Dade County Bar Association Contact: Roberta Loomar, President Dade County Bar Association, YLD Hughes, Hubbard, & Reed 201 South Biscayne Blvd., #2500, Miami, FL 33131 This program was a winner of the 1997 Law Day Activity Awards. Project Sponsors: Dade County Bar Association/Young Lawyers Section ("Dade YLS") Dade County Public Schools American Red Cross Camillus House for the Homeless Hank Cline Boys & Girls Club Project Title: Law Week 97 Type of Project: Service to the Public and Bar Change/Growth: Several Programs continued from previous year but contained many new programs Project Description This year's Law Week was a great opportunity for the community to reflect on our nation and state's rich heritage of liberty under law and appreciate the vital contributions an informed, active citizenry makes to our constitutional democracy. The theme for Law Week 97 was "Celebrate Your Freedom." Adam Rabin and Detra Shaw, assisted by many dedicated committee members, co-chaired the week's events. Pre-Law Minority Careers Conference-- Law Week's activities kicked off with the Pre-Law Minority Careers Conference. The conference was attended by nearly fifty Dade Country high school students who observed panels of local judges, attorneys, and law students speaking on their career and educational experiences. The students also participated in mock deposition and trial exercises. One of the teachers from a Dade County magnet school for legal studies said, "This was the best conference of this kind that I've been to all year." This conference was a wonderful opportunity to promote more minority interest in the legal profession and the pursuance of law degrees. In addition to the traditional lawyers, judges, and law professors, the conference also had panelists who have pursued non-traditional paths with their legal degrees (e.g., a sports agent and career counselor). The students really enjoyed this, especially when they learned the sports agent represented Charlie Ward, the former Heisman Trophy winner in college football and a current NBA player for the New York Knicks. Since the time of the conference, the students have also requested to be connected with attorneys to serve as their mentors, which Dade YLS is in the process of coordinating. Television Program on Domestic Violence -- A television talk-show was held on WLRN on Women's rights and options in domestic violence situations. The show was hosted by Dade YLS President Caroll Kelly, Domestic Violence Judge Dakis, and a representative from well- know local battered women's shelter. National Public Radio Show on Civil Rights History in South Florida -- This radio show focused on the history of civil rights in South Florida on the local affiliate of National Public Radio. Slave Ship Exhibit Field Trip -- The Young Lawyers hosted a field trip for the Hank Cline Boys & Girls Club to view the Slave Ship Exhibit being shown at the Historical Museum of South Florida. The viewing of the exhibit followed with a brief lesson on how civil rights have changed in America in the last century. The kids loved the field trip, especially the questions-and-answer session and the ice cream that followed in the historic center courtroom at the Dade County Courthouse. Shoe Drive -- The Dade YLS, in an effort to distinguish their efforts from the traditional clothing drive, hosted its First Annual Shoe Drive for the benefit of Camillus House Homeless Shelter. This drive was a tremendous success -- over 1,000 pairs of shoes were raised. Camillus House was very grateful. Pro Bono Clinics -- Free legal services clinics for the public were hosted at the Dade County courthouse for two fully days during Law Week. These clinics were advertised in the Miami Herald Neighbors Section and were well attended by the public. Each clinic had two to three lawyers available in two hour blocks for counseling. Criminal Justice Observer Program -- This program provided elementary and high school students with guided tours of both the Dade County Correctional Facilities and the County Criminal Courthouse. Students had an opportunity to sit in on the arraignment process, bond hearing, and actual criminal trials. Those students who visited the correction facilities had a close-up look at what jail was like from the inside. Young Lawyers' Judicial Reception -- This annual event was a raving success. It serves an annual opportunity for Young Lawyers to interact and socialize with the judges. It was attended by nearly fifty judges and by several hundred attorneys. CLE Seminar for Lawyers -- The topic of this lunchtime seminar was "Civil Rights in Employment", and was well attended. This seminar was put on to incorporate the Law Week Theme of "Celebrate Your Freedom" and to have some activities for the members of the Bar. Blood Drive -- The Young Lawyers and Red Cross jointly hosted a blood drive at the Dade County Courthouse, which was a great success. The Blood Drive helped the Red Cross in collecting many donors. Student Poster & Essay Contest -- The Dade YLS sponsored a poster and essay contest for Dade County students in the categories of elementary, middle, and high school. The contests attracted an array of entries in the poster & essay competitions. Savings bonds and certificates were issues for first, second and third place winners in each category. Law Week High School Lectures -- Several lawyers lectured at Dade County schools about the judicial system and students' rights. NEEDS ASSESSMENT: The Dade YLS focused its Law Week activities to assist those members of the community who needed access to affordable legal advice and to the judicial system. The Law Week activities also sought to promote lawyers' involvement in their community. The programs also promoted valuable sources for legal information through the media, and raised items that could be used by the homeless. ACHIEVEMENT OF GOALS/IMPACT: The results of Law Week 97 were fantastic. Many students and members of bar participated in the many activities that occurred. The publicity from the Dade County Bar Bulletin, Miami Herald, and Florida Bar News was excellent. The colorful flyers mailed to members of the bar provided great publicity. Unique projects such as the Shoe Drive also made an impact on Camillus House in assisting the homeless in getting much needed shoes. The one event that could improve from a participation standpoint was the Dade County Students Poster & Essay contest. Moving up the deadline to early April, instead of the usual May to conform with the Florida Bar's contest, hindered participation significantly because of conflicts with standardized testing during April. PARTICIPATION: Most of the participation came from the Bar. Members served as the Pro Bono clinics offered at the Courthouse, donated blood at the blood drive, provided tours of the Criminal Courthouse and Jail, lectured at Dade County Schools, and donated shoes for the shoe drive. BUDGET: The total budget for Law Week activities, including the Pre-Law Minority Careers Conference was $1,500. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization