Mobile Bar Association Contact: Barbara C. Rhodes, Executive Director Mobile Bar Association P.O. Drawer 2005 Mobile, AL 36652 E-mail: mobilebar@mobilebar.com Mobile Bar Association Law Day Program 2002 Activity Summary: The Mobile Bar Association's 1,100 members conducted Law Day activities from April 19 through May 17, 2002. April 19 & 20, 2002: "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a powerful stage production taken from the Pulitzer Prize Winning novel written by Harper Lee, who is from a small town in South Alabama, Monroeville. The message of the story is the racial injustice and lack of respect for human dignity found in a small Southern town in 1935. The production, presented by the Mockingbird Players (all volunteers from Monroeville, Alabama) embodies the Law Day theme, "Assuring Equal Justice for All"! The stage production was sponsored by the Mobile Bar Association as a reminder of how we can combat injustice. There were over 2600 attendees including well over 250 high school students. May 3, 2002: Naturalization ceremony for twenty-two new United States citizens. The ceremony was conducted at the United States District Court for the southern District of Alabama and was presided over by Chief Judge Charles R. Butler. Also participating were many other local dignitaries and judges. The Exchange Club of Mobile presented each new citizen with a United States flag. May 4, 2002: Fifteenth Annual Law Day Run. This 3.1-mile run traverses historic downtown Mobile and passes both the state and federal courthouses. The Law Day Run T-shirt is a prized possession among local lawyers and runners. May 7, 8, 2002: Over thirty local lawyers provided free legal advice to an estimated five hundred callers during the Law Day Help line. Local television station WKRG provided full service for this public service event. May 17, 2002: Annual Law Day Luncheon was attended by over 150 judges, lawyers and local citizens. Dr. Khidhir Hamza, who worked as a nuclear physicist in Saddam Hussein's atomic weapons development program for more than twenty years, highlighted the 2002 Law Day Luncheon. Hamza's stories were provocative, including the strong-arm tactics used by Saddam to forced Hamza into service and Hamza's death-defying defection to the United States. Hamza's comments underscored the Law Day theme: "Assuring Equal Justice for All." Essay Contest: Local 7th and 8th grade students participated in an essay contest on the topic "Is Group Profiling Fair?" Prizewinners were first Place, Samantha Catlett; second place, Jessica Brook; and third place, Carmen O'Connor. Each winner received a certificate, a medal, Law Day T-shirt and cash prize. Each contest winner, along with her parents and teacher, were recognized at the Law Day Luncheon on May 17, 2002. Liberty Bell Award: Mobile Chief of Police, Samuel Cochran, was this year's Liberty Bell Winner. Nominations for the award are sought through local media and civic organizations. Past winners include clergy members, educators, judges, legislators, and civic leaders and media personalities. Chief Cochran attended the Law Day Luncheon with his wife and co-workers to receive the award. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization