Los Angeles County Bar Association, CA Contact: Richard Walch, Executive Director Los Angeles County Bar Association PO Box 55020, Los Angeles, CA 90055-2020 E-mail: rwalch@lacba.org Activity Summary: Working closely with the United States Department of Justice, the Los Angeles County Bar Association ("LACBA") produced a special Law Day luncheon on May 1, 1998, featuring Attorney General Janet Reno ("Reno") and Associate Attorney General Ray Fisher. Since final word on Reno’s decision as to the site of her Law Day activities could not be confirmed until April 2, 1998, and it was requested that media coverage be suppressed until immediately prior to the event, the LACBA staff had to exert tremendous efforts to pull together a quality event and invite attendees within those parameters. Prior to the luncheon, Reno and her entourage visited the Los Angeles Children’s Court (dependency and delinquency) and spoke to teens who had benefited from mediation, which was a main topic of Reno’s Law Day speech, "ADR and the Role of Lawyers as Peacemakers and Problem Solvers." The event expanded public awareness of the rule of law as Reno and other Law Day speakers stressed the importance of 1) an independent judiciary that follows the law rather than fleeting public opinion, 2) alternative dispute resolution, encouraging lawyers and parties to negotiate and settle conflict rather than immediately enter the court system, including listening to each other carefully to find compromises, and 3) using plain English in speech and writing to allow for the greatest access to the judicial system by the public at large. It highlighted the theme, Celebrate Your Freedom, by showcasing the office of United States Attorney General attained and very competently held by Reno, a product of Dade County (Florida) public schools, an example to children that it can be possible to achieve success without regard to gender or economic advantage. In her speech, Reno placed emphasis upon a sense of community, including the expanding worldwide community that comes from the freedom we experience via the Internet. She concluded her remarks with stories of freedom that comes from the overturning of convictions due to the diligence of persons uncovering new evidence, and through advancements in science such as DNA identification. It provided outreach to communities and schools via the site visit to the Children’s Court, the sponsorship of student mediators to attend the luncheon event by directors of LACBA Dispute Resolution Services, Inc. ("DRS"), which operates a youth Services Program that teaches constructive methods for resolving disputes through student peer mediation, and Reno’s challenge to lawyers to educate teachers in conflict resolution skills. Other DRS programs are Community Services, Court Services, Attorney-Client Relations, Business and Consumer Services, and Training and Consultant Services. LACBA mediation activities thus have great potential to extend their impact beyond Law Day via the ongoing programs provided by DRS. The event was attended by nearly 800 persons, and received coverage on radio stations KNX and KFWB, in legal newspapers Los Angeles Daily Journal and Metropolitan News-Enterprise, and community newspapers Pasadena Star News and San Gabriel Valley Tribune, and the LACBA website. Listen to Janet Reno's speech in RealAudio, linked from the Los Angeles County Bar Association's website. (The entire Law Day luncheon is also available for you to listen to.) Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization