New KCMBA president aims to make law firms more hip — but it's not what you think - Kansas City Business Journal - Kansas City Business Journal

New Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association President William Martucci wants to make local law firms more hip — but it's not what you think.

Martucci, national litigation and policy partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon in Kansas City, is using his KCMBA presidency to launch an initiative called HIP22, which stands for happy, inclusive and professional in 2022.

“With happiness, we’re really focused on well-being and a balanced life approach,” Martucci said. “With inclusiveness, we’re focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. With the final part, professionalism, we’re focused on civility, basically speaking on issues and being civil and respectful about it. In each of those areas we have developed summits.”

Martucci takes over the presidency at KCMBA from Samuel Wendt of the Wendt Law Firm PC in Kansas City.

Martucci is a 45-year veteran attorney and has worked at Shook, Hardy & Bacon for 22 years. His practice specializes in employment litigation and policy, but he also handles class action and complex litigation, business litigation and international matters.

He’s been named to “Lawdragon’s” list of America’s Most Powerful Employment Lawyers and “Euromoney’s” Best of the Best USA – The World’s Leading Lawyers. He’s received the “SuperLawyers” designation for Kansas City every year since 2005.

For the happiness initiative, the KCMBA will use its annual well-being summit to look at the science of happiness and what it really means to be engaged in a way that’s fulfilling and permits everyone to reach a level of fulfillment.

For inclusiveness, the KCMBA launched the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Collaborative, which has 27 local law firms signed up, pledging to do help make the Kansas City legal community and the community at large an inviting place for people of all backgrounds who want to come to Kansas City. A director of strategic diversity efforts was appointed to work with firms on ways to be more intentional about reflecting diversity in the practice and the judiciary.

For professionalism, the KCMBA is updating its curriculum to look deeper at the issues of civility and treating each other professionally as lawyers work to amicably resolve differences involving both national and local issues.

Martucci also said the KCMBA will help as law firms continue to adapt to the global Covid-19 pandemic, particularly as they do more remote work.

“There are great challenges for law firms and the corporate world at large related to making your people feel connected,” Martucci said. “The office has become more of a place of gathering from time to time and not quite as central as it otherwise would have been.”

source: https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2022/01/13/kansas-city-metropolitan-bar-association-president.html

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