The Liberty Bell Award appears to have originated with the Michigan Young Lawyers. In the 1960s, they established an award to acknowledge outstanding community service. The criteria they established then are often still used by the more than 200 Law Day programs that make the award.

These criteria are that the award recognize a person or persons who have:

• Promoted better understanding of the rule of law,
• Encouraged a greater respect for law and the courts,
• Stimulated a sense of civic responsibility, and
• Contributed to good government in the community.

Note that the awards are made by individual Law Day programs, not by the ABA. Each group presenting the award is free to establish its own criteria.

Many groups present the award to a layperson, but often the award goes to a lawyer or a judge. On occasion, the award is given to an organization, rather than a person. Sometimes the award is presented to two or more recipients, and some groups give out more than one award a year.