Cleveland Bar Association Contact: Mary C. Groth, Cleveland Bar Foundation Director Cleveland Bar Association 113 St. Clair Avenue, Suite 100, Cleveland, OH 44114 E-mail: mgroth@clevelandbar.org Activity Narrative: The Cleveland Bar Association's Law Day 1997 activities were designed to have a profound and lasting impact on the Greater Cleveland community. Law Day 1997 - Celebrate Your Freedom was made up of three components: (1) The Cleveland Just Solutions Conference: Re-Engineering the Justice System Through Education, Access and Innovation; (2) Law Day Luncheon; and (3) Law Day Student Essay and Art Contest. After months of planning and preparation, these three activities came together in Cleveland on April 30, 1997. The Cleveland Just Solutions Conference was planned under the direction of Bar Association President Alan S. Kopit to address serious concerns about our justice system. The Conference involved the formation of a working partnership between the legal community - the local bench and bar - and the public to examine our justice system and determine possible, real reforms. The Conference was held on April 30 at the Justice Center in downtown Cleveland. Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer of the Ohio Supreme Court provided an inspiring keynote address. More than 140 people, 90% of whom were non-lawyers - community activists, religious leaders, business leaders, labor representatives, and government reformers - attended the Conference. They participated in facilitated morning and afternoon sessions in the courtrooms and jury rooms of the state trial courts on the 16th floor. The Conference was focused on four major issues of concern in the justice system: Victim's Rights; Juror Rights, Responsibilities and Selection; Access to the Justice System; and Desirability of a Specialized Drug Court. Conferees and facilitators worked hard, with great thought and spirit, to generate a list of recommended reforms. These ideas for reform are now in the process of becoming a published report to identify programs to be implemented in our community in the next few years with the support and direction of the Cleveland Bar Association. The Just Solutions Conference was sponsored by the Cleveland Bar Association, the Cleveland Bar Foundation, Lexis-Nexis, AT&T and Ikon Office Solutions. The Just Solutions Conference participants were guests at the Cleveland Bar Association's annual Law Day Luncheon at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel. The Luncheon offered a celebration of our laws and legal system. Nearly 500 people attended the Luncheon, which featured Daniel M. Petrocelli, plaintiff's attorney in the O.J. Simpson civil trial, as the keynote speaker. The Law Day Luncheon is sponsored by the Cleveland Bar Association and the Cleveland Bar Foundation. Mr. Petrocelli provided a dynamic and informative account of his preparation for the trial, which was interesting to both the lawyers and non-lawyers in attendance. Another highlight of the Law Day Luncheon was the awards presentation to the winners of the Law Day Student Essay and Art Contests. These Contests are sponsored annually by the Cleveland Bar Association, Cleveland Bar Foundation, The Plain Dealer, and the Cleveland Indians baseball organization to promote awareness of the law and our legal heritage among the youth in our community. All students in grades 4-12 in schools in the Greater Cleveland Community are invited to participate. The Plain Dealer provides courtesy advertising to expand awareness of the Contests and their purpose. The Contests are divided into three age divisions, High School (grades 10-12), Middle School (grades 7-9), and Elementary (grades 4-6). The Art Contest topic for all divisions was, "What is Your Most Valued Freedom?" The Essay Contest topics were as follows: High School - "How do you, as one approaching the age of majority, plan to protect your freedoms as guaranteed by the Constitution?" Middle School - "Should any of your freedoms be limited in an organized society? Why or why not?" Elementary School - "Explain what you feel the freedoms are that you have to celebrate as a young American and tell why these are important to you." Essay Contest Chair Judge Terrence O'Donnell of the Eighth District Court of Appeals of the state of Ohio, and Art Contest Chair Karen L. Jackson, Esq., (Chair of the Association's Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Section), assembled panels of contest judges which included judges, lawyers, media, artists and community representatives. The Contests generated 700 thoughtful essays and original works of art from schools throughout the area. Prizewinning entries were displayed at the Law Day Luncheon. The Cleveland Bar Foundation awarded prize money in the total amount of $3405.00 to the schools of the winning entrants for educational use and to fund savings bonds for the winning students. The Cleveland Indians contributed two tickets to each winning student (a much treasured prize due to a sold-out home schedule!) In addition, the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Section and Multi-Craft contributed art-related prizes to the young artists. The co-sponsors of the 1997 Law Day Student Essay and Art Contests are committed to law-related education in our community. This annual project reaches hundreds of students and teachers, providing an avenue for creative expression within the social studies curriculum. The contests receive an enthusiastic response each year in our are schools and have become a key element of our Law Day celebration. The Cleveland Bar Association's Law Day 1997 activities were successful in involving the entire community - from the student authors, artists, and their teachers, to the diverse, representative conferees who took a stand and voiced their opinions to contribute to justice system reform at the Just Solutions Conference, and including the lawyers and judges of our area. While the activities were featured on Law Day, they will have a long-lasting impact on our community as it considers justice system reform. In addition, the Cleveland Bar Association will continue its involvement in the lives of our area school children. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization