Three Mizzou Law Alumni Named MAA Faculty and Alumni Award Winners

The Mizzou Alumni Association has announced the 2023 winners of the Faculty and Alumni Awards. Among the recipients, three Mizzou Law alumni have been recognized with awards, Ray Klinginsmith, ’65, John Shaw, ’77, and Benjamin Thomas, ’73. First celebrated in 1968, the Faculty and Alumni Awards highlight the contributions of exceptional individuals to the University’s growth and core mission, through their professional accomplishments, teaching and research excellence or service to the institution. Through the awards program, the Mizzou Alumni Association expresses its appreciation for these individuals and their service to higher education. It focuses attention not only on these…

Alumni Spotlight — Meet Phelan Simpkins

Anyone who’s been through the law school application process knows it can be a daunting task. From choosing when and how to study for the LSAT to crafting the perfect personal statement, it can be confusing and hectic even for the most qualified applicants. First-generation students face an even greater challenge of going through this process without a close family member to advise them. Two-time Mizzou alumnus Phelan Simpkins, BS ‘16, JD ‘21 had to overcome this challenge during his own admissions cycle, and it inspired him to create a tool to help other first-generation students. His podcast and video…

LLM Alumni Spotlight — Flavia Fragale

In the United States, it’s nearly impossible to imagine becoming a judge before turning 25 years old. In Brazil, moving from law school directly to a judgeship is fairly common. For Flavia Fragale, LLM ‘05, ‘19, she became a judge at just 24. After growing up in Vitória, Brazil, she was admitted to a law program at the University of São Paulo, the oldest and most recognized law school in Brazil. “Law school in Brazil is a graduate course that lasts five years,” Fragale said. “There is no college before it— you finish high school and apply directly to law…

Alumni Spotlight– Meet Judge-Elect Kayla Jackson-Williams

By Anna Sago With local and midterm elections coming up soon, the unopposed candidate for associate circuit judge in Boone County is already clear. When elected this November, Judge-Elect Kayla Jackson-Williams, an alumna of Mizzou Law, ‘16, will be the first Black Boone County judge in its more than 200-year history. “I didn’t realize how monumental that would be,” said Jackson-Williams. “I was at Roots & Blues with my daughter, and this little girl, maybe 8 years old, said, ‘Mommy, that’s that Black judge.’ and they walked over, and her mom said, ‘I’m sorry, we talk about you a lot,…

LLM Alumni Spotlight — Brian Pappas

For a man who never imagined a career in higher education, Brian Pappas, LLM ’08, has managed to reach the pinnacle of legal education. Stepping into the deanship of the North Dakota School of Law in July, Pappas’ journey to this level of leadership began with his own legal education. After earning his JD from Wayne State University, Pappas worked as an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) fellow at Michigan State while he traveled weekly from Michigan to Columbia, Missouri for LLM classes at the Mizzou Law Center for Dispute Resolution. “When I embarked on my LLM, I planned to open…

LLM Alumni Spotlight — Donna Pavlick

In 1999, Donna Pavlick was at a crossroads. The health care company she managed in Springfield, Missouri had just been sold and her position eliminated. Soon after, her husband, who worked at the University of Missouri, told her about a new degree program just announced by Mizzou Law — an LLM in dispute resolution. “Before the LLM program, I was at a loss as to where my career should go next,” Pavlick said. “When my husband told me about the new program that was announced, I quickly chatted with the faculty and turned in an application the next day. I…

Four Mizzou Law Alumni Honored with Missouri Bar Awards

Four Mizzou Law alumni have been honored with Missouri Bar awards during the 2022 Missouri Bar Annual Meeting in Springfield, Missouri. Dudley McCarter, ’75 W. Dudley McCarter earned the 2022 Missouri Bar President’s Award for his commitment to educating lawyers through his Journal of The Missouri Bar column. Given by the president of The Missouri Bar, the annual award recognizes lawyers’ meritorious services to the state bar. McCarter is a founding member of Behr, McCarter, Potter, Neely & Hyde PC in St. Louis. He served as president of The Missouri Bar from 1992-1993 and St. Louis County Bar Association…

Mizzou Law Alumni Now Hold All Chief Judge Seats in Missouri Appellate Courts

This summer, the judges of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, elected Hon. Gary D. Witt, ’90, as chief judge, and the Eastern District judges elected Hon. Michael E. Gardner, ’10, to serve as chief judge. Both began their terms July 1. The Hon. Jack Goodman, ’98, began his term as chief judge for the Southern District on June 16. With these elections, and with Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Hon. Paul Wilson, ’92, being a Mizzou Law graduate, a Mizzou Law alumnus is chief judge in every appellate court in Missouri.

Gone the Influencer, Not the Influence

One of the five job offers I had coming out of law school was the one “everyone” wan­ted.  I turned it down.  Instead, I chose the job offer out of the five that paid the least.  That brought me to Springfield, Missouri and Ransom A. Ellis, Jr.  Why? Because he did exactly what I wanted to do (labor and employment law, rep­resenting management), he did it in a non-urban area (I did not want to go back to St. Louis, or to any other big city to practice law), and he had an impeccable professional repu­tation and was highly regarded…

Mizzou Law LLM Student/Alumna Brings Legacy of Advocacy to the Classroom

Elizabeth Kaganda, who earned her LLM in dispute resolution from Mizzou Law and is currently pursuing an LLM in American law at Mizzou Law, also teaches Swahili at Mizzou. Read this great story about Elizabeth in the Columbia Missourian: https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/kaganda-brings-legacy-of-advocacy-to-the-classroom/article_8445ba6c-a0c1-11ec-850a-0be3dc867a92.html