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Missouri Bar Association president visits Bootheel; MBA monitors legal moves in Ferguson
NEW MADRID -- It isn't just civil rights groups, legal activists and the media watching the actions in Ferguson, Missouri, so is the Missouri Bar Association.
Reuben A. Shelton, newly elected president of the 35,000-member Missouri Bar Association, said the organization wants to ensure the rule of law is adhered to by all those involved. With the grand jury expected to decide this month whether Officer Darren Wilson is charged with a crime for killing 18-year-old Michael Brown on Aug. 9, they will continue to monitor the situation.
" We haven't seen anything in that situation or the later situations where the rule of law has been violated," Shelton said prior to meeting with Southeast Missouri attorneys here.
In response to claims otherwise, Shelton said those comments were politically made or, in other cases, the comments were emotionally made.
According to Shelton, the Missouri Bar Association is actively working on behalf of lawyers, the legal system and the citizens of Missouri. The MBA was most recently involved with the Missouri Legislature on revision of the criminal code.
In response to concerns from Missouri public defenders that their case loads are too great and they need additional resources, Shelton said the MBA has come out in support of adequate funding for the system.
"We want to make sure that every client has good representation," he said.
Currently the association is working with the public defenders to try to craft some changes, including a way where volunteer lawyers would be able to assist public defenders. However, Shelton added, the main push is to get adequate funding for the system.
The Missouri Bar Association remains a leader in support of Missouri's nonpartisan court plan. Shelton noted Missouri created the plan in an effort to stop influence pedaling and corruption which had plagued the court system in the 1940s.
"We think that is working well," Shelton said. "Do we think it is the perfect system? Does it completely take politics out of the selection process? Probably not. We will always be looking for ways to tweak it. Our view is that it is the best system of any out there."
The Missouri Bar Association also has roots into the 1940s. According to Shelton while the group existed prior to then, it was in the 1940s the members voted to make membership mandatory for lawyers in Missouri.
He called the organizations' purpose two-fold.
"We want to make lawyers better; we want to make our lawyers better so they can better serve their clients and the communities in which they live. We also want to educate the public - to educate the public about the law, to educate the public about the judges."
For the public, the Missouri Bar Association prior to each election for judges in the non-partisan court system surveys jurors, lawyers and court staff to devise ratings on whether the judge should be retained. These ratings are published to provide Missourians information on making a more informed decision in the voting booth.
Shelton said the Association's mini-law schools where the public can sign up and for a small fee learn about different areas of the law are working well. Also information about the legal system is offered to the public on the association's website www.mobar.org.
In addressing the nearly four dozen Southeast Missouri lawyers, Shelton spoke of the resources the organization offers them. He also fielded a number of questions about their concerns on topics ranging from insurance to ethics to individuals who represent themselves in court.
Since his election as president of the Missouri Bar Association on Sept. 11, Shelton said he has made an effort to reach out to lawyers across the state.
"The biggest thing I want to do is break barriers and build bridges," Shelton said.
Explaining that he intends to use his presidency to promote diversity, Shelton emphasized he isn't just talking about racial diversity.
"I'm talking about all kinds of diversity -- big firms, small firms, geographic, gender and yes, ethnicity," he said. "You are important to us. we need you to be a part of the Missouri Bar. If we don't get together, we will never will be the best we can be."