Investor Meeting - September 18, 2018

Please join us for the September Investor Meeting on Tuesday, September 18, 2018, at, 12:00 p.m. We will be meeting at the  Mineral Area College's NORTH COLLEGE CENTER again this month!

This month's speaker will be Mr. Justin Meehan.
Mr. Meehan will be discussing Sexual Harassment and Racial Discrimination in the workplace.  This month, YOU HAVE HOMEWORK!  Mr. Meehan has asked that each of you bring a copy of your sexual harassment and/or discrimination policies with you!

About our Presenter:
Civil-rights attorney, J. Justin Meehan, believes that if you live in a community, you shouldn’t just take from it — you’ve got to give back. In 40 years of practicing law in St. Louis, he said that’s what he’s tried to do.

“I never turned my back on someone in need,” he said. “I didn’t make much money, but it’s what I did. It’s part of my commitment.”

A New York native, Meehan is the son of an attorney who worked in a corporate environment but demonstrated a strong sense of social responsibility. Meehan began his college career at Fordham University but left law school there after his first year. Meehan eventually returned to college, graduating cum laude from Saint Louis University in 1969 and earning his law degree there in 1975. Within his first 30 days of practicing law, Ray Howard of Howard, Richardson & Singer hired him and assigned him to a murder case. Meehan said he didn’t have any experience and “looked like a fool,” when trying to pick a jury. But he went out into the community to gather interviews and information for the case, and ultimately his client was freed.

After two years with Howard, Richardson and Singer, Meehan became a solo practitioner. He’s remained so ever since, and he’s established a reputation for taking on the cases that to others seem hopeless and the clients who aren’t always able to pay.

Thanks to Meehan’s work in State v. Williams on behalf of a woman who had been charged with murdering her partner, the self-defense arguments once employed by battered spouses have been extended to all battered women.

As a result of his representation in the excessive-force case Bell v. Board of Police Commissioners, citizens of St. Louis now find it easier to file police-misconduct complaints.

He’s helped students gain reinstatement to schools following their expulsion for speaking out about school issues, and he’s taken on numerous cases involving allegations of civil-rights violations.

Meehan tries to find justice for people who often are denied access to it, and he “fearlessly stands in the gap for the oppressed, and has dedicated his life to the cause,” a nominator wrote.

That approach to his career made for “rarely feast and a lot of famine” in his household, Meehan said, but his family shared and supported his sense of social commitment. He and his wife, Daizy, have two sons; one is a law student, and the other is a practicing attorney in St. Louis with whom Meehan sometimes works.

Click here for Mr. Meehan's complete bio and a list of his accomplishments and accreditations.  


Our September Business Spotlight is on Southeast Economic Development Fund!

Lunch will be catered by MAC's American Vending Corp. and available for purchase at a cost of $10.00 per person for Chamber Investors or $15 per person for Non-Chamber Investors.

Our September Menu is as follows: 

Beef Brisket, Roasted Potatoes, Grilled Veggies, Salad, Rolls, Dessert, Tea & Water

REMINDER! When registering online, you will see a $15 charge, with a $5 discount for Chamber Investors. Your cost, as a chamber investor is still $10 per person.  If your discount is not reflected at checkout, please contact the Chamber Office.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED BY 3:00 P.M., MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2018.  RESERVATIONS MADE AFTER 3:00 P.M. WILL INCUR A $5 LATE FEE.