Within 8.5 weeks of being named the Eastern District Missouri Court of Appeals’ chief judge, Judge Kelly Broniec was tapped by Gov. Mike Parson to replace retired Missouri Supreme Court Judge George Draper III on the state’s highest court. The other nominees who were under consideration by Parson were Michael E. Gardner and Ginger K. Gooch.
Draper is one of two baby boomer judges who are retiring this year.
Missouri Supreme Court Judge Patricia Breckenridge will retire on Oct. 13 before she reaches age 70 on Oct. 14 while Draper turned 70 on August 5.
Under a provision of the Missouri Constitution, if a judge is still in office on their 70th birthday, they forfeit their pension, which encourages the judiciary to retire before their 70th birthday.
"I think baby Boomer retirements are impacting the legal industry just like it's impacting every company across the country," said Chris Hohn, an attorney at Thompson Coburn law firm. "What Thompson Coburn has done very effectively is to transition to the next generation to make sure that our partners are intentional about being collaborative with fellow partners and colleagues so that our clients are well-served across the spectrum of agesof the lawyers."
Hohn was recently elected chair of the prestigious St. Louis law firm, effective in August 2024.
Like judges, attorneys at Thompson Coburn practice law in teams.
"We're very transparent and collaborative in culture, which allows us to have multiple different partners helping client relationships so that when a partner retires, it's very often a seamless transition to the next generation," Hohn told the St. Louis Record. "It is important that our partners are focused on making sure that clients can be serviced beyond the years they intend to practice. But we do monitor that and we really work with our partners to make sure there's an effective transition from one generation to the next."
Broniec served as an associate circuit judge in Montgomery County for some 14 years before being appointed by Parson to the Missouri Court of Appeals-Eastern District three years ago. She succeeded Judge Roy L. Richter who retired in July 2020.
Broniec's one-year tenure as chief judge on the appellate court started on July 1 and her term was to end on Dec. 31, 2024.
She joins two other women on the Missouri Supreme Court, Chief Judge Mary Russell and Judge Robin Ransom.
"Significant changes in our profession don’t stop with technology, public access, and caseloads," Russell said last week during her State of the Judiciary address. "The makeup of our profession is changing, as well. For the first time in the history of our Bar … our president, president-elect and vice president are all women. And, just yesterday, Athena Dixon was elected to become the next vice president."
The president-elect of the Missouri Bar is Megan Phillips, the current president is Lauren Tucker McCubbin, and the vice president is Shelly Dreyer.