law Enforcement Metropolitan Bar Sales Tax Speaker: Dan Patterson Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Wednesday, March 21, 2012 11:45 AM The Tower Club SPRINGFIELD Starlight Room, 22nd floor 901 E. St. Louis Street REGISTRATION In advance: $20.00 members, $25.00 non-members At the door: $25.00 members, $30.00 non-members Invoice fee of $5 will be charged if payment is not received on the date of the lunch. All full time judges are always welcome to attend and may do so at no charge when our lunches are 2012 SMBA President held at the Tower Club. At alternate locations the member discounted fee will apply. TERESA GRANTHAM Please note: non-members may only attend as • • • guests of SMBA members. Reservations accepted by phone, fax, mail or e-mail. Features This Month Register online! www.smba.cc SMBA President Teresa Grantham: Installation Speech Installation Banquet Photo Album 2 : FEBRUARY 2012 by Teresa Grantham 2012 SMBA President In response to numerous requests by members, Going back just a smidge further than Justice this month’s President’s message is a printing of Teresa Cardozo, Shakespeare taught a little legal procedure Grantham’s President’s Remarks at the 2012 SMBA in The Merchant of Venice. Shylock has a breach of Installation Banquet: contract case. He refuses the merchant’s offer of treble damages in lieu of the pound of flesh that Every year, one of the main priorities of the board judgment on the contract would demand. Portia is how best to maintain and increase collegiality finds a loophole. Shylock must take his pound of among members. Frankly, just by coming here flesh without spilling a drop of blood. What can we tonight and taking time to interact with other learn from Portia? Lawyers are Smart. members and celebrate a little that we are part of a The David McCullough biography of John select and honorable profession you are advancing Adams painted a picture of Adams’ fear for his that cause. I’m really excited about two thousand family’s safety, including his pregnant wife, when twelve and in starting off the year as president, he agreed to defend British Soldiers at trial for their PRESIDENT’S LETTER LETTER PRESIDENT’S one of the perks of this job came to me already actions in what was called The Boston Massacre. in December. I was invited to attend an informal He told the jury, “Better that many guilty persons lunch of the past presidents of the Springfield escape unpunished than one innocent person should Metropolitan Bar Association. Each of these be punished. The reason is, it’s of more importance fabulous lawyers who have served as president to community, that innocence should be protected, offered some words of wisdom specifically to me! than it is, that guilt should be punished.” What did And I received my favorite compliment of two we learn from John Adams? Lawyers are Brave. thousand eleven from Vince Tyndall who said Barrister Sydney Carton, the lovesick and “you’re really funny for a girl”. And if any of you alcoholic defense lawyer in A Tale of Two Cities, goes want to know what was said to elicit that comment, to the guillotine in his client’s place, and it’s there I would be glad to tell you later and probably with a that he says, “It is a far, far better thing that I do, drink in my hand. But my point being, it was one of than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that those great days where I felt pretty lucky to be where I go to, than I have ever known.” What is there to I was right at that moment. learn from Charles Dickens? Lawyers who drink too Different things inspire us depending on much do stupid things. where we are at a particular time and stage of Certain protagonists reach out and grab you. our life. One constant that has inspired me since Atticus Finch, Twentieth century lawyer from childhood is literature. Sometimes I use that Harper Lee’s beautiful To Kill a Mockingbird give term “literature” more loosely than others might. this advice to his daughter, “first of all,” he said, “if My books include biographies, serious and silly you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along fiction and occasionally the law. Lawyers, criminal a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really prosecutions and big civil trials make for exciting understand a person until you consider things from reading. Literature led me to being a lawyer. There is his point of view […] until you climb into his skin certainly a lot of literature we can learn from. and walk around in it.” What do we learn from This point of view is neither original nor Atticus Finch? Lawyers are Honorable. modern. Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cardozo One of my favorite authors of all, Gabriel shared it and acknowledged “novelists and poets” as Garcia Marquez quit law school. After giving up the principal teachers of law in the first half of the law school for novels he wrote Chronicle of a Death Twentieth century. Law and literature theory is the Foretold where the events of the murder are told in belief that authors have a lesson to teach lawyers an inverted fashion. Instead of moving forward... about the human condition and the law’s effect on it. the plot moves backwards. In the first chapter, the continued on page 13... FEBRUARY 2012 : 3 BAR NEWS NEWS BAR The Bar News is published monthly by the IN THIS ISSUE Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and About the Bar ............................................... 7 are not necessarily in conformity with those of the editor or 2012 February by Crista Hogan, SMBA Executive Director the SMBA. Crista Hogan, Editor Passing the Gavel Photo Highlights .......... 8 Rebekah Teller, Layout • [email protected] Lawyer Referral Service ............................ 10 OFFICE HOURS Mon-Fri, 9 AM–5 PM SMBA CLE: Estate Planning .................... 11 1615 S. Ingram Mill Road, Building D Springfield, MO 65804 SMBA Room Use ....................................... 14 417-831-2783 • fax: 417-831-2842 www.smba.cc • [email protected] OFFICERS Teresa Grantham, President IN EVERY ISSUE Chip Sheppard, President-Elect Kendall Seal, Secretary President’s Letter .......................................... 2 Steven Harrell, Treasurer by Teresa Grantham, SMBA President Gary Powell, Past President DIRECTORS SMBA Committees ...................................... 4 Dan Nelson • Charity Elmer • Adam Pihana Robert Palmer • Jake Reinbold • Steve Snead Bench & Bar ................................................. 5 Neil Chanter • Dwight Rahmeyer • Trace Johnson Susan Jensen • Dan Patterson • Dwayne Fulk Call-A-Lawyer ............................................ 13 EX OFFICIO The Honorable Thomas Mountjoy, Presiding Judge Classifieds ................................................... 15 Crista Hogan, Executive Director SMBA Calendar ......................................... 16 STAFF Crista Hogan, Executive Director Melanie Richards, Office Manager 2012 COMMITTEE CHAIRS Alternative Dispute Resolution ................................ Aaron Jones Bench and Bar ........................................................ Chip Sheppard THE OBJECT OF THE Board of Directors ............................................. Teresa Grantham SPRINGFIELD BAR Commercial/Insolvency ................................................Lee Viorel Established October 17, 1903 Criminal Law .............................................................. Nancy Price Family Law ........................................................Shannon Grisham Federal Bench and Bar ...........................................Doug Harpool • To maintain the honor and dignity of the Greene County Law Library .....................................Rick Temple Health and Wellness ....................................................Kevin Rapp profession of law, In House Counsel ............................................ Dwight Rahmeyer Juvenile Law ..........................................................Chris Hazelrigg • to cultivate social interaction among Law Day .......................................................................Brett Roubal its members, Lyceum ......................................................................... Jeff Mitchell Memorial ...............................................................Tamara DeWild • and for the promotion of legal science, Mentorship ...............................................................Brian Shepard Mock Trial ................................................................. Nancy Fisher • and the administration of justice. Monthly Programs ............................................. Grant Rahmeyer NCPC ...................................................................... Chip Sheppard Probate and Trust .......................................Sativa Boatman Sloan Social Security ....................................................................Jon Pitts SMB Foundation ......................................................... Gary Powell Taney County ....................................................................Joe Allen Trial Practice .......................................................Laurel Stevenson Workers’ Compensation ..........................................Mike Mergen Young Lawyers ........................................................Chris Hoeman 4 : FEBRUARY 2012 UPCOMING MEETINGS COMMITTEE SIGN-UP FORM If you would like to add or change your committee Parking Ad Hoc status you can do so online at smba.cc or use this SMBA SMBA COMMITTEES