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Hon. Jimmie M. Edwards
Areas of Expertise:
Business Litigation, Civil Rights, Commercial, Construction, Consumer, Contracts, Employment, FELA, Insurance, Personal Injury, Products Liability, Professional Liability / Malpractice, Real Property, Toxic Torts
Services:
Mediator
Judge Jimmie M. Edwards is currently an attorney at Lashly & Baer, P.C. in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a member of the firm’s litigation, and government and education practice groups. Judge Edwards served St. Louis as the Director of Public Safety since 2017, when he was appointed by Mayor Lyda Krewson. Prior to this position, Edwards was appointed to the 22nd St. Louis Judicial Circuit Court and served there from 1992 to 2017.
Judge Edwards is the founder of the Innovative Concept Academy, a ground-breaking school in St. Louis Missouri that acts as a last resort for at risk teens. The program garnered national attention from CBS Early Show, Today Show, The Wall Street Journal, and a visit from the U.S. Secretary of Education. The program also earned Edwards the “Hero Among Us” recognition by People magazine. Ebony magazine selected him to its 2013 “Power 100 Most Influential in America List” and Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts presented Judge Jimmie M. Edwards with the William Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence, one of our nation’s highest judicial awards. In 2014, Judge Edwards received honorary Doctor of Law Degrees from Saint Louis University and Eden Theological Seminary.
Edwards graduated from Saint Louis University in 1978, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, and again in 1982, where he earned a Juris Doctorate degree. Judge Edwards began the private practice of law at a small law firm in St. Louis, Missouri in 1981.
Judge Edwards is the founder of the Innovative Concept Academy, a ground-breaking school in St. Louis Missouri that acts as a last resort for at risk teens. The program garnered national attention from CBS Early Show, Today Show, The Wall Street Journal, and a visit from the U.S. Secretary of Education. The program also earned Edwards the “Hero Among Us” recognition by People magazine. Ebony magazine selected him to its 2013 “Power 100 Most Influential in America List” and Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts presented Judge Jimmie M. Edwards with the William Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence, one of our nation’s highest judicial awards. In 2014, Judge Edwards received honorary Doctor of Law Degrees from Saint Louis University and Eden Theological Seminary.
Edwards graduated from Saint Louis University in 1978, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, and again in 1982, where he earned a Juris Doctorate degree. Judge Edwards began the private practice of law at a small law firm in St. Louis, Missouri in 1981.
Bar Admissions
- The Supreme Court of the United States
- The Supreme Court of Missouri
- United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
Education & Academic Honors
- J.D., Saint Louis University School of Law, 1981
- B.A., Saint Louis University, 1978
Professional Associations
- National Center for State Courts
- Center for American and International Law
- American Bar Association
- Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
- Fair St. Louis Foundation
- Incarnate Word Foundation
- Missouri Bar Association
- Mound City Bar Association
- National Bar Association
Honors & Awards
- Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, Public Service Award, 2018
- Saint Louis University Black Law Student Association Lifetime Achievement Award, 2018
- The Dred Scott Freedom Award, 2018
- Mound City Bar Association, St. Louis Diversity Award, 2018
- Saint Louis Community College, Community Service Award, 2018
- Saint Louis University School of Law, Order of the Fleur de Lis Hall of Fame, 2017
- William T. Kemper Foundation, Community Service Award, 2016
- Missouri State University, Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame, 2016
- Missouri Association of Social Welfare, Lifetime Achievement Award, 2015
- Saint Louis University, Honorary Doctor of Law Degree, 2014
- Eden Theological Seminary, Honorary Doctor of Law Degree, 2014
- Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, Distinguished Lawyer Award, 2014
- National Center for State Courts (United States Supreme Court), William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence, 2013
- Ebony Magazine, POWER 100 Most influential, 2013
- Mid-America Emmy, Emmy Award for Extraordinary Educator, 2012
- St. Louis American Foundation, Stellar Performance Award, 2012
- St. Louis Metropolitan Police Foundation, Medal of Honor, 2012
- Uniting Families, Circuit Judge of the Year, 2012
- Saint Louis University, Alumni Merit Award, 2012
- Missouri Juvenile Justice Association, Andrew Jackson Higgins Excellence in Juvenile Justice Award, 2012
- PEOPLE Magazine, Editor’s Choice Hero of the Year, 2011
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), inspiring St. Louisan Award, 2011
- National Bar Association, Raymond Pace Alexander Award for Outstanding Commitment to Judicial Advocacy, 2010
- Missouri Bar Foundation, Spurgeon Smithson Award, 2010
- Established Innovative Concept Academy (ICA) for Troubled Youth, 2009
- FBI National Academy Associates, Medal of Honor, 2008
- Saint Louis University, Teacher of the Year, 1999
Judicial Appointments and Committees
- Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis Board of Governors, 2020
- National Center for State Courts Board of Directors, 2017 - Present
- National Center for State Courts National Advisory Board Member, 2015 - 2017
- Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative Advisor, 2012 - 2017
- Supreme Court of Missouri Education Committee Member, 2015
- Supreme Court of Missouri Civil Rules Committee Member, 2005 - 2006
- Judicial Conference of the State of Missouri Executive Council Member, 2005
- Supreme Court of Missouri State Judicial Records Committee Chairman, 1995 - 2017