Letter to the Editor: Effective female attorneys prove need for more women on bench

Dear Editor,

Congratulations on your recent issue featuring the 20 Most Influential Women of 2013. It is a great idea and should continue to grow throughout the years.

In my law school at the University of Missouri (1962–65), there was only one female law student. Practicing law in Springfield my first five years, there were only a handful of female attorneys including Mayte Hardie, Ivella Elsey and Betty Pace. Now, our courtrooms and courthouses see many extremely competent women attorneys, who can, before local juries, often be much more effective than men.

It’s also time for southwest Missouri to see more female judges.

—Dee Wampler, Law Offices of Dee Wampler & Joe Passanise