The Missouri Bar is dedicated to helping Missourians better understand the laws and legal system. We actively organize various programs and events for the general public and teachers on a regular basis. Learn more about our events and mark your calendar now!
Citizenship Education Events 2023
The Missouri Bar’s Citizenship Education Department is offering three professional development workshops for teachers throughout the state. Street Law will cover the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees Americans equal protection of the laws. But what exactly does “equal protection” mean?
The annual Show Me the Constitution competition for students will be held April 3. Students analyze constitutional issues and present their ideas on the year’s topics to a panel of judges, lawyers, and government officials.
The Missouri Bar’s Citizenship Education Department will hold two Summer
Institutes in June. Part I will run from June 19-21 and cover the Supreme Court and freedom of expression.
Juror Appreciation 2023
Missouri’s 2023 Juror Appreciation Week runs May 1-7. During the week, The Missouri Bar – joined by judges, court personnel, and legal professionals – thanks all Missourians who report for jury duty in state courts.
National Healthcare Decisions Day
Imagine you are in a hospital and you can’t speak, who will speak for you?Without a plan, how will your health care providers know your wishes? April 16 each year marks National Healthcare Decisions Day. The goal of National Healthcare Decisions Day is to inspire, educate and empower the public and health care providers about the importance of advance care planning. The initiative encourages people to name a healthcare agent, express their wishes regarding their health care, and to have providers and facilities respect these wishes. Each year, attorneys across Missouri volunteer their time and talent on National Healthcare Decisions Day to aid anyone interested in the completion of their advance directive. The Missouri Bar has developed and makes available for free a “Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care and Health Care Directive” for use by the general public.
75 Years of The Missouri Bar
On June 16, 1944 The Missouri Bar was created by order of the Supreme Court of Missouri with the belief that lawyers are stronger when working together.
From its start, The Missouri Bar has worked to improve the profession, the law and the administration of justice for all Missourians.
Today, 75 years later, The Missouri Bar is a diverse organization, reflecting the changing landscape of the state. Moving forward, we will continue to serve Missouri by ensuring all voices are heard and that lawyers remain a unified force in improving the justice system.
800 Years of Magna Carta
Perhaps more than any other document in human history, Magna Carta has come to embody a simple but enduring truth: No one, no matter how powerful, is above the law. From its 13th Century roots in the English meadow of Runnymede, Magna Carta has transcended its original time and place to become one of the world’s most recognized and enduring symbols of liberty under law. June 2015 marked the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta. Learn more about this “Great Charter of Liberties” which advances the principle of rule of law here and abroad.
Remembering Gideon
About fifty years ago, a crude, hand-written letter from a Florida inmate forever changed the course of the American judicial system. Clarence Earl Gideon, a native of Hannibal, Missouri, authored the petition which ultimately resulted in the landmark decision that guaranteed every American’s right to a lawyer. Learn how this U.S. Supreme Court decision handed down more than half a century ago led to the creation of the Missouri Public Defender system, making sure every individual has equal access to the law, regardless of income level.