 Nicole Sasser, a paralegal at Ellinger Bell, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Missouri Paralegal Association (MPA) as a Director for the Central District. With the recent changes to the division and boundaries of the MPA, Nicole expressed her enthusiasm for representing the newly formed Central District and being actively involved with the association as a whole.
The Missouri Paralegal Association is an organization that supports the professional growth of individual paralegals and aims to increase public, judicial, and legal community knowledge about the paralegal profession. They achieve this by maintaining high standards of education, ethical responsibility, and professionalism within the paralegal field. The association also strives to empower Missouri paralegals through a unified voice, promote self-governance of the profession, and participate in, foster, and advance the paralegal profession at various levels, including local, state, national, and international. Nicole's election to the Board of Directors reflects her dedication to her profession and her commitment to promoting the interests of paralegals in Missouri.  Marc Ellinger argued in WD Court of Appeals in the case Malin v. ACT Missouri on May 2, 2023. Today the Court upheld ACT Missouri’s victory in the trial court in a 3-0 opinion. This decision has set a new standard in that factors have to be weighed to determine whether the Sunshine Law applies to an entity. The Court held that no one factor is controlling. The result of this case is that the nonprofit’s records are not subject to the open records law. Malin was represented by the ACLU. This case was an open records case of first impression opinion that set policy across the state of Missouri. This case affects all non-profit contracts with governments in Missouri. Ellinger Bell actively litigates open records and sunshine law cases and FOIA cases.
Marc Ellinger led a panel of state attorneys general at the Republican Lawyers Association Conference in Washington, D.C. on Friday May 12. The panel included Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody. Watch the full panel as well as remarks from Rep. Jim Jordan in the link below. Rep. Jim Jordan and State Attorneys General Speak at Republican National Lawyers Association Conference | C-SPAN.org
 Jefferson City, Missouri- On May 16th, 2023, Stephanie Bell is being honored at Zonta’s Women of Achievement Yellow Rose Luncheon at the Capitol Plaza Hotel. She is being honored along with nine other outstanding Mid-Missouri women. Those honored meet the criteria of being noted for their exceptional achievements in their chosen field or as a volunteer working to improve the community. Two women will be chosen to receive the “Women of Achievement” award. In addition, Zonta will honor a “Lifetime Achievement Winner.” This year the theme for the luncheon is “Celebrating Women Without Limits.” The celebration speaker will be Desireé Reed-Francois, the first female Director of Athletics for the University of Missouri and in the SEC. Zonta is an international organization committed to empowering women through service and advocacy. The local Zonta Chapter has made a commitment to the advancement of women by awarding Second Chance Scholarships to assist local women who want to advance or start new careers. The Second Chance Scholarship Program has changed the lives of many local women. The Zonta Club of Jefferson City has awarded over $380,000 in scholarships to date. Stephanie has been a partner at the Ellinger Bell law firm since its founding in 2018 and has practiced law for more than a decade. Since May of 2021, Stephanie has been a part of the “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” radio show from 5:30-9:00 weekday mornings on Zimmer Communications’ stations. In 2020, Stephanie was appointed to the Ashland Board of Aldermen, was later elected to that office, and continues to serve. In 2022, Stephanie and her husband bought and now operate The Trolley Company.  Marc Ellinger and Stephanie Bell are attending the International Masters of Gaming Law Spring Conference in Napa, California. This is a semi-annual meeting of the members of the International Masters of Gaming Law. Ellinger and Bell are the only two General Members of the IMGL in Missouri.
This year's conference includes panels on Sports betting, supplier licensing issues, emerging markets, tribal gaming and other panels shown here: https://www.imgl.org/events/imgl-2023-spring-conference/ The main mission of the IMGL is education on the subject of gaming. These yearly conferences are also a great way for our over 300 members to network with others in the industry. Ellinger Bell represents operators, suppliers, affiliates and licensees in the US and around the world.  Marc Ellinger was recently appointed as a trustee of the Missouri Hospital Association. The Missouri Hospital Association encompasses all Missouri hospitals. This appointment is for a one-year term and is eligible to be appointed to two additional one-year terms. Ellinger previously served as the chair of the Board of Directors of the Capital Region Medical Center and continues to serve as a board member. Through his many years of service on the CRMC board, as a former Presiding Commissioner of Cole County, and as a prominent Republican attorney, Marc brings a unique viewpoint as a non-healthcare member with a conservative voice to the MHA board.
 Stephanie Bell was recently reelected as Alderwoman for Ward 2 in Ashland, Missouri. She was first appointed to the Board of Aldermen by Mayor Richard Sullivan in 2020. She has served as the Mayor Pro Tem since that time.
Since beginning her service, a new city hall and police station have been built. The board is also in the process of developing a new zoning code. The city has continued to see rapid population growth as well as a significant increase in new businesses and economic development projects. The Board of Aldermen meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 7:00 p.m. For more information about the City of Ashland, visit: https://www.ashlandmo.us/.  Ellinger Bell attorneys Marc Ellinger and Stephanie Bell, representing the Missouri House of Representatives, prevail in closely watched Sunshine Law case regarding privacy of constituent communications and the authority of the Missouri House of Representatives protecting that privacy. Read the opinion here: Judgment.pdf.
 Marc Ellinger recently finished his run as president of the IMGL. Having served three years from 2020-2022, he is the longest running president in IMGL’s history.
Throughout his term Ellinger ran several successful conferences. Covid unexpectedly started soon after he began his first term and Marc was able to pivot to virtual conferences. He was able to run two full day virtual conferences. He also ran three successful regional conferences Sarasota, Las Vegas, and Indianapolis during Covid. Other successful conferences were run in Boston, Seattle, and London. All of these were full conferences and Boston was also a joint conference with IAGR. Ellinger was able to hold a First New Regulator Training event in New York. He also acquired new partnerships with SiGMA, SBC Gaming, NASPL, Reed Expo and SAGSE. Under Marc’s leadership, IMGL Masterclass webinars were started, many of which were on global topics. Ellinger attended SiGMA in Malta, ICE in London, Netherlands Gaming Event in Amsterdam, and G2E in Las Vegas all two times over his tenure. He was able to attend IGB in Amsterdam and Gaming in Germany in Berlin each once and was able to attend NCLGS three times. Marc Ellinger’s Missouri firm, Ellinger Bell, has covered most aspects of gaming law with the exception of criminal prosecutions. Both Marc and his law partner Stephanie Bell have been involved in Missouri’s regulated gaming industry since its start in the early 1990s. They both have a working knowledge in the regulation and statutes of the state of Missouri and have knowledge internationally through their associations with IMGL as well as the International Association of Gaming Advisors.  Marc Ellinger was elected President of the Republican National Lawyers Association, the RNLA, by the Board of Governors on December 8, 2022. “I look forward to working with Republican lawyers around the nation to ensure that every legal voter can cast their vote and that our elections have the utmost integrity to restore confidence in elections,” Ellinger stated upon his election.
Mr. Ellinger was the former chairman of the Missouri Chapter of the RNLA and has served as First Vice President and also as General Counsel of the RNLA and continues to serve on the Board of Governors. He has worked on election matters in Missouri and a number of other states over the years on behalf of the Republican Party and Republican candidates. Ellinger takes over from David Bowsher from Alabama who served as President of the RNLA for the last two years. “David has done an amazing job of leading the RNLA over the last two years and reinforcing the RNLA’s mission of insuring free and fair elections across the United States,” Ellinger stated. Ellinger and Associates has a broad election law practice with experience in handling candidate representation, campaign finance compliance, and election litigation. The Republican National Lawyers Association has a goal to advance the Republican Party’s goals by connecting republican lawyers throughout the nation. It was founded in 1985 with the goals of election integrity, advancing professionalism, advancing the careers of its members, and finally to advance the republican party’s ideals. Ellinger concluded, “Together, I am confident that with free and fair elections, we will elect more Republicans across the Board in the Senate, Congress and in the White House to preserve and protect our great nation.” |
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The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Past results afford no guarantee of future results. Every case is different and must be judged on its own merits.