Kansas Bar Association to Celebrate Law Day With Launch of Kansas Free Legal Answers
To coincide with the annual May 1 Law Day celebration, the Kansas Bar Association is excited to announce the launch of Kansas Free Legal Answers, a virtual legal advice clinic hosted by the American Bar Association. Through funds provided by the Kansas Bar Foundation’s Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts grant program, Kansas becomes one of 44 participating states in the service.
Kansans who meet eligibility guidelines can submit up to three questions per year. Those questions are answered by volunteer attorneys on a range of legal topics, including family law, divorce, child custody, housing, evictions, consumer rights, employment, unemployment, and civil rights.
“The ABA Free Legal Answers project is a great example of the impact that IOLTA grant funds can have within local communities in Kansas,” says Kansas Bar Foundation President Terri Pemberton. “The web-based structure of the program and the anonymous nature of the interactions coupled with the liability insurance for the attorneys should create an environment that is both less intimidating for the client, and reassuring for the attorneys who participate.”
In 2023, the ABA reported that nationwide the free legal answers program received 276,875 questions answered by 12,071 volunteer attorneys. Kansas Free Legal Answers will be available starting May 1 at https://Kansas.freelegalanswers.org.
History of Law Day
Envisioned in 1957 by then-American Bar Association President Charles S. Rhyne as a national day to recognize the country’s commitment to the rule of law, Law Day was established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower the following year. Congress later issued a joint resolution in 1961 designating May 1 as the official Law Day.
This year marks the 60th presidential election in the U.S., and coinciding with that is this year’s Law Day theme, “Voices of Democracy.” The Voices of Democracy Law Day theme encourages Americans to participate in the 2024 elections by deepening their understanding of the electoral process; discussing issues in honest and civil ways; turning out to vote; and, finally, helping to move the country forward after free and fair elections.
“President Dwight D. Eisenhower established Law Day as a day of national dedication to the principles of government under law, and as lawyers, it is our sworn duty to defend democracy,” says Kansas Bar Association President Laura Ice.
The ABA Division for Public Education has lesson plans on civics and civility available at https://abateacherportal.org. One lesson designed for young students features a three-minute video with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor resolving a dispute between two characters on Sesame Street. Another video for older students features live footage from the Milwaukee County criminal court that shows promising practices that judges are using to open court and set pre-trial orders and conditions. Other resources highlight topics such as the importance of impartiality and independence.
