MENTORSHIP LUNCHEONS

WLA, along with its exclusive Membership/Mentorship Sponsor, Dowd Bennett LLP, hosts group luncheons open to either law students only or WLA members who are 36 and under or have been practicing 5 years or less. These luncheons feature prominent members of the judiciary and/or leaders within the legal community.  Since space is limited, each attendee is given a unique opportunity to learn from and network with judges, lawyers and community leaders in a small group setting.  For more information, please contact Rebecca McLaughlin.

 

Upcoming:

Check here and in member email blasts for upcoming luncheons as they are announced.  

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Past Luncheons and Guest Speakers:

 

February 2026 | Judge Maria A. Lanahan, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri

June 2025 | Stacey Lannert, Missouri State Public Defender 

February 2025 | Blitz, Bardgett & Deutsch's litigator Kelley F. Farrell

August 2024 | Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Cequel III and TierPoint, Wendy Knudsen

June 2024 | Lewis Rice's Cybersecurity & Data Privacy Practice Group Leader, Billee Elliot McAuliffe.

February 2024 | US Bankruptcy Judge Kathy Serratt-States

October 2023 | Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP Partner Rebecca (Becky) Nelson and Associate Emilee Hargis.

August 2023 | Director of the Office of Peace & Justice for the Archdiocese, Marie Kenyon, and the  Director of Legal Services for St. Francis Community Services, Catholic Legal Assistance Ministry ("CLAM"), Amy Diemer

June 2023 | Emily Cantwell, Lathrop GPM, and Sonette Magnus, Thompson Coburn

March 2023 | Shannon Dawson, Dawson Law Firm

December 2022 |Cardina Johnson, mediator and Associate General Counsel for Illinois Education Association Cardina Johnson

October 2022 | SLU Professor Marcia McCormick and Wash U Professor Susan Appleton 

September 2022 | Christina Moore, Partner, Husch Blackwell and President, WLA Board of Directors

June 2022| Sayler Fleming, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri

March 2022 | St. Louis City Counselor Sheena Hamilton and St. Louis County Counselor Beth Orwick

May 2021| Keya Koul, Counsel in Business & Legal Affairs at Netflix and Mey Ly Ortiz, Managing Counsel in Labor & Employment at Toyota Motor North America

November 2020 | Mischa Buford Epps, Executive Director of The Missouri Bar and Brocca L. Morrison of the Federal Public Defender for the Eastern District of Missouri

August 2020 | "The Virtual Practice of Law" with Hon. Ellen W. Dunne (21st Judicial Circuit) and Erica Blume Slater (The Simon Law Firm)

May 2020 | "The Path to Law Firm Partnership" with Kaitlin Bridges (Gray, Ritter & Graham) and Amanda Murphy (Goldblatt Singer)

February 2020 | "The Path to Law Firm Partnership" with Jerina Phillips (Lewis Rice, LLC) and Nicci Warr (Stinson, LLP)

July 2019 | Professor Carol Needham of Saint Louis University School of Law and Professor Kimberly Norwood of Washington University School of Law

March 2019 | Honorable Mary Kathryn Hoff, of the Missouri Court of Appeals, and Elizabeth Carver of Dowd Bennett LLP

February 2019 | Hon. Lisa Van Amburg (ret) Missouri Court of Appeals and Debbie S. Champion, partner at Rynearson, Suess, Schnurbusch and Champion 

November 2018 | Honorable Laura Denvir Stith, of the Missouri Supreme Court, and WLA Past President Megan Phillips, from the Chambers of the Honorable Audrey Fleissig of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

September 2018 | Jennifer A Haynes, Assistant General Counsel & Vice President for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and Jennifer S. Kingston of Dowd Bennett, LLP

April 2018 |  Honorable Annette Llewellyn, Circuit Court Judge for the 22nd District. and Christina Moore, Associate General Counsel Saint Louis University

March 2018 |  Honorable Susan E. Block of Paule, Camazine & Blumenthal, P.C. and WLA Past President Jessica Kennedy of Washington University

December 2017 | Hon. Nannette Baker (United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri) and Beth Boggs (Boggs, Avellino, Lach and Boggs, LLC)

December 2017 (rescheduled from September) | Hon. Audrey Fleissig (United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri) and Gretchen Garrison (Gray, Ritter and Graham, P.C.) 

July 2017 | Dana Tippin Culter (Attorney at James W. Tippin & Associates and the Missouri Bar Association President) and Nicole Colbert-Botchway (Associate Circuit Judge St. Louis City and Past President of the WLA)

March 2017 | Kristol Whatley Simms (Corporate Counsel at Ameren Corporation and ACC President) and Christina Lewis Abate (Director of Underwriting at the Bar Plan)

January 2017 | Michelle Nasser and Hannah F. Preston (Dowd Bennett LLP)

November 2016 | Hon. Maura McShane (St. Louis County) and Hon. Kendra Howard (United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)

January 2016 | Latieke Lyles (In-house Counsel at Macy’s Inc.) and Jessica Scales (Attorney at Sedey Harper)

October 2015 | Countess Price (Associate General Counsel at Monsanto Company) and Sebrina Barrett (Executive Director of The Missouri Bar)

July 2015 |  Monica Allen (Associate Vice Chancellor, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Litigation Counsel, Washington University) and Annette Slack (Executive Director of Community Empowerment and Diversity Manager at the St. Louis County Executive's Office)

May 2015 |  Dana Tucker (Chief Counsel for the Eastern District of Missouri Attorney General's Office)

April 2015 |  Kate Becker (President at SSM St. Mary’s Health Center and SSM Cardinal Glennon)

March 2015 |  Hon. Phil Hess (Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District) and Teresa Mayhew Hess (former Human Resources Manager at MO Dept of Mental Health Facility)

February 2015 | Jane Dueker, Esq. (Of Counsel at Stinson Leonard Street specializing in Government Solutions)

January 2015 | Hon. Colleen Dolan (St. Louis County Circuit Judge)

December 2014 | Hon. Angela Turner Quigless (Chief Judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Eastern District)

November 2014 (Innagural Luncheon) | Hon. Catherine D. Perry (Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri) and Catherine Sison, Esq. (Senior Litigation Counsel for Macy's)