Nevada County Bar Association Contact: Nanci G. Clinch Nevada County Bar Association 401 Spring Street, Ste, 204 Nevada City, CA 95959 E-mail: nclinch@prodigy.net This program was a winner of the 2001 Law Day Activity Awards Kids in the Nevada County Courts Activity Summary: The Nevada County Bar Association, one of the primary organizers of the Law Month events, is a small rural bar association with 65 dues paying members and an annual budget of approximately $2,200.00. Major events, such as our Law Month activities, succeed as a result of substantial contribution of program contributions of program expenses and time from volunteer attorneys, and others. In November 2000, the Family Law Section of the Nevada County Bar Association decided to plan a number of Law Day events around the ABA Law Day theme of “Protecting the Best Interest of our Children,” because of our involvement with children in our practices. Out of this first meeting Family Lawyers organized four Law Month events, in collaboration with the Nevada County Bar Association, Nevada County Courts, Nevada County Superintendent of Education, Nevada Union High, Bear Rivers High School, Gold Country Kiwanis, Nevada County Law Enforcement, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors and local new media. Activity Narrative: The first event of the month was “Kids in the Nevada County Courts,” on April 6, 2001, during which every 5th grader in western Nevada County had the opportunity to visit the county courthouse, and attend five different programs in the courtrooms. The programs provided information and insight on how and where the legal system works to about 1,000 fifth-grade students. Students heard Sheriff’s Deputies, visited jail holding cells, talked to a judge and watched a mock peer court presentation. The tour was a joint project of Terry McAteer, Superintendent of Schools, Nevada County Superior Court, and the Nevada County Bar Association. All high school students in western Nevada County were invited to submit essays on themes such as “Should video surveillance cameras be permitted on high school campus?” and “What limits, if any, should be imposed on a student’s free speech on campus?” The winning essayists were honored at the annual Law Day luncheon held May 2, at the Holbrooke Hotel in Grass Valley. A special presentation by the Nevada Union debate team was featured. This event is co-sponsored by the Nevada County Bar Association and Gold Country Kiwanis. A first-ever event for Nevada County students were at Nevada Union High School May 3-4, when Justices from the Third District Court of Appeal held an actual appellate court session before 150 senior students at the school. The Justices and local attorneys explained the appeals court process to seniors informally on May 3. The Third District Court of Appeal, located in Sacramento, hears criminal and civil appeals from 23 counties in Northern California, including Nevada County. On May 4, oral arguments in four actual cases were heard by the appellate court, on the Nevada Union campus. Finally, the evening of Thursday, May 3 culminated in a festive dinner at the Miner’s Foundry in Nevada City, where presiding Justice Arthur Scotland of the Third District Court of Appeal spoke on the Law Day theme. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization