NOVEMBER SECTION MEETINGS After November, sections don't meet again until 2023

NOVEMBER MEETING DATES:

Visit daybar.org/sections for meeting topics & agendas

Appellate Court Practice

Terry W. Posey Jr., Co-Chair & Jeffrey S. Sharkey, Co-Chair November 9 @ Noon Topic: Working with Amici-How to Win Friends and Influence Judges

Civil Trial & ADR

Jeff Cox, Co-Chair & Michael Sandner, Co-Chair November 9 @ 7:30am Topic: Discovery

Corporate Counsel & Employment Law

Marcie Hunicutt, Co-Chair & Lynn Reynolds, Co-Chairs of Corporate Counsel Gretchen Treherne and Marc Fleischauer, Co-Chairs of Employment Law November 17 @ 5pm Topic: Avoiding and Mitigating Unnecessary Litigation-Employment Law Considerations for Corporate Counsel

Criminal Law

Thaddeus Hoffmeister, Co-Chair & Kyle Lennen, Co-Chair November 16 @ Noon

Diversity Issues

Ebony Davenport, Co-Chair & Ashton Hood, Co-Chair November 15 @ 4pm

Domestic Relations

Kirstie Gotwald, Co-Chair & Mag. Jacqueline Gaines, Co-Chair November 30 @ Noon Optional CLE, visit daybar.org for details.

Estate Planning Trust & Probate

Edward M. Smith, Chair & Kristina Rainer, Vice-Chair November 9 @ 4pm Topic: Current Probate Legislation and Proposals

Federal Practice

Daniel Gentry, Co-Chair & Hon. Peter Silvain, Co-Chair November 15 @ Noon

Juvenile Law

Misty Connors, Co-Chair & Sara Barry, Co-Chair Canceled - November 1 @ Noon

Paralegal

Vanda Morgan, Chair & Dana Ryan, Co-Chair November 17 @ Noon Topic: Active Shooter Training

Social Justice

Bonnie Beaman Rice, Chair Visit daybar.org for November meeting date and agenda

Real Property

Shannon Costello, Co-Chair & Shannon Martin, Co-Chair November 10 @ Noon Topic: Environmental Law for Commercial Real Estate & Business Attorneys

Workers’ Comp / Social Security

Michael Rake, Co-Chair & Kristina Curry, Co-Chair Canceled - November 3 @ Noon

Young Lawyers Division

Kaylee Price, Co- Chair & Jordan Jennings, Co-Chair November 2 @ Peolking DAyton South @ 6pm-8pm *Social event with pizza provided!

After the November meetings, DBA Sections resume their monthly meeting schedules in January 2023. Get involved with a DBA Section, if not NOW, in the new year!

Contact Kate Bertke to join: kbertke@daybar.org

DBA Rising Star: Morgan K. Napier Esq.

Faruki+ PLL

Though ascribing busyness to a lawyer is a timeworn cliché, in this month's Rising Star Morgan Napier's case, it really does ring true. Between her practice as an associate at Faruki in complex commercial litigation and contract disputes, her work on the Dayton Bar Association's Bar Briefs Editorial Board, and now—following her recent engagement—planning her wedding, Morgan is making the most of her time! But keeping busy is nothing new for Morgan, who has a long history of using her time and energy to serve others and grow herself.

Born and raised in Miamisburg, Ohio, Morgan is the oldest of three, with two younger brothers. After graduating from Bishop Fenwick High School, Morgan attended the University of Kentucky, where she earned a B.A. in Finance in 2016. Though she had not initially planned on returning home, Morgan was offered a spot in the University of Dayton School of Law's Leadership Honors Program. She accepted, beginning her studies the semester after completing her undergraduate degree, and quickly took the school by storm. Morgan served as the Comment Editor and Staff Writer on the University of Dayton Law Review, earned CALI Awards (for the highest grade) in Torts II, Constitutional Law II, and Law and the Internet of Things, and ultimately graduated cum laude in 2019. She put her summers to good use as well, working in the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office and at Coolidge Wall. She credits the Prosecutor's Office with first getting her truly excited about the practice of law, and her experience at Coolidge with giving her broad exposure to different areas of law.

An inflection point came when an unexpected opening came available in the Fall Semester of her 3L year. Judge Gregory Singer, of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, needed a temporary staff attorney to step in immediately. Morgan jumped at the opportunity, and while still a student, worked for Judge Singer. This gave her a unique opportunity to see a variety of lawyering styles and get a front-row seat to watch the judicial decision-making process, all before earning her degree. Morgan then rounded out her law school experience through an externship at Gottschlich & Portune in the Spring Semester of her 3L year.

Morgan was hired by Faruki while studying for the bar exam. After a trip to out west to Washington—Morgan is an avid traveler—she hit the ground running at the firm. That was Fall 2019, right before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, upending nearly every aspect of professional life. Undeterred by the ensuing isolation, Morgan recognized she needed to step up, and step up she did. Morgan has a history of seeking out and cultivating relationships with mentors wherever she has been, and this was no exception. Now in her fourth year at the firm, Morgan has been able to take her experience of starting just before the pandemic and navigating those challenges, and serve as a mentor herself to newer associates whose law school experiences were similarly disrupted.

Characteristically, Morgan also dived into active participation in the Dayton Bar Association as soon as the opportunity arose. She was looking to get connected into the Dayton legal community, to meet people, and to form relationships. Once again, she excelled in all three. Morgan was selected to participate in the 2020–21 Leadership Development Class, where she helped organize a blood drive. She is also a longstanding member of the Bar Briefs Editorial Board, for which she has written several articles and profiles (like this one!). Through that experience, she has "met a lot of interesting people [she] would not have otherwise met." Curious, affable, and quick-witted, Morgan is a wonderful conversationalist and an excellent writer, and has not wasted the opportunity to showcase either talent in her work for Bar Briefs.

In her "spare time," Morgan has shown herself to be just as passionate as her work. She is devoted to her family, and rarely misses an opportunity to watch her brother play basketball for Ohio Northern University. Speaking of which, she is a fervent basketball fan, having attended two historic basketball schools in UK and UD, and having gotten to watch NCAA Tournament games at the former. She also took up tennis during the pandemic, and recently won her first competitive match! Finally, as previously mentioned, Morgan is an enthusiastic traveler, who wastes no opportunity to go exploring; this past summer alone, she went to both the Bahamas and to Moab.

While a "Rising Star" might be unfairly pigeonholed as a leader of tomorrow, Morgan has shown that she is a leader today. The passion for service and intellectual curiosity that led her to law in the first place have served her well in her practice and in her community involvement. Though she will be busy for the foreseeable future, Morgan is a paragon of grace and calm under pressure. She is certainly one to watch as she continues her rise in the Dayton legal community.