National Bar Association Honors Shook Partner as Legal Legend

One of the nation’s oldest bar associations that represents predominately African-American lawyers, judges and legal scholars has honored Shook Partner Jon Gray as a “Legal Legend of the National Bar Association.” Gray and seven other lawyers and judges were recognized as representing 275 years of service to the bar during a virtual ceremony June 21, 2021. Gray served 20 years as a Circuit Judge, Sixteenth Judicial Circuit of Missouri, before joining Shook in 2007.

“These Legal Legends have distinguished themselves by their service to the NBA, their communities and to the profession as a whole. We are grateful for their contributions, and even more grateful for their example,” said Karen M. Jordan, Esq., Regional Director for Region VIII, which covers seven Midwest states including Missouri.

“It’s an honor to be included in a group of professionals dedicated to the rule of law and committed to help usher in the next generation of diverse attorneys,” said Gray.

Gray is a past chair of the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association. He is active in The Missouri Bar, the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar association and the Jackson County Bar Association. The Missouri Bar Foundation honored Gray with the 2014 Spurgeon Smithson Award recognizing “significant contributions to the administration of justice.”

KCUR recently featured Gray in a series on Black Professionals in Kansas City.