By Elizabeth Joyner, OBA Women in Law Committee Chairperson

Embracing diversity, overcoming adversity and celebrating life are the topics of the 2006 OBA Women in Law Conference, scheduled for Sept. 28 at the Renaissance Hotel in Tulsa.

The conference will provide a day-long seminar with presentations relevant for all Oklahoma attorneys. The 2006 Women in Law Committee is attempting to reach out to and encourage participation in the conference by a wider and more diverse group of attendees this year. The committee is encouraging corporate lawyers, law professors, law students, rural attorneys, government lawyers, male attorneys and others who may not have attended the conference in the past to be a part of the celebration.

The keynote luncheon speaker is Gail Evans, author of She Wins, You Win and the New York Times business bestseller, Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman. Ms. Evans will discuss the most important rule every businesswoman needs to know, including strategies for making women more powerful. A former White House aide and CNN’s first female executive vice president, Ms. Evans will show us how women play a vital role in the advancement of other women.

Ellen Ostrow, Ph.D., and founder of Lawyers Life Coach LLC, will present a session on achieving professional success without sacrificing those things that make their lives meaningful and fulfilling. Ms. Ostrow provides professional development, career and executive coaching to attorneys. She has addressed women’s bar associations throughout the United States.

To celebrate diversity, the Women in Law Committee will recognize the diverse backgrounds of lawyers in our legal profession. To paraphrase former President Jimmy Carter, the conference will celebrate the beautiful mosaic of people with different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes and different dreams. As an example, Traci Rhone, an African-American woman who was an Oklahoma County Public Defender from March 2003 until February 2006, will speak about her defense of a white supremacist.

Overcoming adversity is a topice most all of us have faced in our careers. The topic will be covered in a humorous but substantive speech by Rogers County District Judge Dynda Post titled, “Just Don’t Call Me Cupcake.” As a Native American female judge in a rural county, Judge Post will share her experiences of adversity as a lawyer and judge.

The celebrating life part of the conference couldn’t be more fun! Two lucky people will receive a full, professional makeover the day of the conference. The names of two attendees, one under 45, the other over 45, will be randomly drawn at the beginning of the conference. They will then spend the morning with hair, makeup and clothing professionals and return at noon to show off their makeovers. The conference will also celebrate the life of lawyers with networking opportunities, advice about work-life balance issues from a lawyer’s life coach, and the annual chocolate strawberry and champagne reception. This year’s Mona S. Lambird Spotlight Award winners will be named at the reception.