Ask a Lawyer phone calls highlight Law Day events

The annual celebration of Law Day would not be complete without the Ask a Lawyer Day telephone project at which volunteer lawyers answer simple legal questions from callers.

Few public initiatives of bar associations across the state generate more good will for the profession. Most will take place Saturday, May 2.

The ISBA has expanded its Ask a Lawyer Day program from once a year to once a month, and volunteers are needed on one Saturday each month to answer phone calls for one to three hours at the Illinois Bar Center in Springfield.

The free consultations are being offered more frequently because Illinois residents increasingly face legal difficulties related to the economy.

Callers are not limited in types of legal matters, but it is anticipated that many queries will concern bankruptcy, mortgage foreclosure, credit problems, collections and other financial issues.

To sign up, contact Donna Schechter at ISBA headquarters in Springfield, (800) 252-8908 or dschechter@isba.org.

Law Day programs

The Chicago Bar Association will kick off statewide Law Week activities on Monday, April 27, when the Young Lawyers Section conducts a judicial reception at 5 p.m.

Appellate Justice Mary Jane Theis, a member of the ISBA Board of Governors, will speak and present a Liberty Bell Award to a non-lawyer for exemplary service in advancing the ideals of law and justice.

The CBA Choir will perform musical selections during a free concert at 12 noon, Thursday, April 30, in the Richard J. Daley Center.

The Edgar County Bar Association will hold a Law Day in the Park free community legal information program from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, April 30, at Twin Lakes Park in Paris. Call Ramona Sullivan at (217) 345-4063.

The St. Clair County Bar Association has scheduled its annual Law Day breakfast and award presentations on Friday, May 1, at Fischer’s Restaurant in Belleville. Call (618) 277-8919.

The St. Clair County Bar also will conduct a Law Day run on Saturday, May 2.

The DuPage County Bar Association Law Day luncheon and award presentations will take place at 12 noon Friday, May 1, at The Abbington in Glen Ellyn. Call (630) 653-7779.

The West Suburban Bar Association’s Law Day luncheon and program will begin at 11:30 a.m. Friday, May 1, at the Riverside Golf Club in North Riverside. Call (708) 338-2662.

The WSBA will present a Lincoln Award to Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and hear remarks from David Ellis, counsel to the Illinois House speaker, on the Blagojevich impeachment proceeding.

MAY 1 (Friday, 12 noon) PEORIA – The Peoria County Bar Association Law Day luncheon at 12 noon Friday, May 1, in the Hotel Pere Marquette includes award presentations, recognition of 50-year members and a speech by University of Illinois Law Prof. Eric Freyvogle. Call (309) 674-6049.