Maricopa County Bar Association Contact: Monica A. Limon-Wynn Maricopa County Bar Association 303 E. Palm Lane Phoenix AZ 85004-9890 E-mail: mlimon-wynn@swlaw.com This program was a winner of the 2001 Law Day Activity Awards Law Week 2001 Protecting the Best Interest of Our Children Activity Summary: The Maricopa County Bar Association celebrated Law Week 2001 by hosting poster, photo, and essay contests for 360 school-aged children; providing free legal advice to 635 members of the community through Phone-A-Lawyer, two Community Law Fairs, and five Senior Citizen Law Fairs; sponsoring a free CLE for more than 100 lawyers on juvenile and family law issues; conducting a new event where attorneys presented to seven classrooms; and offering a tour of the Phoenix Municipal Court for grade-school students. This year we tripled the number of seniors and doubled the amount of persons that called in seeking free legal advice. Activity Narrative: Through a new program, “Lawyers in the Classroom,” and three contests for children, volunteer attorneys increased students’ understanding of the rule of law. By offering Phone-A-Lawyer, Community Law Fairs, and Senior Fairs, we helped community members receive free legal advice. The contests, coupled with a free CLE on recent developments in juvenile law and “Protecting the Best Interests of Our Children”, served to reinforce this year’s theme. Finally, this year’s emphasis on media coverage through television, a street banner, radio, and brochures significantly boosted the participation in almost every event, making it the most successful Law Week ever. Community Law Fairs - provided 76 members of the community with an informal setting to ask attorneys their legal questions free of charge. Volunteer attorneys from a variety of specialties were available at two valley shopping malls from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, 2001 for ten minute consultations. Phone-A-Lawyer - gave the public an opportunity to consult with an attorney free-of-charge. Community members called (480) 965-1998 for free legal advice from 6-9 p.m. on two evenings during Law Week. This year was a record-breaking year for Phone-A-Lawyer, as more than 425 persons received free legal advice. Essay Contest - for the ninth consecutive year, an Essay Contest was held for 7th, 8th and 9th grade students. This year’s question, distributed to local schools, concerned a hot legal topic in the metropolitan Phoenix area. More than 270 students responded regarding their opinion on whether a student who threatens her classroom using a weapon should be charged as a juvenile or an adult. Photo Contest - held for the fourth year, 7-12th grade students in local schools took and submitted 54 photographs reflecting this year’s theme, “Protecting the Best Interest of Our Children”. Some winning photos were published in the Maricopa County Bar Association’s newspaper, The Maricopa Lawyer, or posted on www.lawforkids.org. All were displayed at the Arizona State Capitol. Poster Contest - held for the fourth year, for students in grades 4-6. Students designed and submitted 62 posters depicting the Law Day Theme. All posters were displayed at the Arizona Superior Court Law Library. Winning posters were submitted to the ABA poster competition. Awards Ceremony - winners of all three contests, along with their families, teachers, and friends were invited to attend an Awards Ceremony. The Honorable Frederick J. Martone, a justice on the Arizona Supreme Court, presided over the ceremony inside the Arizona Supreme Court Courtroom to a standing-room only audience. Justice Martone congratulated each student and addressed the audience regarding the role of the judiciary in the legal system. First place winners received a $50 gift certificate to a local bookstore and a plaque, as well as a book on writing techniques, a camera from Tempe Camera, or an arts supply store gift certificate. Second and third place winners received plaques. Law Week Forum - more than 100 attorneys received free CLE credit for attending a panel discussion specifically addressing the issue of “Protecting the Best Interests of Our Children.” The panel consisted of three Superior Court judges from the juvenile bench, an ASU College of Law professor in juvenile law, and an Assistant Attorney General practicing in the juvenile courts. They spoke about the innovative Integrated Family Court system in Arizona, grandparent visitation rights, and other issues facing juvenile law practitioners. Lawyers in the Classroom - volunteer lawyers visited seven schools and delivered presentations on the law, the legal profession, and legal issues facing children. The lawyers coordinated their presentations with teachers to address those aspects of the law that afforded the best learning opportunity for the students. More than 210 students participated in this event. Senior Citizen Law Fairs - attorney volunteers visited five Senior Centers across metropolitan Phoenix to meet one-on-one with senior citizens seeking free legal advice. More than 130 senior citizens benefited from attorney consultations - triple the amount of seniors participating last year. The event included an additional senior citizen center, Pyle Adult Recreation Center, to broaden the event’s reach across the Phoenix metropolitan area. One contributing factor was that Channel 3 news, a major Phoenix news station, broadcast from the Jewish Community Center on Wednesday, April 25th, inviting seniors to take advantage of our programs. Law Week Reception - over 50 judges and attorneys celebrated the conclusion of Law Week 2001 through a free reception held on Law Day immediately following the free CLE Law Forum. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization