News Post

State Bar Announces 2012 Law Day Theme Contest For Students; “No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom”

Montgomery, Alabama, February 28, 2012 – Court funding cutbacks affect all Alabamians. This year’s Law Day theme reflects the somber truth that the current funding crisis experienced by the court system, the third branch of government, exerts a disproportionate impact on the wheels of justice.

The Alabama State Bar is calling for entries from students in grades K-12 across the state for a creative competition based on this year’s theme, “No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom.” Students may submit entries using social media, posters or essays.

State Bar President James R. Pratt, III of Birmingham (Hare Wynn Newell & Newton LLP) said, “Courts are not just another state agency. In our democracy, the judicial branch of government is co-equal with the executive and legislative branches. Courts must administer justice regardless of how many people walk through the courthouse door and without access to the courts, the rule of law is threatened.”

Information and entry forms can be found on the state bar website or by calling 800-354-6154, extension 2126, for contest entry information. The deadline is March 30, 2012.
Montgomery attorneys Chad Stewart (Beasley Allen Crow Methvin Portis & Miles, LLP) and Pamela Beard Slate (Slate Carter Comer, PLLC) serve as co-chairs of the state bar’s Law Day committee.

The poster and essay entries will be presented in two (2) classifications – grades K-3 and 4-6 for posters; grades 7-9 and 10-12 for essays and the new social media category. A total of $2,400 in U.S. Savings bonds will be awarded to winners. Teachers also receive a monetary gift for use in the classroom.

In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower established May 1st as Law Day to strengthen our heritage of liberty, justice, and equality under law. This is a national day set aside to celebrate the rule of law and to underscore how law and the legal process contribute to the freedoms we share.

The 17,000-member Alabama State Bar is dedicated to promoting the professional responsibility, competence and satisfaction of its members; improving the administration of justice, and: increasing public understanding and respect for the law.