Hennepin County Bar Association, MN
Contact:
Duane D. Stanley, Assistant Executive Director
Hennepin County Bar Association
514 Nicollet Mall, Suite #350, Minneapolis, MN 55402
Activity Summary:
To celebrate Law Day 1997, the Hennepin County Bar Association held its first Legal
Expo at the Minneapolis Convention Center. This full-day program was designed to educate
and inspire the public about the law and featured a variety of law-related speakers,
presentations and exhibits. The morning program was geared toward teachers and students
from area high schools. In the afternoon, the event's focus broadened to include
programming and activities of interest to the general community. Admission was free
throughout the day and the convenient downtown location was chosen to help reach the
greatest number of people.
Activity Narrative:
The Legal Expo 97 was the largest public legal-education event in the Hennepin County
Bar Association's history and represented a true partnership between bench, bar, law
enforcement and community organizations. Held in conjunction with Law Day, the Expo was a
free, all-day event held at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Friday, May 2, 1997.
The Expo was designed by the HCBA's Community Relations Committee to celebrate Law Day
and help educate and inspire the public about the law. The program was ambitiously set-up
to highlight all aspects of the legal profession and justice system through a combination
of speakers and presentations; hands-on demonstrations; legal-themed exhibit booths;
one-on-one career advice, and free legal consultations. Presentations ran concurrently
throughout the day, giving attendees freedom to choose the programs of greatest interest
to them.
In order to best capture the spirit of Law Day, the HCBA enlisted cooperation from
other law-related organizations and groups. Enthusiastic support came from the state
courts, law enforcement agencies, and others wanting to participate in the Legal Expo. Our
traditional Law-Day partners, Ramsey County Bar Association and Minnesota Paralegal
Association, came on board as cosponsors to assist with planning and recruitment of
speakers and volunteers. Presentations at the Expo were made by the judiciary, private
attorneys, public defenders, the FBI, arson investigators, metro area police departments,
social service and other law-related organizations.
The Expo's morning program was designed for teachers and students from area high
schools. The focus was on juvenile justice, law enforcement, and student's rights and
freedoms. In the afternoon, the program opened to the general public and the focus widened
to include issues of importance to the community at large.
The Expo was promoted to schools through direct mailings to all social studies
educators. The general public was informed through newspaper advertising, postings at
community centers, promotion on the HCBA's TEL-LAW legal help line, and a public service
announcement on local TV and radio stations.
We were overwhelmed by the response from schools -- more than 1600 students from 40
area schools attended. Students enjoyed presentations on the juvenile justice system,
gangs, drinking and driving, police and FBI investigations, sports law, graffiti and
vandalism, family violence, and employment issues. They interacted with members of the
judiciary from the Minnesota Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, and the Hennepin and
Ramsey County District Courts at special meet-the-judges sessions. They inspected land and
water vehicles of the Minneapolis Police and the Hennepin County Sheriff.
Unquestionably, the favorites were demonstrations by the Police Canine Units and a
special forum moderated by TV-news anchor Don Shelby. The forum featured short skits
performed by high school drama students, followed by a panel discussion of search and
seizure, and other constitutional issues raised in the sketches.
Career booths, staffed by attorneys, court reporters, paralegals, law librarians and
court administrators, gave the opportunity for one-to-one discussions with legal
professionals.
The afternoon program, designed for the community at large, offered such presentations
as, How to Use Conciliation Court, Consumer Rights, Alternatives to Trial, Buying and
Selling a Home, Personal Security, Advance Health Directives, Landlord/Tenant Issues, and
Starting Your Own Business. Throughout the afternoon, free 15-minute consultations with
volunteer HCBA attorneys were available to the public. These Ask-A-Lawyer booths,
coordinated by members of the Minnesota Paralegal Association, continued the tradition of
the HCBA's long-running Law Day in the Malls events. More than 100 individuals took
advantage of this opportunity to receive free legal advice.
An evening town forum on Issues in Juvenile Justice: Prevention and Enforcement, was
transformed into group discussions when early evening numbers dwindled in downtown
Minneapolis. Despite the disappointing finale, the committee was pleased with the overall
response to its first Legal Expo. With attendance of nearly 2,000 individuals throughout
the day, the Expo exceeded the expectations of everyone involved in planning the event.
The Hennepin County Bar is extremely proud of this year's program. We believe that the
Expo was a banner way to celebrate Law Day and to showcase the excellence and tradition of
the legal profession and the American Justice System. By building on what was learned at
this inaugural event, planning is already underway for the 1998 Legal Expo. A survey of
teachers who attended has provided a wealth of ideas for the future.
Sample News Release:
For Immediate Release
April 17, 1997
Information Contact:
Duane D. Stanley,
Communications Director (612) 340-0022
LAW GROUPS PLAN FREE LEGAL EXPO FOR MAY 2
MINNEAPOLIS: -- The first annual LEGAL EXPO, a free, all-day event on Friday, May 2nd,
will introduce the public to all aspects of the legal profession and the justice system.
Celebrating Law Day 1997, this LEGAL EXPO will feature a wide variety of speakers,
presentations and exhibits at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The LEGAL EXPO is open to
school groups in the morning and the general public during the afternoon and evening. This
public legal education effort is sponsored by the Hennepin County Bar Association (HCBA),
the Ramsey County Bar Association (RCBA), and the Minnesota Paralegal Association (MPA).
The morning program is geared to teens. It focuses on issues of Juvenile Justice, law
enforcement, and the courts. Substantive law presentations will cover topics of drinking
and driving, police and FBI investigations, graffiti and vandalism, domestic abuse and
employment as minors. Vignettes presented by a drama team from Central High School in St.
Paul will lay the groundwork for a forum on teen legal issues. Moderated by Don Shelby of
WCCO-TV, the forum will discuss issues such as locker and automobile searches, and freedom
of speech concerns. Also, representatives from various law-related professions will be
available to discuss career choices. A mock juvenile disposition presided over by Judge
John Stanoch will demonstrate how the juvenile system functions.
The afternoon and evening programs are open to the general public. The afternoon
program is also filled with presentations and exhibits for the general public. A mock
session of Housing Court will allow the public to observe court in action. Supreme Court
Justices and Judges from the Appeals Court and District Court will be on hand for
"Meet the Judges" opportunities. Presentations on Personal Security, Advance
Health Directives, How to Use Conciliation Court, Divorce with Dignity, Domestic Abuse,
Buying and Selling a Home, and many other topics will be offered.
The evening program includes a town forum: Issues in Juvenile Justice: Prevention and
Enforcement. Introduced by Justice Paul Anderson and moderated by Jan I. Smaby, Director ,
Hennepin County Department of Community Corrections, two panels of community experts will
discuss these juvenile justice concerns and answer questions from the public. Panelists
include representatives from the courts, law enforcement, public defenders and community
groups.
Individuals with concerns or legal questions are encouraged to take advantage of the
Ask- A-Lawyer program throughout the afternoon and evening. Between 1:00 and 8:30 p.m.,
volunteer lawyers will provide free 15 minute consultations to the public. Interested
individuals should bring pertinent legal papers to these brief advice sessions.
For more information on the May 2nd legal Expo, and free legal consultation
information, call TEL-LAW at 332-2114 and choose message #333.
The Hennepin and Ramsey County Bar Associations are private, non-profit organizations
providing and supporting many free or low-cost services to the public including: TEL-LAW,
a legal information message system available at no charge in local calling areas, Lawyer
Referral and Information Services, public education programming, and financial grants
through their respective foundations. The Minnesota Paralegal Association is the
professional association for paralegals serving the legal community.
LEGAL EXPO 97 FACT SHEET
LOCATION:
At: LEGAL EXPO 97
Minneapolis Convention Center
Date: Friday, May 2, 1997
Admission: Free!
FOR STUDENTS:
FOR THE PUBLIC:
AFTERNOON PUBLIC PROGRAM
Meet the Judges
Justices and Judges from the Minnesota Supreme Court, Minnesota Court of Appeals, and
District Court
Displays and Presentations
Minneapolis Police Canine Unit
Minneapolis Bomb Squad
Enforcement Technology: Breath Analysis & Radar
Live Session of Housing Court
Workshops and Presentations on Substantive Law Issues, including:
* Divorce with Dignity (with Judge Mary Davidson)
* Using Conciliation Court
* Buying and Selling a House
* Personal Security
* Senior Scams
* Child Custody and Visitation
* Domestic Abuse
* Advance Directives in Health Care
Public Information Booths by Law-Related Organizations
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