Middlesex County Bar Association (CT) Contact: AnnMarie Cienava, Esq., Chairperson, 1997 Law Day Committee Middlesex County Bar Association 600 Plaza Middlesex, Middletown, CT 06457 Activity Summary: The Middlesex County Bar Association in cooperation with a local cable television company sponsored a three-segment, live, call-in program featuring a panel of attorneys and a Probate Judge who provided information and answered questions from viewers in the areas of Domestic Violence/Family Law, Juvenile/Probate Law, and Constitutional/Criminal Law. The format of the program as well as its content was designed to expand public awareness of our legal system, provide information in demand by the public, and explicate this year's theme "Celebrate Your Freedom." Activity Narrative: This activity jointly sponsored by the Middlesex County Bar Association and Comcast Cablevision Public Access Television, occurred on April 29, 1997. The program which was scheduled from 8:00 p.m. until 9:30 p.m., during prime time hours, appears to have reached a wide audience of adult viewers based on the number of viewers who called in with questions, and comments received from attorneys and members of the public in the days after the broadcast. The activity was designed to provide information to the public in six areas of the law: Domestic Violence, Family Law, Juvenile Law, probate Law, Constitutional Law and Criminal Law. The areas were selected based on the criteria applied by the 1997 Law Day Committee that the information be in demand by the public, expand public awareness of our laws and justice system, and be relevant to this year's theme "Celebrate Your Freedom." The Committee also gave particular deference to the suggestion of the ABA, as indicated in the Planning Guide, that there was a public need for information in the Family Law area. It was the opinion of the Committee that the areas selected met these criteria. In addition to the work of the Law Day Committee in planning this activity, seven attorneys and one Probate Judge served as panelists, and six attorneys and five members of the public served as crew members and camera persons. A photograph depicting the American flag and a POW flag, the winning entry in the High School 1997 Law Day Photography Contest, was featured during the credit portion of the program. The studio and equipment was made available by Comcast Cablevision, a local cable television company. This activity was a new addition to the many activities which the Middlesex County Bar Association has planned over the past years in celebration of Law Day. The suggestion of a live call-in show was met by the Committee with universal enthusiasm due to the belief that such a forum would capture a large audience and therefore achieve the objective of expanding public awareness of our legal system. Because of the success of the activity, it is anticipated that a live call-in program will become a yearly Law Day event. This activity was mentioned in an article appearing in the April 17, 1997 edition of the Middletown Press, entitled "Law Day to be Observed May 1," and was advertised in the Comcast Programming Schedule also appearing in the Middletown Press. SAMPLE LAW DAY 1997 "Celebrating Your Freedom" COMCAST TELEVISION LIVE SHOW TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 1996 8:00 - 9:30 P.M. CREW NEEDED As part of the Law Day 1997 program, the Middlesex County Bar Association will host three half-hour live television segments on different law-related issues. As chair of the subcommittee, I need any and all volunteers to assist and provide production expertise for this live, call-in show. If you are available on Tuesday, April 29 from 6:00 - 10:00, or any time that evening, please call my office at the above telephone number or sign up below. If you have a preference, i.e. CG Technician, Camera Operator, Telephone Screener, Production Assistant, Lighting Technician, etc., please notify me of your preference. Thank you! NAME: TELEPHONE NUMBER: POSITION: Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization