Jacksonville Bar Association (FL) Contact: Angelo Patacca, Jr., Chairman, Law Week 2000 Committee Jacksonville Bar Association 6 East Bay Street #400 Jacksonville, FL 32202 E-mail: apatacca@gphlaw.com Activity Summary: The Jacksonville Bar Association’s Law Week Committee is one of the local bar’s most visible committees. The Law Week Committee was once again proud to sponsor a wide variety of activities that increased the Jacksonville community’s awareness of the rule of law and the impact that lawyers can have on both our legal system and our way of life as a whole. Due to its increasing popularity each year and the broad-based support the Committee received, the “Law Week” activities expanded to nearly three weeks of activities involving over 40 members of the Jacksonville Bar, putting on 11 activities and addressing approximately 600 citizens of all ages from the Jacksonville area. Activity Narrative: The Law Week activities were initiated by the Proclamation of Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney designating May 1, 2000 as Law Day in Jacksonville. The first of the Committee's activities was the annual Elementary School Art Contest where 25 students from our local grade schools competed by drawing a poster that best exemplified the theme "Celebrate Your Freedom: Speak Up for Democracy and Diversity," The students' posters were hung in the Duval County Courthouse for voting and three winners were honored at the Bar's Law Day luncheon on May 10, 2000. The Middle School Activities Subcommittee again continued its annual tradition of exposing middle school students to the role trials play in our system of justice. The students participated in various trial roles in State v. Robinson, and in Big Bad Wolf v. Curly Pig. On April 26, 2000 the Committee sponsored a Naturalization Ceremony presided by the Honorable Harvey E. Schlesinger, United States District Judge, in which 37 new Americans proudly took the oath of citizenship. U. S. Eleventh Circuit Judge Rosemary Barkett served as the keynote speaker and shared her own personal quest to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. Judge Barkett best described this year's Law Day theme to the new citizens in explaining why, in her opinion, America is not so much a "melting pot" but rather a "paella" where each ingredient maintains its identity but adds to the overall flavor of the mix. The Jacksonville Bar was also proud to co-host a Law and The Disabled Seminar for the residents of Jacksonville, which was free of charge to the community and also provided CLE credit for attorneys attending the program. Along with co-sponsor Florida Coastal School of Law, the Bar also presented its annual People's Law School in a day-long series of legal topics which was free to the public and reached 75 citizen students. The Committee again brought trial competition to Jacksonville's area high schools in what is annually a four school, single elimination tournament. This year's High School Mock Trial competition featured a criminal trial that pitted two teams from Fletcher High School against each other in the final round. The Committee also sponsored High School Presentations by the local attorneys to 7 different high schools and 250 students, introducing them to various topics in the law and highlighting different legal careers. In the spirit of fitness, community involvement and support for the local Habitat for Humanity, Habijax, the Committee again hosted its annual 5K Law Day Run which received sponsorship funds from law firms and local businesses. Three hundred runners (including 50 attorneys) participated in the event, and all race profits were donated to Habijax. The "Law Week" activities concluded on May 10, 2000 with the annual Law Day Luncheon attended by 525 members. The luncheon featured former Governor and U.S. Attorney General Richard Thornburgh as its keynote speaker. He challenged the members to take an active role in their community and families to help end teen violence. Also during the luncheon, the Bar presented the annual Liberty Bell Award to the Jacksonville non-lawyer citizens who contributed the most to the Jacksonville community in the interest of justice. The Liberty Bell Award was jointly presented to Mr. & Mrs. Glen Mitchell for their tireless efforts to assist families and friends of homicide victims cope with their losses. In summary, the Jacksonville Bar Association's commitment to both its members and the community-at-large is best exemplified by its annual participation in these "Law Week" activities. Through a well-organized commitment of both the local Bar and the community, the theme of "Celebrate Your Freedom: Speak up for Democracy and Diversity” was highlighted in this community on one million diverse people. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization