THE SPIRIT OF volunteerism and dedication to advancing the public’s appreciation for our legal system drives News Hampshire’s celebration of Law Week.

For the past 40 years, May 1 has been recognized by the American Bar Association as Law Day, and in New Hampshire the first week of May is celebrated as Law Week, offering legal organizations and schools the opportunity to explore and discuss how our justice system strives to balance the needs of society while safeguarding individuals’ civil rights.

One of the NH Bar’s largest outreach events will occur on Friday, May 3. On "A Lawyer and Judge in Every School Day," tens of thousands of students in New Hampshire schools will receive visits from NH lawyers and judges who are paired with schools that have requested this teaching opportunity. Use the sign-up form posted below to volunteer. The Bar’s Web site also offers lesson plans that lawyers can use to teach different grade levels, from elementary through high school, and links to the ABA Law Day Web site, which has additional resources. Click here to go to the 'A Lawyer and Judge in Every School' page.

Once you have signed up, Melissa Childs, the Bar’s Law-Related Education coordinator, will provide you with a referral to a school at a location convenient to you that has requested a Law Week visit. Some attorneys make informal arrangements with a local school of their choice on their own. Either way, Childs can assist you with arranging for printed materials to distribute to students and with access to other resources.

Attorney Sign Up Form

A special session of the NH Supreme Court will be conducted on Law Day, May 1, at the Dana Center at St. Anselm College. Students from several area high schools have been invited to attend. Two cases will be heard, with the court following standard argument procedure. In advance of the session, volunteer attorneys will visit the schools to orient students on what they will see during oral argument and to discuss the cases on the docket. The court session itself with also feature Q&A sessions with the attorneys arguing the cases. Once the justices have concluded their post-argument conference, they will also meet with the audience to answer questions of a general nature about the role of appellate judges.

The session also will be videotaped for future use. The program is being presented with the assistance of St. Anselm College. According to court public information officer Laura Kiernan, the court is also planning a similar "road session" to be held in October at Strafford County Superior Court.

On Thursday, May 2, past winners of Pro Bono service awards will be staffing the phones at the Bar Center to help refer cases to volunteer attorneys. The need is great, and the opportunities for service are becoming increasingly diverse – ranging from bankruptcy to housing to other legal matters of crucial importance to eligible low-income clients. Through the Pro Bono Referral Program, attorneys can obtain discounted tuition on specific CLEs offered during the year, and access to mentors and support services to assist them in fulfilling their public-service obligations. So when you get the call during Law Week, respond by being generous with your time and talent.

On Thursday, May 2, the New Hampshire Women’s Bar Association will celebrate the increasing presence of women in the legal profession by honoring the first 100 women admitted to the New Hampshire Bar Association. NHWBA members have been researching who these pioneers were (and are – since nearly half were admitted since 1970!) and will present a multimedia tribute at a dinner and reception at the Courtyard by Marriott in Concord. For information on the event (which is also in search of additional sponsors), e-mail NHWBA President Jennifer Parent at jennifer.parent@mclane.com.

On the weekend of May 3-5, students from Nashua High School, the NH state "We the People" champions, will travel to Washington, DC, to vie for the national championship of the "We the People…The Citizen and the Constitution" competition. They will face teams from every corner of the US, tour major sites in the nation’s capital, and in the process will receive a priceless education on our system of government. (Many of NH’s teams have in the past been privileged to spend a few minutes with NH’s native son on the Supreme Court, Hon. David Souter.) We the People, which in New Hampshire is operated by the Bar Association, is largely supported by grants from the Center for Civic Education, which receives funding from the US Department of Education.

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