650-plus lawyers gather to network, celebrate, learn at 2026 Annual Meeting

After passing the Missouri Bar Exam earlier this year, Esther Spooner walked into her first networking event as a new lawyer, eager to make connections but unsure of what to expect at the 2026 Annual Meeting of The Missouri Bar. By the conference’s final day, those uncertainties were replaced by a sense of welcoming, support, and appreciation for the legal community she recently joined. “Everyone is kind and sharing their perspective,” said Spooner, of Kansas City. “One girl gave me her business card and said we could get together for coffee or lunch, and then she said, ‘And I mean it.’”…