How the Public Can Find a Lawyer or File a Complaint Through MOBAR

Updated

MOBAR (mobar.org), The Missouri Bar, provides public-facing tools for finding a lawyer, checking a lawyer's official listing, filing a complaint, and resolving fee disputes. The main entry points are the "For the Public" section, which includes the Official Directory of Lawyers, Find a Lawyer, Legal Guides & Forms, and a "Problem with a Lawyer" area covering the Client Security Fund, Fee Dispute Resolution, and the complaint process. Use these pages when you need to verify a Missouri lawyer, get basic legal information, or raise a concern about a lawyer's conduct or fees.

Finding and verifying a lawyer

Two related tools serve different purposes:

  • Find a Lawyer — a search tool intended to help you locate a lawyer, for example by practice area or location.
  • Official Directory of Lawyers — the Bar's official listing, useful when you need to confirm that someone is a licensed Missouri lawyer and check their directory record.

The site also offers LawyerSearch Preferences and a Lawyer Directory under the member-facing navigation, and a Search for Arbitrators/Neutrals option for alternative dispute resolution.

If you are a reporter, the For Reporters page is the designated route for media inquiries.

Legal guides and forms for the public

The Legal Guides & Forms section under "For the Public" is where non-lawyers can find plain-language guidance and forms. This is the appropriate starting point for general legal information before deciding whether to consult a lawyer.

Raising a problem with a lawyer

The "Problem with a Lawyer" area groups the Bar's public mechanisms:

Mechanism What it addresses
File a Complaint Concerns about a lawyer's conduct
Client Security Fund A fund for clients, reached through the same public section
Fee Dispute Resolution Disagreements over lawyer fees

Each of these has its own page under "Problem with a Lawyer," so start there and choose the mechanism that matches your situation. Note that the Bar distinguishes between conduct complaints (File a Complaint) and fee disagreements (Fee Dispute Resolution) — these are separate processes, so pick the one that fits.

What MOBAR is, and who these tools are for

The Missouri Bar is the statewide bar organization for Missouri lawyers. Its site mixes member services (My Profile, My MCLE, My Fees, member portal, practice management resources, MCLE compliance) with public services. The public tools described above — Find a Lawyer, the Official Directory, Legal Guides & Forms, and the complaint and fee-dispute routes — are the ones intended for people who are not lawyers.

Practical notes

  • The site's navigation is organized by audience: "For the Public," "For the Public > Problem with a Lawyer," and "For Reporters" are the public-facing branches; most other sections are for members.
  • Some resources on the site are member-only (for example, the member portal and MCLE reporting), so expect a sign-in for those. The public directory and complaint pages are the ones to use as a non-lawyer.
  • The homepage news area carries Bar announcements, such as officer elections and Annual Meeting registration, which are not needed for finding a lawyer or filing a complaint.