WashU Law congratulates School of Law National Council Member Jerry M. Hunter, JD ’77, on receiving the Richard Sheppard Arnold Award for Distinguished Service from the Eighth Circuit Bar Association. Hunter was honored at the Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference, held Aug. 1 in Kansas City, Missouri. Named for the late former chief judge of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, this award recognizes a career marked by leadership, public service, and a lasting commitment to the legal profession.
Hunter, now senior counsel at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, is widely respected for his work in labor and employment law. Over the course of his career, he has held several significant public service roles. From 1989 to 1993, he served as general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), overseeing agency operations across 33 regional offices and representing the NLRB in federal courts. He was later appointed by bipartisan congressional leadership to the board of directors of the Office of Compliance, now known as the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, created under the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to ensure a safe and fair workplace for the legislative branch of government.
Hunter also previously served as director of the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations under former Governor John D. Ashcroft. He also formerly worked as labor counsel for Kellwood Company, a field attorney for the NLRB, and a senior trial attorney for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Hunter earned his bachelor’s degree in history and government from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He completed his juris doctor at WashU Lawin 1977 and later the senior executive program at the Harvard Kennedy School.
