October 22, 2025 Dinner Meeting and Team Presentation

At the October 22, 2025 Dinner Meeting, President of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court (“Deegan Inn”), Hon. Gabriel “Gabe” White, welcomed all new and returning members to the Inn. The meeting was held at our regular location, Loft 84, and was preceded with a social where the members mingled.

Gabe reminded Inn members of the upcoming social on April 22, 2026, where past and present members can mingle and hear stories about the Deegan Inn’s past, present and future. Deegan Inn members may invite any attorneys they believe would be interested in joining the Deegan and believes in the American Inns of Court’s core mission of civility, professionalism, ethics and excellence to this meeting or any upcoming dinner meeting..

Hon. Joshlyn Pulliam provided a biography of the team’s namesake, Barbara Jordan, who was a lawyer, educator, and politician. Ms. Jordan was the first African American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the South.

Team Barbara Jordan presented on the topic of “The Giving Tree: Lessons on Civility in the Law, and Legal Burnout. Team Barbara Jordan consists of Hon. Joshlyn Pulliam, Hon. Laurie Burns, Marlene Allen Murray, Diana Renteria, Dawn Saenz, Goushia Farook, Danielle Linker, Lauren Cohen Peterson, and Patricia Nance. Each member of the team introduced herself and portrayed a part of The Giving Tree, a classic children’s book by Shel Silverstein. Attorney Master Dawn Saenz was the host of the podcast “Gossip Gavel Experience.” Each part of The Giving Tree provided their experience giving to the little boy, who kept on taking and taking until nothing was left of the tree except for the stump.

Gossip Gavel Experience - A Podcast on The Giving Tree

Guest speaker, Sharon N. Vidano, a retired criminal defense attorney, provided an interesting discussion on work-life balance and other interesting topics on avoiding burnout titled “Brave Balance: A Wellness Blueprint for Legal Leaders.”

A copy of Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree” was provided on each table and one lucky person from each table was able to bring it home.

At the conclusion of the presentation, Deegan Inn members were invited to score the presentation from a ranking of 1 (worst) to 5 (best). The team and winning presentation will be announced at the September 2026 Orientation Meeting.