Treat your little one to their first drive-in complete with dinner and arts & crafts project in addition to the movie!
How about a drive-in movie for your little one? Treat him or her to this old-fashioned delight — and score a little alone time for you — with a great deal from The Little House of Art: At the LivingSocial website Pay $17 for the Kids’ Drive-in Movie Night (regularly $35). From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., children ages 3 to 6 and ages 7 to 10 will enjoy pizza, popcorn, arts and crafts, and, of course, a movie. They are welcome to wear PJs and bring a pillow for this fun evening. Or, encourage your child’s creativity with one canvas painting class with take-home artwork for ages 4 to 6 or ages 7 to 12 for $17 (regularly $35). Budding artists will receive instruction from experienced instructors during this 90-minute class; check the calendar for dates and times. Little House was recently featured on both Fox 5 and the Atlanta Mom show!
Weekly visits from the Wow! food truck make lunch time more fun in our office complex at Lenox Pointe. The pulled chicken with grits and the shrimp cakes are our favorite dishes. If you’d like to know more about food in Atlanta, check out Amy’s food blog, Amy on Food.
Claiborne & Surmay, P.C. is proud to announce that T. Buckley Levins has joined the firm as an Associate. Please join us at an open house and welcoming reception for Buck on Monday, September 19, 2011, at 5:00 p.m. at the firm’s offices located at 410 E. Bay Street, Savannah, Georgia. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be provided.
Buck is an honors graduate of the University of Georgia and a 2005 graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law. Buck will be practicing in the areas of Family Law, Civil/Plaintiff’s Litigation, Appellate Litigation, and Criminal Defense. Buck is a native of Perry, Georgia and has previously served as a Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Alcovy Judicial Circuit and been in private practice in Americus, Georgia.
Attorney Lori Surmay, has enjoyed a busy July! A TRUE Harry Potter fan, she attended a special preview of the new movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, the day before it opened nationwide. The showing represented Lori’s first foray into the world of 3D at a theater, which she enjoyed. She even sent text messages to our office and posted on Facebook during the anxious moments before the movie began. Although not dressed in costume like other attendees, a cameraman interviewed Lori afterward and she pronounced the film “Fabulous!” The following week, Lori dined at Twist and sat next to many of the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Of course, her nieces had to explain who the “celebrities” were. Then after a great concert at the Atlanta Botanic Gardens, Lori visited with country recording icon Emmylou Harris, her dogs and her family. Now she must prepare to teach again at UGA Law School next month.
Attorney Ruth Claiborne enjoys arranging flowers for family and friends and assists with her church’s flower program. Each summer Ruth enters the Mountains in Bloom Garden Festival Flower Show in Highlands, NC and she frequently comes away with a ribbon. This year Ruth won second place for her entry in the “Tea for Two” category. Flower arrangement entries were displayed at the Bascom Art Center’s early 1800s hand-hewn post and beam barn. The show also featured a horticulture exhibit as well as a nature photography exhibit.
Claiborne & Surmay P.C.’s Amy Wallas Fox won the “Most Innovative Flavor” award at Slow Food Atlanta’s 5th Annual Ice Cream Social fundraiser in June. Click here to read the full post on Amy’s popular food blog.
Claiborne & Surmay, P.C. took leading roles in the 22nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys (AAAA) and the 2nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys (AAARTA). The meetings were held May 4-7, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency, Savannah, following a full year of planning by conference co-chairs Ruth Claiborne, a principal in Claiborne & Surmay, P.C. (Atlanta & Savannah) and Jim Thompson of the Thompson Law Firm,LLC in South Carolina. Claiborne & Surmay senior paralegal Toni Treadway co-chaired the paralegal portion of the conference, with attorney Shannon Matteson serving as liaison and advisor to the paralegals. This was Toni’s second time as a paralegal leader together with Wendy Gebhauer of Wisconsin, and once again she did a fantastic job. Our Savannah office, located on Bay Street just 2 blocks east of the Hyatt, provided valuable logistical support and paralegal Kim Griffin also set up several tours for participants and guests. Attorney Lori Surmay also participated actively in all aspects of the conference, so our firm was very well represented.
By all accounts this was one of the Academy’s most successful annual conferences ever, drawing approximately 250 attorneys, 32 paralegals, 15 sponsor/vendors, and numerous seminar speakers, spouses, and guests. Despite beautiful weather and the attractions of historic Savannah just steps from the hotel, 15 hours of cutting edge continuing legal education seminars were very well attended, held in a room with a long glass wall overlooking the river! Topics included Surrogacy Contract Drafting, ARTs Dilemmas; Health Insurance for Gestational Carriers; Ethics; Legislative Advocacy; Joint Adoption, ARTS & Immigration; Jurisdiction and Multistate Adoptions; Contested Adoptions; Impact of Maternal High Risk Behaviors on Child Development; Social Media; Telecommuting and Multijurisdictional Practice; and more. Paralegals were involved in a number of the CLE Sessions but also had their own breakout sessions focusing on ethics, technology and practical paralegal pointers.
The AAAA and AAARTA conference was an invaluable opportunity for all who attended to share ideas, to network with the best attorneys in our field from all over the US and Canada; to learn from each other and form lasting professional alliances. Often adoption and ARTs cross state lines with parties residing in different states, so it is crucial to have trusted colleagues throughout the country. The conference provided a balance of education, business meetings, and social activities.
On the recreational and social fronts, we built events around Savannah’s history and charm: a waterfront headquarters hotel, the opening reception at The Olde Pink House with delicious food in a converted historic home, and our main evening dinner and entertainment event on beautiful Johnson Square, complete with Savannah musicians followed by AAAA’s Rogue Band (famous in Academy circles!), delicious food, and the beauty of the historic square with its live oaks and monuments surrounded by landmark buildings. Attendees in their free time enjoyed walking tours, a riverboat cruise, an array of great restaurants, kayaking, golf, and even “The Book” Club at Clary’s café.
The conference ended on the Saturday before Mother’s Day. Perhaps not coincidentally, Mother’s Day weekend was the time at least two adoption triads met for the first time, following successful searches and reunions. A daughter from Oregon found her birth mother who lived in Savannah, met for the first time, and contacted Savannah media about the joys of reuniting. Attorney Ruth Claiborne was interviewed by the local Fox news channel about adoption reunions, the role of state-sponsored reunion registries, the new phenomenon of social media, and the Academy’s support of open adoption. Meanwhile, paralegal Toni Treadway and her husband went out to dinner and had a very personal encounter with an adoption reunion between a birth mom, biological father, and adult adoptee, happening at a nearby table in the restaurant. Toni was able to connect with them in a special way and to give meaningful and lasting gifts of understanding and a necklace with special symbolic meaning. For more on Toni’s story,click here.
AAAA voted in 2009 to form AAARTA as an affiliated academy, in recognition of the growing role of assisted reproductive technologies in family formation. Both Academies have rigorous selection processes for fellows, high ethical standards, and focus on the best interests of children as well as the adults who want to be parents. Both Academies seek out the best in our niche practices of adoption and assisted reproduction. We are grateful for having been given leadership roles and energized by having experienced the latest/greatest continuing education while having fun and enhancing professional relationships.
On May 14 associate attorney Amy Wallas Fox participated in the Atlanta Walk of Hope, held at Grant Park and sponsored by RESOLVE. In addition to the walk, Claiborne & Surmay, P.C. sponsored a cookie decorating activity for the kids (and kids at heart) in attendance. The walk and the cookie decorating were both big hits!
Families looking to celebrate Mother’s Day now have a new, free entertainment option: an afternoon of storytelling for all ages in Decatur’s historic square.
TIME: 3 PM – 5 PM
WHO: Storytellers Ernestine Brown, Janice Butt, LaDoris Bias-Davis and Tommy Tye
WHAT: Family Breakfast Ball at Piedmont Park – families get a sneak peek of Mrs. Butterworth’s limited edition spring bottles and downloadable wardrobe collection as well as a free pancake and waffle breakfast.
WHEN: Sunday, March 27, 2011 – 9:30 AM to noon
WHERE: Piedmont Park’s Magnolia Hall Lawn – 400 Park Dr. NE Atlanta, GA 30306
