Boston Bar Association/Boston Bar Foundation Contact: Paul Dullea Public Service Director Boston Bar Association 16 Beacon St. Boston, MA 02108 E-mail: pdullea@bostonbar.org Law Day in the Schools Activity Summary: The Boston Bar Association's 2002 Law Day in the Schools featured more volunteers, variety, and students than ever. During the week of April 22nd, approximately 80 volunteers visited 34 classrooms around the City of Boston. Volunteers took part in "Lawyer in the Classroom"; Mock Trial; Environmental Law Program; and "Dialogue on Freedom" presentations. On April 29th, the Boston Bar Association continued Law Day in the Schools with a "Dialogue on Freedom" visit on Boston Latin Academy by Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy and Senator Edward Kennedy. That event was coordinated through a collaboration between the BBA and the ABA. Activity Narrative: To anyone familiar with the Boston Bar Association, it is no surprise that this year's BBA Law Day in the Schools program was a hit with students, teachers, and volunteers. This year's program was notable both for its increase in participation and its variety of different activities. Outreach to students in the Boston Public Schools is not a new concept for the Boston Bar Association, or limited to Law Day activities. The BBA sponsors Boston all year-round. The BBA weaves its "Law Day in the Schools" activities into an ongoing commitment to promote volunteerism in Boston Public Schools. During the week of April 22nd, approximately eighty lawyers and judges visited thirty-four classrooms around the city. The BBA's program included students of all ages, ranging from kindergarten to seniors in high school. Some volunteers stepped into a teacher's role as "Lawyers in the Classroom," teaching children about the law and their professions. Other volunteers worked as a team on more formal projects like mock trials within the classroom. Sixteen environmental law specialists put on mock environmental hearings in several classes. In addition to the above-listed traditional offerings, Law Day in the Schools provided a timely opportunity for the BBA to embrace Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy's suggestion to engage teenagers in discussions of civic and Constitutional values. The BBA did this by organizing a series of "Dialogue on Freedom" meetings between high school classes and volunteers from the Boston Bar Association. Fourteen lawyers participated in "Dialogues" with high school students in Boston. BBA President Michael B. Keating led by example through his successful "Dialogue on Freedom" at Madison Park High School. BBA volunteers' participation in the "Dialogue on Freedom" program laid an appropriate groundwork for two notable volunteers to visit to a Boston public high school. On April 29th Justice Anthony Kennedy and Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy led a "Dialogue on Freedom" at Boston Latin Academy with a group of American History students. This event, organized through a successful collaboration between the BBA and the ABA, was a success with everyone involved and garnered attention from local and national media including CSPAN and the Boston Globe. Although the BBA's Law Day in the Schools has become an institution, it continues to flourish each year and adapt to the changing times and community needs. We have found that teachers from previous years continue to request Law Day presentations. Every effort is made to offer teachers a wide range of options and accommodate teacher requests. For instance, mock trial presentations, originally available only to high school classes, are popular in elementary grades as well. Law Day in the Schools, while fulfilling an early promise of bringing lawyers and judges into classrooms for a day, has proven to be an integral cog in the comprehensive BBA Children's Outreach Project. The Law Day in the Schools component has a symbiotic relationship with its umbrella organization. Law Day in the Schools often provides an initial contact point between a teacher, his/her students and the legal community. At the same time, ongoing relationships forged through the BBA's Children's Outreach Project are enriched by a school's participation in Law Day activities. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization