21 September 2012

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Supreme Court of Missouri is appointing its counsel, Bill L. Thompson, to clerk of the Court effective Oct. 1, 2012. Thompson has been serving as interim clerk since the May 31, 2011, retirement of Thomas F. Simon, who served the Court with distinction for more than 40 years.

“We are thrilled Bill has agreed to continue serving the Court in this expanded role,” Chief Justice Richard B. Teitelman said. “Given his more than 34 years of service to the Court, Bill brings an extraordinary amount of expertise and skill to this important position. He has been a leader in the judiciary, and he has directed us well through the interim period. We are confident he will be a superb clerk as he continues to work in the best interests of the judiciary and the people of Missouri. He is a true professional, and we are grateful for his continued service.”

Thompson came to the Court in June 1978 after nearly three years as a staff attorney for the Joint Committee on Legislative Research for the state’s General Assembly. He served as a staff attorney until 1979, when he was named staff counsel. He has served as counsel to the Court since 1997. He also served as acting commission counsel for the state’s Judicial Finance Commission from 1985 to 1989. As counsel to the Court, Thompson also serves as staff for the Court’s civil rules committee, which makes him an invaluable resource not only to the Court’s judges and staff but also to judges throughout the state for the intricacies of civil procedure. He also has served as vice chair of The Missouri Bar’s civil practice and procedure committee since 1990.

“I am honored and humbled by the confidence the Court has placed in me,” Thompson said. “The judges and employees of the Court are a wonderful group of people, and I am thankful for their support as I transition into my new role.”

A native of Chillicothe, Mo., Thompson earned his bachelor of science in business administration in 1972 from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and his law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law in 1975. MU made him an honorary member of the order of the coif in 2000. He taught appellate advocacy for nearly a decade as an adjunct professor at the law school and has served for many years on the faculty for training opportunities for the state’s trial and appellate judges. He has been active in the American Bar Association’s Council of Appellate Staff Attorneys and Judicial Administration Division; the National Association of Appellate Court Attorneys; The Missouri Bar; and the Cole County Bar Association, of which he is a past president. He is a recipient of a number of awards from state judge organizations. Thompson and his wife, Julia, live in Ashland. They are active in the Ashland United Methodist Church, of which they are founding members.