Total Credits: 2.4 MCLE, 2.4 Ethics, 2.4 Elimination of Bias, 2.0 Kansas Ethics
Sponsored by MoBarCLE and The Missouri Bar Young Lawyers' Section
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 three awards at the New York International Film Festival, including Best Screenplay (Winner), Best Social Justice Film (Winner), and Best Acting Ensemble.
5:30-6:30 p.m. | Reception--food and drinks provided in the 12th floor Pavilion
6:30-7:30 p.m. | Film Presentation, The Milly Project (2021) (Film presentation and discussion held in the 12th floor Courtroom)
7:30-8:30 p.m. | Panel discussion: Former Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court, George W. Draper, III; Dean and Professor of Law at Saint Louis University School of Law, Twinette Johnson, J.D., Ph.D.
8:30 p.m. | Adjourn
Attendees must stay for the panel discussion to receive credit for watching the movie.
Opinions and positions stated by presenters of MoBarCLE programs are those of the presenters and not necessarily those of The Missouri Bar. This program is intended as information for lawyers in Missouri, in conjunction with other research they deem necessary, in the exercise of their independent judgment.
| Milly Project Written Materials.pdf (6.39 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| Black Lawyers of Missouri_ 150 Years of Progress and Promise.pdf (1.87 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| Dred Scott article.pdf (0.11 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 1807 Freedom Statute (0.73 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 1824 Freedom Statute (1.11 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
Twinette Johnson is Dean and a Professor of Law at Saint Louis University School of Law (SLU LAW). As Dean, she is the chief operating, financial, and academic officer of SLU LAW.
Prior to becoming Dean at SLU LAW in 2024, she served as Dean, Interim Dean, and Professor of Law at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law.
Dean Johnson’s previous professional experience includes a clerkship on the Missouri Supreme Court with Judge W. Duane Benton. She also held a position as an associate attorney at Shearman and Sterling, LLP, a New York based law firm. There, she practiced in the Bank Finance group where she represented financial institutions and corporations in investment grade and non-investment grade financing transactions.
Dean Johnson’s research interests include higher education access policy, learning theory models in legal education, affinity group formation and identity, and disaster policy.
