Philadelphia Bar Association Contact: Molly Peck, Vice Chair Philadelphia Bar Association E-mail: molpeck@aol.com (A winner of the 1998 Law Day Activity Awards) Project Description: A full week of Law Day activities sponsored by the Philadelphia Bar Association included free legal advice at a shopping mall, a naturalization ceremony, lawyers coming to the classroom, and students spending a day with lawyers in their office. An Appellate Courts Convocation honored the Commonwealth Court, the Superior Court, and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Sponsoring entity: Philadelphia Bar Association Number of volunteers: Hundreds of volunteers, with a special emphasis on minority bar participation. Number of people benefiting: This year's expanded activities reached thousands of elementary and high school students, as well as members of the general public through free legal advice programs. Best Things about This Project: The student essay contest winner speaking at our Appellate Court celebration: "Hearing that elementary student speak so clearly and confidently about her First Amendment rights to a room filled with judges, lawyers, and the ABA president." The Law Fair at the Gallery Mall: "A great panel of attorneys, including minorities, solo practitioners, big firm lawyers, public interest staffers, AND a line of shoppers with questions." Lawyer for a Day: "This gets bigger and better each year. We now have cooperation from the DA's and public defenders' offices, many judges, approximately 50 attorneys and over a hundred students." Secret of Success: "At the end of Law Week, we have an informal wrap up to assess what we did well, what we could do better, and what we should never do again. We send thank you's and follow ups out on every project and have a goal of trying to make each program bigger the next year. We start talking about Law Week at our retreat at the beginning of the year and name the co-chairs of the different events then." How-to Advice: "I use the timeline provided by the ABA in the Planning Guide. Some of the deadlines were tough for me, but it was a great overall planner." What We Learned: "Each project needs its own chair or coordinator, since we now have so many. That way, the Law Week co-chairs get to manage the people and make the important decisions without getting caught up on every little detail, like menus or times." Approximate Cost: $4,500 Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization