Summer Masterson-Goethals was chosen for The Missouri Bar Leadership Academy 2014-2015. The academy, now in its 15th year, seeks diversity in gender, race, area of practice, and locality of practice with the goal of including attorneys from underrepresented areas to broaden and strengthen The Missouri Bar.
Summer received her B.S. degree from Missouri State University and her J.D. degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan. Summer specializes in the area of consumer law, and is a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates (“NACA”). She is active in the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association (“SMBA”) as a mentor to young lawyers and serves on the Law Day Committee and the Trial Advocacy Committee. She is also a member of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys (“MATA”).
Summer often provides presentations to various groups on consumer issues and scams affecting people in her community, including the Safe and Sound Expo, the Federal Trade Commission, the Office on Aging, Consumer Credit Counseling, OACAC, and area senior centers. Summer serves on the Southwest Missouri Consumer Task Force where she collaborates with other local agencies to bring light to consumer issues that people in her community face. She frequently serves as a Missouri Bar CLE Moderator, and is a speaker for the Missouri Bar on the CLE topics of Fair Credit Reporting, Fair Debt Collection, and Taking Depositions. She has authored two Missouri Bar Deskbook chapters on Discovery.
Summer has presented to pre-law students at Missouri State University about what to expect in law school and a career in law, and she created the Mock Trial Team while there as a student. She serves her community by volunteering as a coach and judge for area high school students in Speech and Debate and Mock Trial. She has previously volunteered and assisted tornado victims as a member of the Disaster Relief Committee for the Missouri Bar