Missouri Bar meeting draws 800 to Springfield

Springfield attorney C. Ronald Baird is presiding over the event, held at University Plaza Hotel.

The event begins at 2 p.m. today with a Board of Governors meeting, at which Kansas City lawyer and bar President-elect Charlie Harris Jr. will be installed as president of the bar.

Thursday kicks off with a 9 a.m. session on “Defending the Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” where famous lawyers will discuss the emotional toll of defending killers, molesters and con artists. Speaking are Robert R. Nigh Jr. who represented Oklahoma bomber Timothy McVeigh; Randall Crain, who represented Robert Berdella, a Missouri serial killer; J.R. Hobbs, who represented the Kansas City pharmacist who duped cancer patients; and J. Martin Hadican, who represented Catholic priests accused of child sexual abuse.

A 10:45 a.m. session will be on “Separation of Powers and Missouri’s Third Branch,” about the recent attacks on the Nonpartisan Court Plan.

Then, at 1 p.m., Chief Justice Laura Stith of the Supreme Court of Missouri will give the bar’s annual address.

On Thursday evening, from 6–8 p.m., a reception will be held at Hammons Field, at which lawyers and judges will visit and take part in a home run contest.

Friday will begin with a 10:30 a.m. session on “Tensions on the Fourth Amendment: As Search and Seizure Collides with Advancing Technology.” The session will answer questions about how far the government can go to search computers, cell phones and other technological devices.

A 1 p.m. session will be on “The Dred Scott Decision: Commemorating the 1857 Landmark Case.” Lynne Jackson – great-great granddaughter of Dred Scott and founder of the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation – is among presenters who will examine the case’s impact today and in the future.

The event will close with an awards banquet at 7 p.m. Friday. Honors will go to lawyers, as well as journalists and media organizations for excellence in legal journalism.