Proceeds will benefit Motion for Kids. Motion for Kids is an annual holiday party held at the Edward Jones Dome and sponsored by the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) and the St. Louis Rams for more than 3,000 local children. BAMSL held its first holiday party (known as Project Angel Tree) in 1992 to benefit area children with a parent in the Missouri prison system. Since its inception, Motion for Kids has grown each year and now includes children in the foster care system.

Please download our registration form to register either by mail or on the day of the race. Directions are also included in the downloadable packet. Midwest Litigation Services hopes to see you there.

Debbie Weaver, 52, president of Midwest Litigation Services and Midwest Trial Services, 711 North 11th Street.

FAMILY • Married to Robert Dear, who works for Weaver’s company in the production and delivery departments. They live in Columbia, Ill. She has four children and two stepchildren. Her children are Adam, 25, who works for her company in the Kansas City office; Evan, 24, who also works for the company in Kansas City; Erin, 19, a student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City; and Alex, 17, a student at Jerseyville High School. Stepchildren are Christopher Dear, 19, a student at Truman State University; and Kevin Dear, 17, a student at Trinity Catholic High School in St. Louis. Weaver’s parents were the late Ed and Jane Rader. Her father was an attorney in Clayton. Her mother worked in a family business and then was a legal secretary for her father. Her siblings are John Mengel, 58, a heavy-equipment operator in Alaska; and Tom Mengel, 56, an insurance and financial adviser who lives in Eureka. She has five nieces and nephews.

EDUCATION • Eureka High School, 1976; attended Southeast Missouri State University, 1976-1978, and left to study court reporting at Brown’s Business College. She got a degree from there in 1980.

How did you go from being a court reporter to owning the business?

I went to work for Ann Taylor with Taylor & Associates Court Reporters right after I got my degree in 1980. Ann was a federal court reporter who worked for the late Judge John Nangle. I was the only freelance court reporter working for her, and in 1985 I asked her if she wanted to sell me the business and she said OK.

Were you still the only freelance reporter working in the business?

Yes, as a full-time employee. There were about four or five independent contractors and me.

How big is the company now?

We have 11 offices in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois with 42 full-time employees and about 85 to 90 independent contractors.

That’s a lot of growth. How did you achieve it?

We bought a lot of small companies and took the business in some new directions. We do all courtroom and legal videotaping, which goes hand in hand with court reporting. We also have another company, Midwest Trial Services, which does electronic presentation of media in courtrooms in front of judges and juries. We do cases in all courts, take depositions, do lots of municipal hearings and we also do things like closed captioning for the hearing impaired for conventions and such things. We did it pro bono for the pope’s visit here. And we’ve also started a new offshoot of our business, Aequitas.

What is that?

It means fairness, equality and symmetry in Latin. We do dispute and conflict resolution, mediations and arbitrations primarily for attorneys whose clients are in litigation. Arbitration is frequently mandated by the courts.

Who does the arbitration?

I hired a lawyer, Lisa Herder, as director of business development for the company and she works in the arbitration area. We provide a panel of lawyers and retired judges to work on the cases.

Do you find it interesting to be at all the trials or are you too busy to pay attention to the trials themselves?

I stopped doing court reporting in about 2001 because I was just too busy with the business. I’m on the road about a week to 10 days of every month visiting the other offices. I also do everything — even if it’s cleaning the toilets or picking up supplies, like I did this morning on my way in. I have a motto, which is I would never ask an employee to do something that I wouldn’t do. But trials are interesting and, for the most part, our clients are wonderful to work for.

What do you like to do outside of business?

We have a sailboat on Carlyle Lake and I love to spend time on it. My husband is the real sailor and I do what’s asked, but I think I’m more capable than he thinks I am. We like to travel and about once every year we charter a boat in the British Virgin Islands and take family and friends and spend about a week out there. Bob is the captain and we do all the cooking. It’s a lot of fun.

What was the last best book you read?

“Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Real Success,” by Ken Blanchard and Colleen Barrett. It’s about Southwest Airlines’ concept of customer service. It was a very good book. Other than that, I read a lot of James Patterson, Lisa Gardner — that sort of thing.

What do you drive?

A 2006 black Toyota Solara convertible — with 108,000 miles on it.

Atricle Provided By: stltoday.com

Join us and tens of thousands of other participants as we all come together in the fight against breast cancer. Just visit www.komenstlouis.org/race and click on the link to Join a Team and search for our team name. I’ve listed our team name and ID below. If you aren’t able to join us, you can support our efforts with a pledge contribution. The money raised through the Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure will fund vital screening, treatment, education and research programs for underserved women in our very own community and also support the national search for a cure.

We’d love you for to join us and help us reach our goal of a world without breast cancer! Every step counts!

You can join our team by clicking on the link below and joining our team. Please contact me if you have any questions or if I can help in any way. Let’s make this one of our greatest years yet. This is my fifth year with the Race and I ask all of you to join me again this year.

An Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure

www.komenstlouis.org

Midwest Litigation Services –

Team name Kelly’s Krusaders ID 31390

Midwest Litigation Services: Streaming Videos created by Infinite Resolution

Midwest Litigation is now offering bumper stickers and t-shirts. If you would like to order one please contact: Deborah C. Weaver.

Midwest Litigation Services is proud to announce that Debbie Weaver has been selected as one of three women to receive the Enterprise Award. Other award categories include Leaders of Tomorrow, Rising Star, Trial Practitioner, Citizenship and Public Official. The Enterprise Award is awarded to women in a business setting, be they entrepreneurs, executives, corporate counsel or other business professionals, who fulfill theabove ideals in contributing to the improvement of the justice system.

Debbie was distinguished as an entrepreneur deserving of the Women’s Justice Award due to her commitment to the St. Louis community. Along with her personal and passionate support of the Komen Race for a Cure with her team of “Kelly’s Krusaders” (her partner Kelly Willis died of breast cancer five years ago), Debbie has donated lap-top computers, deposition services and videography for pro bono initiatives sponsored by the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association and the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) as well as for attorneys providing pro bono representation. The entire Midwest organization annually sponsors over fifty families for Motion for Kids (formerly Project Angel Tree) and spearheads the Santa Station at St. Louis’s football venue, the Edward Jones Dome, with opportunities to visit with and get photos with Santa and many other cartoon characters.

Debbie also generously donates her time and energy to BAMSL’s Read Across America program, she provides lunch and transportation to families visiting the Vandalia women’s prison, and is actively involved in Legal Services’ annual fund raising with the Justice for All Ball; having taken on the behemoth task of chairing this event in 2008. Her energy is equaled only by her benevolence and belief in the importance of such support.

Debbie currently serves as the Executive Director of the Women Lawyers Association and sponsored the breakfast at this year’s Missouri Bar Annual Meeting with the Kansas City and Mid-Missouri Women Lawyers. She has also been a longterm sponsor for their annual golf tournament and holiday party.

Throughout the state there are not many bar associations who have not been the beneficiary of a Midwest sponsorship whether it be for a Bar Foundation dinner, an annual conference, a golf tournament or an awards banquet. Without such support such events would not be possible which would be to the detriment of the thousands of members of the bench and bar who depend on these events for CLE and networking.

Read the Full Article Here:

On Saturday, December 19th, Midwest Litigation Services joined with the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the St. Louis Rams’ organization and several other sponsors at the Edward Jones Dome for the Motion for Kids holiday party (previously known as Project Angel Tree). This event was created to offer children who have been affected by the legal system an opportunity to play games, meet Rams football players and cheerleaders, visit with Santa, and receive gifts.

MLS staff, court reporters, videographers, and their families sponsored over 65 children through gift-giving. We also organized the Santa’s station which offers the kids a chance to send a letter to Santa, get their picture taken with Santa, visit with several “characters” including Mickey Mouse, Scooby-Doo, Frosty, the Grinch, and Shrek among others. It never fails that the volunteers go home with as big a smile, if not bigger, than the kids!

February 23, 2008 – Justice For All Ball

Midwest Litigation is proud to honor Debbie Weaver at the Justice For All Ball at the Chase Park Plaza, February 23, 2008 for Legal Services of Eastern Missouri Inc,