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icivics
Law Day, which was first recognized nationally by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1958, offers Alabama lawyers the opportunity to “Celebrate the Profession” both locally and statewide. The 2012 Law Day theme “No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom” provides the opportunity to highlight the role of the nation’s courts in our constitutional democracy and to foster public understanding about the judiciary.
While Law Day is officially recognized on May 1, 2012, events throughout the state during late April and the entire month of May will have a “Law Day” emphasis. With this in mind, the Law Day committee’s goals are fourfold: (1) to encourage and assist local bar associations who have never administered a Law Day event to begin doing so; (2) to recognize and honor those local bar associations with established Law Day programs; (3) to educate students by not only sending lawyers to the classrooms armed with the “iCivics” program or other materials, but also by encouraging participation in the student competitions administered by the State Bar; and (4) to inform and educate the public at large through the media about the modern day role of lawyers and how lawyers contribute to their community.
The following are just a few suggestions as to how you can get involved in Law Day 2012.
- Send a letter to or draft an editorial for publication in a local newspaper regarding Law Day. We can provide material for your letter/editorial, or you can use this opportunity to focus specifically on the good things that lawyers in your community are doing.
- Coordinate with your local bar leadership for execution of a proclamation/resolution regarding Law Day by your mayor, city council, county commission, etc. (with photo opportunity, media coverage, if possible)
- Help publicize and encourage participation in all schools, academies and/or home school programs about the Alabama State Bar’s student poster, essay and social media competitions. Rules and specific guidelines/instructions are available at www.alabar.org/lawday. The State Bar must receive entries on or before March 30, 2012.
- Work with local bar leadership to host an informative discussion regarding the history of the rule of law, why courts are called the third branch of government. This might occur at a monthly bar luncheon, or a civic meeting like Kiwanis, Rotary, etc. Ideas for potential speakers are local professors, history teachers or other historians.
- Work with local bar leadership to host a CLE in an area of substantive law or a 1 hour ethics CLE. Contact Marcia Daniel (marcia.daniel@alabar.org) for speaker help. If a CLE is already scheduled for your area of interest, or your geographic area, plan to support it with your attendance.
- Participate in the “Lawyers in the Classroom” Law Day initiative by speaking directly to classrooms in your area. The iCivics program is ready made for you to print out and use, or can be accessed with a laptop and projector for a classroom presentation. Either method provides an interactive program to prepare you to communicate important concepts of law to a student audience.
- If you are a Judge, work with local bar leadership to coordinate student “field trips” to your courthouse to tour the courtroom, talk about your day-to-day life on the bench, the importance of an educated and informed public, the role of Law Day, etc. If you are a parent of a student, work with your child’s teacher or principal to arrange logistics.
- Plan and participate in a call-in show, legal aid clinic, or other pro-bono event. The State Bar’s National Pro Bono Week Committee leadership has prepared a “How To” guide for hosting a clinic.
- Plan and participate in an athletic or community event (5-K, golf tournament, etc.) in honor of Law Day. Make a t-shirt and take/publish lots of photos to get the “Law Day” brand in the public eye.
- Host or participate in a student mock trial/moot court session, or begin the process of implementing a program like Escambia County’s, wherein students sit as jurors in real cases with real defendants. If you want to see this great program in action, your local bar might want to send a representative to Escambia County to observe.
We hope that these programs will serve as vehicles for educating our communities, schools, and those outside the legal profession as to the role of law as the foundation of this nation and to recognize its importance for our society.
ASB Law Day Webpage: www.alabar.org/lawday
ASB Law Day Email Address:
ASB Law Day Twitter Feed: @lawdayinAL
ASB Law Day Facebook Page: search “Law Day in Alabama” logged into Facebook, or click
