2011 Spirit of Justice Awards Recipient
MARDI MONTELLO

Mardi Montello passed away this past summer after a long battle with cancer. She made an indelible impression on the St. Louis legal community for many reasons.

She was bright, engaging and sincere. After earning two Bachelor's degrees, then two graduate degrees, and working in several businesses and industries, she decided she wasn't finished and went to law school.

Practicing law to help others wasn't enough. Mardi was always quick to give her time to help those who could not afford legal representation by providing pro bono legal services. The fact that some couldn't afford the legal help they needed seemed to fuel her energy and passion even more.

Read the article on the St. Louis Bar Association website.

Mardi regularly contributed to the many associations she belong to, and always ended up doing more than her share for the Motion for Kids annual children's party put on by BAMSL, the Bar Foundation and the St. Louis Rams.

In 2003 she received the Volunteer Lawyer Award from Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSEM) and the Legal Advocates for Abused Women Special Recognition Award in 2009.

She was a member of the Missouri Bar, BAMSL, Women Lawyer's Association, Collaborative Family Law Association, St. Louis County Bar Association, Legal Advocates for Abused Women Board, Family Resource Center Advocacy Board and the Lawyers for Kids Board. But above all, she was in the hearts of all who had the opportunity and pleasure to work with her on her quest to help others.

Read the St. Louis Business Journal article.

Sections from the 2011 program are shown below.