Total Credits: 2.2 MCLE, 2.2 Ethics, 2.2 Elimination of Bias, 2.0 Kansas Credit, 2.0 Kansas Ethics
Registration for this event is full. We are also offering a live performance in Kansas City on June 17, 2023.
Sponsored by MoBarCLE & The Missouri Bar Young Lawyers' Section
6 p.m. | Reception (food and drinks provided)
6:30-7:30 p.m. | Film Presentation The Milly Project (2021)
Film Trailer: https://www.facebook.com/TheMillyTour/videos/the-milly-project-trailer/352349953325168/
“The Milly Project,” tells the story of an enslaved woman named Milly Sawyers who fought for and won her freedom in Springfield, Missouri before the Civil War. This film adaptation of the original play is written and directed by Kendra Chappell and details the many trials and tribulations of Sawyers, as taken from handwritten court manuscripts, only recently uncovered by local archivists. The play continues to be shown across the State, and now the film seeks to widen the reach of Sawyers’ story. In 2021, The Milly Project was nominated for 3 awards at the New York International Film Festival, including Best Screenplay (Winner), Best Social Justice Film (Winner), and Best Acting Ensemble.
7:30-7:40 p.m. Break
7:40-8:30 p.m. Panel discussion
Panelists: Judge David C. Mason, 22nd Judicial Circuit, St. Louis; Annette Slack, Risk Manager, VA Medical Center; Michelle Bonner, Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
Attendees must stay for the ethics discussion to receive credit for watching the movie.
| Milly Project (6.4 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| MOLAP Information (210.1 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| Important Information for Attorneys Seeking Kansas Credit (102.8 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
Judge David C. Mason, circuit judge for St. Louis City, first conceived the Freedom Suits Memorial, unveiled on June 20 in St. Louis. This sculpture represents the freedom suits and the courageous individuals that were involved in them, roughly 400 slaves who petitioned the Missouri courts for their freedom and those who took up their cause. It is situated on the east side of the Civil Courts Building, between it and the Old Courthouse, where most of the suits were tried.
Judge Mason was appointed circuit judge in August 1991 and was retained in 1992, 1998, 2004, and 2010. He earned his B.S. from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, and his Juris Doctor from Washington University School of Law.
Prior to his appointment, Judge Mason served as an assistant attorney general, general counsel to the Missouri Department of Corrections, and was in private practice. Judge Mason has been a teacher of trial advocacy for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, the Yeshiva University Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, and several bar associations. He also has served as an adjunct professor of law at Washington University School of Law since 1989.
Judge Mason has advanced the cause of minority participation while serving on numerous boards including the Affordable Housing Commission, St. Patrick Center, and Affordable Housing Commission.
Judge Mason is married with two children.
Annette Slack has been a Registered Nurse for 43 years. She is a Retired Army Officer, Lt. Colonel with over 21 years of military service as an Army Nurse.
Additionally, Annette has been a practicing Attorney for 25 years. She currently serves as the Risk Manager for the VA Medical Center St. Louis.
Annette has one son, Carey Davis who is a retired Superbowl Champion for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Carey is currently the Head Coach for Hazelwood Central High School. Carey, also has his own radio show, on ESPN Radio, “The Morning Drive,” which airs daily on 101.1 FM.
Michelle Martin Bonner currently serves as the Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at Missouri Botanical Garden. With over 25 plus years of experience as a facilitator, consultant, and educator, she provides leadership in strategic planning, diversity education, programming, community partnerships, inclusion and belonging.
Michelle received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from St. Louis University Business School, a Juris Doctorate from St. Louis University Law School along with the William C. Wefel Certificate for Employment Law, and a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Missouri Baptist University, with a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry with an emphasis in Professional Education.
