NEWS RELEASE

The National Center for State Courts
300 Newport Avenue · Williamsburg, Virginia  23185

Contact:
Lorri Montgomery
Communications Manager
The National Center for State Courts
757.259.1525 or lmontgomery@ncsc.dni.us 

Ann K. Covington Joins Lawyers Committee
 of National Court Reform Organization

Williamsburg, VA (March 8, 2004) – Ann K. Covington, a partner with the St. Louis, Mo. firm Bryan Cave, has joined the National Center for State Courts’ Lawyers Committee, which involves prominent practicing attorneys in the National Center’s work and programs. Committee members serve in a leadership role with a commitment to support the National Center’s mission, to actively participate in outreach to the bench, bar and the legal community, and to encourage support for the National Center’s programs and initiatives. Inaugural meetings were held recently in Washington, D.C. and in San Francisco in conjunction with the midyear meeting of the Conference of Chief Justices.

Covington, a former chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court, has specialized in appellate and litigation matters since joining Bryan Cave in 2001. She was first appointed to the state Supreme Court bench in 1989 where she served for 12 years. Covington previously served on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District and was the first women in Missouri to serve in each capacity. She also has served on the National Center’s Board of Directors and currently is a member of the American Law Institute.

The National Center for State Courts, headquartered in Williamsburg, Va., is a non-profit court reform organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to the state courts. The National Center, founded in 1971 by the Conference of Chief Justices and former Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, provides education, training, and technology, management, and research services to the nation’s state courts. The National Center also is taking the lead on several key issues facing the justice system. For example, it has established a major civil justice initiative, a multi-year project that is examining best practices in civil case management and how complex litigation procedures can be improved. Other national initiatives being driven by the National Center include judicial selection reform and increasing citizen participation in jury service.

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