- Kick-Off Ceremony at State Capitol with Speaker of the House, Senate President Pro Tempore and Superior Court Judge -

HARRISBURG (April 30, 2001) - In partnership with county bar associations, the Pennsylvania Bar Association today launched the second annual statewide coordinated Law Month effort titled �Celebrate Your Freedom: Rights + Responsibilities = Freedom.� Beginning April 30 with kick-off events throughout the state and continuing through May 30, the Law Month celebration is bringing together over 1,000 judges, lawyers and schools to help children learn how their rights and responsibilities truly �equal� our country�s freedom.

The official statewide kick-off ceremony was held at the State Capitol and featured the following speakers: PBA President-elect Reginald Belden; Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Jubelirer; Speaker of the House Matthew Ryan; Pennsylvania Superior Court Judge Correale Stevens; and Law Day Committee co-chairs Monroe County Judge Linda Wallach Miller and PBA Immediate Past President Louis N. Teti. Over 50 students from the Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School, Blair County, also were part of the festivities.

�As judges and lawyers, it�s our duty to help educate children about their legal rights and responsibilities in the new millennium,� PBA President-elect H. Reginald Belden Jr. said. �By drawing attention to the law in a fun and informative manner through this program, we hope to help teachers and students recognize the need to continue law-related educational efforts in the future.�

To achieve these goals, the PBA and the Temple - Law, Education & Participation Program (LEAP) of the Temple University Beasley School of Law, developed the Law Day 2001 K-12 Lesson Plan & Idea Guide to help educators, judges and lawyers bring the law to life for students. The guide includes law-related lesson plans for all grade levels, ready-to-copy handouts and useful informational resources for educators. In addition, the guide helps educators begin to prepare for the Proposed State Academic Standards for Civics and Government by correlating each lesson plan to the appropriate academic standards it satisfies.

Judge Miller noted, �It is appropriate for judges and lawyers, who work in the justice system everyday, to share their knowledge of and experience with the law with students.�

Local bar associations partnering in the statewide celebration include: Berks County Bar Association; Blair County Bar Association; Bradford County Bar Association; Centre County Bar Association; Clearfield County Bar Association; Crawford County Bar Association; Dauphin County Bar Association; Delaware County Bar Association; Erie County Bar Association; Franklin County Bar Association; Greene County Bar Association; Lawrence County Bar Association; Luzerne County Bar Association; Mercer County Bar Association; Monroe County Bar Association; Montgomery Bar Association; Northampton County Bar Association; Schuylkill County Bar Association; Washington County Bar Association; Westmoreland Bar Association; and York County Bar Association.

For more information about the Law Month celebration and the names of participating schools, lawyers and judges in your area, please contact the Pennsylvania Bar Association at (800) 932-0311, ext. 2216 or your local participating county bar association. For a copy of the lesson plan materials, visit the Pennsylvania Bar Association Web site at www.pabar.org.