Law Day 2018
Law Day was first declared on May 1, 1958, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the request of the American Bar Association as “a special day of celebration by the American people in appreciation of their liberties and rededication to the ideals of equality and justice under law.” The American Bar Association defines Law Day as: “A national day set aside to celebrate the rule of law. Law Day underscores how law and the legal process have contributed to the freedoms that all Americans share.”
The creation of a government of laws and not of men was first memorialized in the Constitution of the State of Massachusetts, penned by John Adams. The rule of law has been a basic tenet of all government within the United States and is the primary protector of our freedoms. When lawyers from this country travel to developing democracies in other parts of the world to provide support for their new found freedoms, we call these “rule of law projects.” We can do much to support our own freedoms and ensure freedoms to others by understanding the importance of rule of law both here and abroad.
This year, to celebrate Law Day, the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) hosted its 37th annual Ask A Lawyer Day, which was held on April 28 from 9 a.m. to noon at Chicago Regional Office in Chicago and Illinois Bar Center in Springfield. Volunteer attorneys answered phone calls and emails from Illinois residents to help the public take the next steps toward resolving their legal issues and enhance the image of the profession. ISBA also participated in Law Day at John Marshall Law School on May 2, 2018.
The American Bar Association a voluntary membership association of attorneys dependent on the generous contribution of services by its members for its effectiveness. ISBA’s primary focus is to assist Illinois lawyers in the practice of law and to promote improvements in the administration of justice. ISBA engages in many important activities on behalf of the profession — among them proposing and shaping legislation, educating the public, and supporting the courts and the rule of law.