April 2013

Letter from the President

Sound the cruise ship horn!  The Maiden Voyage of the Gateway Chapter travelled to its first Port of Call this year at the ALA Annual Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.  There were 19 members who attended, thanks to the educational scholarships provided by our Business Partners.  We cruised to victory at the awards ceremony which took place on Monday evening, April 15^th.  The Gateway Chapter received one First Place, four Second Place, two Third Place, and three Honorable Mention awards.  In addition, our own Jennifer Sloop was First Runner-up out of more than 450 eligible candidates for ALA’s Quest Award that recognizes a new member who is involved in a number of Association activities.  We are really proud of Jennifer’s accomplishment.  She is definitely a ship member who answered the call for “All Hands on Deck”!

Our next port of call is to host the Kansas City Chapter for their trip to St. Louis on May 10^th for our Second Annual Statewide Leadership Summit.  We plan to come away with some new ideas for our chapter during that meeting.  So, please stay tuned for more announcements.

We are always looking for volunteers for committees or special projects.  Please contact any board member if you are interested in participating.  The gangway is permanently open, so please take the initiative to Get On Board!

Your Captain,

Patty Barbachem, CLM

Gateway ALA Chapter President, 2013-2014

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Spotlight Member

My name is:  Jan Steck

I work for:  Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC

The firm’s practice is:  Litigation

My title is:  Office Administrator

Before becoming a legal administrator, I was:  Administrator for Meers, Inc., a psychology group.

I entered the field of administration because:  I lived out of state for 10 years.  When I returned, I was referred to an HR position at Brinker & Doyen LLP in Clayton and was offered that position.  I loved it and things progressed from there.

I have been working in the legal community for:  13 years

I decided to join ALA because:   ALA has something for everyone.   You can select areas of interest to you and relate with other administrators, as well as, vendors you have worked with for years. 

The hardest situation I have had to deal with:  The death of my mother.  It put things in perspective. 

The best advice I’ve received is:  If you are happy, you have found success.  Be true to yourself with no regrets.

Advice I would give someone just entering the legal management field:   It takes everyone working together to make it work.  Be accessible and open to new ideas.  Touch base with each person each day. Everyone should feel valued.  It takes little effort to say “Thank you”…say it a lot.

I try to motivate my staff by:   Things can get hectic, but the environment is light and fun. No one feels that they are alone or uninvolved.

If I weren’t a legal administrator I would be:  something in the medical field

Three words that best describe me:   laid back, dedicated, trustworthy

I recommend ALA membership to others because:  Most join ALA without knowing what it is.  It makes sense to join and just start out observing the various events and meeting other administrators casually during the luncheons...just take the time to see what can develop for you.

In my free time:  I always enjoy time with my family, but now there is a grandson and another baby due in October, so my newest hobby is fat babies.

Last good book I read:  I am currently reading “The Road to Romance.”  My father (95!) has always been an avid reader and considers this to be the best book ever published.  I have to find out why.

Last vacation I took:   Most recent would be a spontaneous and relaxing few days at the lake.

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Gateway Chapter Awards

The ALA Annual Conference was held April 14th - 17th in National Harbor, Maryland. There were approximately 1,300 members in attendance, 19 of whom were Gateway Chapter members, thanks to the educational scholarships provided by our Business Partners. The education and networking events at the Conference were valuable, and we came away with some new ideas for the Gateway Chapter.

The Awards Ceremony took place on Monday evening, April 15th and the Chapter won the following awards:

Membership Brochure – First Place

Achievements in Diversity – Second Place

Business Partner Relations – Second Place

Recruitment & Retention – Second Place

Visibility - Bar Relations – Second Place

Newsletter Excellence – Third Place

Visibility - Community Connections – Third Place

Chapter Website – Honorable Mention

Education Excellence – Legal Industry - Honorable Mention

Visibility – Managing Partner Event - Honorable Mention

In addition, our own Jennifer Sloop was First Runner-up out of more than 450 eligible candidates  for ALA’s Quest Award that recognizes a new member who is involved in a number of Association activities.

Finally, thanks to the leadership of immediate Past President Julie Hill, our Chapter earned the Platinum level of the Presidents' Award of Excellence.

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Quest Award Nominee: Jennifer Sloop

ALA's "Quest Award" recognizes a new member who is involved in a number of Association activities. The award recipient demonstrates traits from a successful quest and from the ALA Code of Professional Responsibility. There were more than 450 eligible candidates this year. The 2013 Quest Award recipient was announced at the Chapter Awards Reception held in conjunction with the Annual Conference & Exposition in National Harbor, MD, on April 15, 2013. The Gateway Chapter's Jennifer Sloop was awarded First Runner Up. Congratulations, Jennifer! Below is the award submission authored by Julie S. Hill, SPHR, ALA Gateway Chapter President 2012-2013.

The Gateway Chapter is honored to nominate Jennifer Sloop for the 2013 Quest Award.  Jennifer was the Recruiting & Professional Development Manager for the St. Louis and Chicago offices of Bryan Cave LLP until late 2010, when she joined SNR Denton as the Director of Administration in St. Louis.  Encouraged by former ALA President Marshall Fletcher to connect with ALA, Jennifer joined the Association in January 2011 and thereafter joined the Gateway Chapter in February 2011. Jennifer jumped in immediately, attended the next seven monthly education meetings, hosted an HR Section meeting, and participated in Community Challenge events.  In 2012, Jennifer has rarely missed a Chapter meeting or event, including those held on the weekend. 

Jennifer has stated her primary reason for joining ALA was to ease the transition from legal recruiting to law firm administration.  Now, after developing relationships within the Chapter, she describes her membership as “my support group in many ways.”  This year she attended the Chapter’s local educational conference, the Missouri Leadership Summit in Kansas City (a joint effort between the Kansas City and Gateway Chapters), and Region 3 Conference.

Within a few months of her new membership, Jennifer joined Gateway’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee and, along with several other Gateway Chapter members, participates in coordinating the St. Louis Diversity Job Fair.  Jennifer combines her recruiting and legal administration capabilities in this role.  The Board feels fortunate to have acquired someone of Jennifer’s caliber to represent a positive image of the legal profession.  Her feedback at Board meetings is impactful and adds a new perspective to the composition of our group. 

Jennifer also serves on the Chapter’s Salary Survey committee and revised many of the position descriptions that had become outdated.  In addition to Jennifer’s leadership and excellent communication skills, she is an exceptional author and proofreader.  Last year she, along with a handful of other chapter members, volunteered to review and revise assigned chapter award submissions.  In 2012, she volunteered to take on half of the responsibility for reviewing and revising all of the chapter’s award submissions.  This is quite a task for someone who performs a principal role at her firm, serves on three chapter committees, coordinates a local diversity job fair, and participates in other legal organizations. Oh, and by the way, Jennifer is skilled at balancing her personal responsibilities as a wife, active mother of two children, and small group leader at her church. 

Currently Jennifer is serving (and will continue serving in 2013-2014) on the Gateway Extended Board as Chair of the Bar Liaison Committee, a role in which she succeeds because of her ability to communicate with lawyers effectively.  Jennifer obtained her JD from Washington University and was admitted to the Missouri Bar in 1998.  She has taken positive steps to create opportunities for the Gateway Chapter to partner with the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL), such as meeting directly with the BAMSL President this year.  Together they have developed plans to schedule united initiatives in 2013.  In addition, this November the Women’s Lawyer Association and the Gateway Chapter joined forces to participate in a charity run benefiting Motion for Kids, a program implemented by the Young Lawyers Division that assists disadvantaged children.  Thanks to Jennifer’s active role, she has enhanced ALA’s visibility within the St. Louis legal community.

Jennifer brings several years of experience in large law firms to the Gateway Chapter table and is well respected by her colleagues.  Throughout her career in law firms, she has been specifically responsible for developing and coaching lawyers who are now partners and clients.  This knowledge benefits Gateway Chapter members in that Jennifer has witnessed firsthand that lawyers have different experiences and goals.  Sharing this information with us makes her an invaluable resource. 

Quest can be defined as a “journey toward success.”  Jennifer is the perfect example of one who has met challenges on her journey with great success, and we are a better organization because of it. 

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Social Connections

Join your fellow Gateway Chapter members for Legally Blonde presented by Stages on Thursday, August 1, 2013 at 8:00 p.m. Robert G. Reim Theatre, 111 S. Geyer, St. Louis MO 63122. Additional details to follow.

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Calendar of Events

5/15 - Chapter Meeting: The Fundamentals of Trust Accounting, Speaker: Kelly Dillon, CFE, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Renaissance Grand Hotel

6/19 - Chapter Meeting: Automation Tools for Legal Drafting - Best Practices, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Husch Blackwell LLP

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ALA Resources

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