Douglas A. Copeland
PRINCIPAL
p 314-726-1900
f 314-726-2361
copeland@copelandthompson.com
Douglas A. Copeland is a founding member of the firm. He primarily practices in the fields of education law, estate planning, probate and trust administration, commercial real estate transactions and corporate/business law.
Mr. Copeland currently serves as general counsel to the Webster Groves School District and Missouri Baptist Children’s Home. He formerly served as general counsel for Missouri Baptist Medical Center, Missouri Baptist University, the Rockwood School District, the Valley Park School District, and the Cooperating School Districts of the St. Louis Suburban Area. For many years, Mr. Copeland has served as local counsel for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in the Eastern District of Missouri and the Southern District of Illinois. Mr. Copeland currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Missouri Baptist Medical Center, and as a member of the Boards of Trustees of BJC Health System, Missouri Baptist Healthcare Foundation, two private charitable foundations, and Kirkwood Baptist Church. He also serves as a member of the Executive, Governance & Nomination, Compensation and Community Benefit Committees of BJC, the Planned Giving Council of the St. Louis Art Museum, and the Board of Directors of the Quality Defense Alliance. Mr. Copeland served on the Missouri State Public Defender Commission from 2008 until 2016, serving as Chair from 2011 until 2016, and the ABA Missouri Death Penalty Assessment Team, 2010-12.
Bar Admissions
Missouri
Illinois
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
United States Supreme Court
Professional Affiliations
The Missouri Bar (President, 2005-06; Board of Governors, 1996-2007)
Young Lawyers’ Section Council of The Missouri Bar (1982-92; Chair 1990)
American Bar Association (House of Delegates, 2009-13; Life Fellow)
St. Louis County Bar Association (President, 1988)
Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
MSBA Council of School Attorneys (Board of Directors, Chair)
NSBA Council of School Attorneys
Estate Planning Council of St. Louis
Rotary Club (Paul Harris Fellow)
Honors & Awards
Outstanding Young Lawyer of St. Louis County Award, 1987
The Missouri Bar President’s Awards, 2002 & 2007
John C. Shepherd Graduation Speaker for the St. Louis University School of Law, 2007
Director’s Award, Missouri State Public Defender System, 2007
Dudley C. Dunlop Distinguished Service Award from the St. Louis County Bar Association, 2008
The Missouri Bar Pro Bono Award, 2014
Education
J.D., Saint Louis University School of Law, 1980
B.A. Mathematics, University of Missouri at Columbia, 1977
Webster Groves High School, 1974
