Law Day Events

Idaho's Fourth Judicial District is celebrating Law Day with a variety of programs and events:

Court of Appeal's-Oral Argument 101: On May 1, the Idaho Court of Appeals will hold the oral argument for a northern Idaho murder case at the Borah High School Auditorium. Borah High School's entire senior class will not only observe this oral argument, but also will study summaries of the parties' briefs in their government classes. Additionally, several local attorneys will attend these government classes to field questions about the procedural and substantive aspects of the case. Following oral argument, the students will have the unique opportunity to ask the Idaho Court of Appeals and counsel for the litigants questions about the judicial process and appellate advocacy.

The 6.1 Challenge: Modeled after Idaho Rule of Professional Conduct 6.1 concerning the number of pro bono hours an attorney should handle during a year, this year's 6.1 Challenge represents a friendly competition to recognize and encourage pro bono and public service from law offices within the Fourth District. The panel, comprised of Idaho Federal District Chief Judge B. Lynn Winmill, 4th District Judge Ronald J. Wilper, Idaho Supreme Court Justice Linda Copple Trout, Boise Mayor David H. Bieter, and Idaho Statesman Executive Editor Vicki Gowler, will determine the winning team/firm by evaluating the quality and type of contributions and the number of hours the office contributed to low-income people through pro bono work and to the community through public service during the last year. The winner of the Pro Bono Award will be announced at the Law Day Reception, May 1, 5:00 p.m. at the Rose Room in Downtown Boise.

Liberty Bell Award: Every year, the Liberty Bell Award acknowledges outstanding community service by an individual in the local community. The Liberty Bell Award recognizes a person or persons who have:(1) promoted a better understanding of the rule of law, (2) encouraged a greater respect for law and the courts, (3) stimulated a sense of civic responsibility, and (4) contributed to good government in the community. The 2007 Liberty Bell Award recipient will be named at the Law Day Reception, held on May 1, at 5:00 p.m. at the Rose Room in Downtown Boise. The event will highlight the Law Day volunteer activities and feature presentation of the Liberty Bell Award to the Hon. Charles L. Hay. In addition, the 6.1 Challenge "Blue Ribbon Panel" will present the first ever 6.1 Challenge award along with their comments on the pro bono efforts of the 14 participating offices. Villano's will provide an assortment of appetizers, and the bar will be hosted for a limited time! See you on May 1st!

Law Day School Outreach Program: Conducted in the classrooms from April 2 - May 4, attorneys are matched with teachers in elementary through high school in Fourth District schools. The attorneys speak in classes about legal careers and law-related topics. They use lesson plans created for grades K-12 to expand the students' knowledge of the legal system and to increase their understanding of the law.

Ask-a-Lawyer Call-in Program: May 1, 2007, this program is very popular in the community with over 500 callers during last year's program. The general public can call in on three phone lines to speak to an attorney about a variety of legal matters. Attorneys and callers use only first names to remain anonymous. Calls are limited to 15 minutes. The phone numbers are provided by Cricket and are (208) 353-4794, (208) 353-1783, or (208) 353-1628. Calls will be taken from 5:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. If an attorney can't answer the question immediately, a message will be taken and the call will be returned within 24 hours. Also, if you are interested in learning more about Law Day you can tune into Channel 7 from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. on May 1.

CONTACTS FOR ACTIVITIES:

• Court of Appeals: Oral Argument 101: contact Jeremy Chou at Email or (208) 334-2400; or Jason Prince at Email or (208) 387-4288.
• 6.1 Challenge: contact Teresa Hill at (208) 387-4264 or Lorna Jorgensen at (208) 287-7722.
• Liberty Bell Award: contact Nicole Hancock at Email or (208) 327-7271.
• School Outreach: contact Mandy Hessing at 287-7450 or e-mail Email
• Ask-a-Lawyer: contact Kathy Johnston at 387-4232 or e-mail Email.