New Open Enrollment Standing Committee Proposal Process

Committees represent the driving forces behind much of the work and activities of The Missouri Bar. The committees typically engage in activities which include, but are not limited to:
  • Drafting and/or reviewing legislative proposals
  • Developing and presenting continuing legal education programs and print reference materials and practice resources
  • Increasing public understanding of the law
  • Helping educators teach young people about the justice system
  • Developing a variety of programs and activities to help lawyers improve the efficiency of their practices
  • Developing a variety of programs to maintain the highest level of professionalism among members
The Missouri Bar currently has over 40 open enrollment standing committees focusing on a substantive area of law and/or the administration of justice. Minimum requirements have been established and incorporated into the process for proposing a new open enrollment standing committee.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Missouri Bar members may apply for a new committee if they feel the establishment of such a committee will:
  • Address a unique and unmet need and/or area of practice within the committee structure
  • Not interfere, dilute or overlap negatively with the focus and/or efforts of an existing standing committee
  • Have a significant commitment of membership at its inception (100 or more members)
  • Have a commitment from those petitioned which will provide for a minimum of three years of initial leadership in place at inception (pledges of at least one chair and two vice-chairs for three-year terms)
PROPOSAL PROCESS
The process to propose a new committee includes the electronic or printed submission of the following forms:
  FORM DEADLINES NOTES
STEP 1 New Committee Application Day after Annual Meeting Process opens the day after Annual Meeting.
The proposed new committee will be reviewed for consideration for the following bar year.
STEP 2 Member Petition April 1 Complete the Member Petition and collect:
  • petition signatures (100+)
  • leadership commitment (pledges of at least one chair and two vice-chairs for three-year terms)
STEP 3 Request for Review April 1 Must be completed the same bar year in which the New
Committee Application was submitted.

FINAL DETERMINATION
Any new application fully completed and meeting the minimum requirements and timing deadlines for review during a bar year will be considered by the Board Assessment Committee. This committee of the Board of Governors will formulate a recommendation which will be taken up by the Board of Governors at its spring meeting for approval or disapproval at its sole discretion.

If approved, an online connect.MOBAR community will be established for the new committee in May. Leadership for the
committee will be appointed in June and the new committee will be formally established as of the first day of the next bar year (first day after the end of the Annual Meeting).