FREE MOVIE NIGHT: Blossoms in the Dust

FREE MOVIE NIGHT:

Blossoms in the Dust

Co-sponsored by the Oklahoma Supreme Court

FYI:  NO FOOD OR DRINKS ARE ALLOWED IN THE AUDITORIUM

About the Movie:

Blossoms in the Dust is a 1941 American biographical film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Felix Bressart, Marsha Hunt, Fay Holden and Samuel S. Hinds. It tells the story of Edna Gladney, who helped orphaned children find homes and began a campaign to remove the word "illegitimate" from Texas birth certificates, despite the opposition of "good" citizens. The screenplay was by Anita Loos, with a story by Ralph Wheelwright. Some of the important aspects of her life fictionalized in the film are the fact that it was Edna herself who was born out of wedlock; she and Sam eloped on the eve of her marriage to someone else, and they had much more time together before his death (26 years) than given them in the film.

The film is a fictionalized telling of the story of Edna Gladney, an early advocate for the rights of "illegitimate" children in Texas and was one of the biggest hits of 1941 for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and began the rise of Greer Garson as one of the largest stars of the decade.^[3] Blossoms in the Dust won an Oscar for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color, and was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Garson), Best Cinematography, Color, and Best Picture.

5:30 p.m.  -        Registration

6:00 p.m.  -        Movie: Blossoms in the Dust

8:00 p.m.  -        Panel Discussion 

9:00 p.m.   -       Adjourn 

MODERATOR:

Chief Justice M. John Kane IV, Oklahoma Supreme Court Judicial District 1

PANEL MEMBERS:

James R. Hicks, Attorney, Barrow & Grimm

Jim Hicks is a veteran lawyer whose practice is focused on the litigation and transactional needs of individuals and businesses. His broad career experience and knowledge base allows him to advise clients on day-to-day legal and operational matters, resolve workplace and business-related disputes, and assist clients in achieving their business objectives. Jim’s counseling and transactional practice encompasses every phase of a business’s life and includes entity formation and organization, corporate governance, contract drafting and negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, financing, construction and development and real estate. His litigation practice experience is equally diverse and includes commercial disputes, construction, directors’ and officers’ liability, dental malpractice and real estate. He also counsels clients on workplace matters arising from the employer-employee relationship. In addition to having extensive experience as a commercial litigator in state, federal and appellate courts, Jim’s practice is also devoted to representing clients in probate, estate planning and family law matters.

Jim is currently serving as President of the Board of Governors of the Oklahoma Bar Association for 2022. He most recently served as President of the Tulsa County Bar Association in 2013-14 and as President of the Tulsa County Bar Foundation. Jim also serves as the Senior Warden of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma for eight (8) years. He was named Oklahoma Bar Association’s Outstanding Young Lawyer, 1995; Tulsa County Bar Association’s Outstanding Young Lawyer, 1993, and recipient of the TCBA President’s Award, 1992.

Rachel Morris, Attorney, Stoddard Morris Family Law

Rachel Morris graduated from Edmond Memorial High School and went on to receive her Bachelor’s in fine arts in theatre from The College of Santa Fe. Rachel attended the Paul M. Hebert School of Law at Louisiana State University, where she earned a Juris Doctorate as well as a Bachelor of Civil Law. She is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association, and on the Board of Directors to the Oklahoma County Bar Association, as Law Library Trustee.  She is also the president of the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Inn of Court. Rachel founded Stoddard Morris, PLLC in 2009. Since that time, she has focused her practice in the area of family law.

Rachel was named one of 40 Under Forty for OKC Biz magazine, and as one of the Top 20 Under 40 Professionals for the Edmond Business Times. Rachel served as the President of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Associate Board and the President for the Downtown Exchange Club for the Prevention of Child Abuse, and was a member of Leadership Edmond, Class XXVII, and the Oklahoma Bar Leadership Academy.   Rachel also served as the co-chair of the Family Law Section of the Oklahoma County Bar Association.

In 2018, Rachel was elected to serve as the District President for the National Exchange Club.  She was also thrilled to receive the Oklahoma County Bar Association Pro-Bono Award as well as the Oklahoma Bar Association Pro-Bono Award for her volunteer work with Legal Aid.  Rachel was also recognized as a “Champion of Justice” by Oklahoma Access to Justice Commission.

Lisa Elder, Oklahoma County Juvenile Court Contract Attorney

Lisa Elder is a contract attorney in Oklahoma County juvenile court representing indigent parents in deprived cases for the past 10 years. Prior to coming to Oklahoma County she handled deprived cases in Logan County and Canadian County representing parents and/or children. An attorney since 1992 she has served as a Guardian Ad Litem, handled family law, guardianship, adoption and small claims cases. She was the OLFC Attorney of the Year in 2023.

Elder is also a member of Junior League of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma City Alumnae chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta.

Away from the courthouse her passion is adoption. She adopted her daughter from Russia in 1998 through the Gladney Center for Adoption. She served on the Gladney Fund Board of Directors from 2004-2007; the Gladney Board of Directors from 2007-2015; was president of the National Gladney Family Association in 2008-10; is president of the Oklahoma Gladney Family Association. Since 2002 she has been extremely involved with Dining and Dancing with Daddy, a local daddy-daughter dance, raising money for Gladney.

Created in 1887 as Fort Worth was the last stop of the orphan trains, Gladney now does domestic, international (by the end of 2024 Gladney will be working in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Colombia and Dominican Republic) and foster care adoptions in Texas and Oklahoma. In addition to working with 130 birth parents, 100 adoptive parents in the domestic program across the country. Gladney is licensed in 12 states. It operates a foster home on their Fort Worth campus; has launched a therapeutic counseling program and expects over 1500 counseling sessions by year end/August 31st. 

Kim Rebsamen, Managing Attorney, Family Representation Advocacy Program

Kim has been involved in the child welfare arena for 20 years. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2004, she started her career as an assistant district attorney in Tulsa County, and while there, she prosecuted almost entirely deprived cases. Upon conclusion of her tenure at the district attorney’s office in 2009, she was selected to be one of the first juvenile court case managers in Oklahoma and held the position until 2017, when she left to work more directly with children in care by becoming a staff attorney with Tulsa Lawyer’s for Children (TLC).  Since her time with TLC, she facilitated the Tulsa County PARB boards and held a contract in Oklahoma County representing parents in deprived cases.  In the fall of 2022, she resumed her role as court case manager for the Honorable Judge Kevin Gray and oversaw the specialized ICWA Court in Tulsa County. She recently joined the new Family Representation Advocacy Program as the Region 5 Managing Attorney for parents and is excited to be part this groundbreaking program.

Mark A. Robertson, Attorney, Robertson & Williams

Mark A. Robertson is a partner the law firm of Robertson & Williams in Oklahoma City where he represents businesses and the families that own them. His practice is concentrated in corporate, securities, estate and asset planning and mergers and acquisitions.  He received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from DePauw University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.  He also attended the University of Edinburgh where he studied international law,  Scottish culture and scotch whisky.

Mr. Robertson is a member of the Oklahoma and American Bar Associations. He is a past chair of the American Bar Association Law Practice Division. He has served on the Publishing Board, Magazine Board and a variety of committees for that Division. Mr. Robertson is the recipient of the Division's Samuel S. Smith award for lifetime achievement. Mr. Robertson is a Fellow of The College of Law Practice Management.

Mr. Robertson is the co-author with James A. Calloway of the book Winning Alternatives to the Billable Hour: Strategies that Work, both second and third editions, co-author with J. Harris Morgan of the book How to Draft Bills Clients Rush to Pay, third edition and is the author of Alternative Fee Arrangements for Business Lawyers and Their Clients, all publications of the American Bar Association. Mr. Robertson is a frequent lecturer on family business transition, estate planning and capital formation issues and is a contributing author on a variety of topics to various national, state and local bar association and business publications.

Mr. Robertson has served on a number of non-profit boards including the Kirkpatrick Foundation; the Metropolitan Library Endowment Board; and the Lyric Theatre Board. Mr. Robertson has served in the past as Chairman of the Gladney Fund, President of the Lyric Theatre and its endowment fund, Chairman of the Areawide Aging Agency and on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of both the Science Museum of Oklahoma and the Creative Oklahoma. Mr. Robertson was the Western Oklahoma Chapter Chairman of Young Presidents Organization and a Founding Member of the Oklahoma City Chapter of the World Presidents Organization.

Married to Susan Jennings Robertson (his better half) for over 46 wonderful years. They have two adult children - Matthew and David - who are both great young adults.

 FYI:  NO FOOD OR DRINKS ARE ALLOWED IN THE AUDITORIUM

Disclaimer:  All views or opinions expressed by any presenter during the course of this CLE is that of the presenter alone and not an opinion of the Oklahoma Bar Association, the employers, or affiliates of the presenters unless specifically stated. Additionally, any materials, including the legal research, are the product of the individual contributor, not the Oklahoma Bar Association. The Oklahoma Bar Association makes no warranty, express or implied, relating to the accuracy or content of these materials.