Grimm elected to head state bar organization

Cape Girardeau attorney and former Circuit Court Judge John Grimm has been elected to a one-year term as president of The Missouri Bar, an organization that represents approximately 30,000 lawyers throughout the state.

His election Friday afternoon took place during a meeting of The Missouri Bar's 45-member Board of Governors in Jefferson City, held at the conclusion of the organization's 140th annual meeting, which took place virtually.

Grimm was sworn in by Missouri Court of Appeals Judge Douglas Thomson immediately following the election in a ceremony at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City.

As The Missouri Bar's president, Grimm told the Missourian he will serve "as the face of the organization and communicate the message that we're here to improve the lives of Missouri citizens and to help lawyers better serve their clients."

Presidents of The Missouri Bar are elected on a rotating basis from the Kansas City area, the St. Louis region, and "outstate" areas. Grimm succeeds St. Louis attorney John Gunn and will be followed by Lauren Tucker McCubbin, an attorney in the Kansas City area, who is the organization's president-elect.

Grimm, 58, joined the Cape Girardeau law firm of Limbaugh, Russell, Payne and Howard (now known as The Limbaugh Firm) in 1989 after serving two years as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Sr.

In 1993, Grimm was appointed to fill an unexpired term as circuit judge in for the 32nd Judicial Circuit of Cape Girardeau, Bollinger and Perry counties and at age 31 he was the state's youngest circuit judge. He was elected to a six-year term on the bench in 1994 and reelected in 2000 before rejoining the Limbaugh law practice in 2003.

A graduate of Cape Central high School and Southeast Missouri State University, Grimm went on to earn a law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law in 1987. He has also served as a member of The Missouri Bar's Board of Governors since 2010.

His trial practice focuses in the areas of personal injury and wrongful death, insurance coverage and defense, business, real estate and employment litigation. In addition to his trial practice, he has served as a mediator in hundreds of cases in state and federal courts.

Grimm is the third member of The Limbaugh Firm to head The Missouri Bar following Rush Limbaugh Sr.in 1955-56 and Limbaugh's son, Stephen N. Limbaugh Sr., in 1982-83. Two other Cape Girardeau attorneys -- Allen L. Oliver and his son, Jack L. Oliver -- also led The Missouri Bar in 1943-44 and 1970-71, respectively.

Grimm also comes from a multigenerational legal family. His father, Stanley Grimm, was a circuit court judge from 1973 until 1987 when he joined the Missouri Court of Appeals on which he served until 1998. His twin brother, Mark Grimm, is an attorney in St. Louis. Their brother and sister-in-law, David and Beth Grimm, are also attorneys and reside in Texas.

In an online address to bar members during The Missouri Bar's annual meeting, Grimm spoke of the association's ongoing efforts to improve the profession, the law, and the administration of justice on behalf of the public.

"One of the things we focus on constantly is citizenship education," he told the Missourian. "We try to educate the public about the legal system, about things lawyers and judges do, and how the system works. We have lawyers who regularly speak to community groups and schools about the legal system."

The 32nd Judicial Bar Association, commonly known as the Cape County Bar, will host a receiption for Grimm Oct. 15.

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