WASHINGTON, D.C., April 19  — Students from high schools** across the country and finalists from the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Law Day Video Contest will participate in the ABA’s national Civics and Law Academy in Washington, D.C., from April 25 – 28.

Civics and Law Academies are being organized throughout the country, mobilizing lawyers and judges to share their expertise, experience and enthusiasm for the law with young people, as well as encouraging them to be active participants in our democratic society. The Civics and Law Academy is an initiative of ABA President Stephen N. Zack, who will attend and participate in some of the Academy’s events.

While in Washington, students will interact directly with national leaders in government and law, offering them an intimate and personal perspective on the three branches of government at work. Leaders will meet with students and discuss the duties of their office, their role as a public servant and their career choice of the legal profession. Scheduled activities are planned with leaders at the White House, U.S. Supreme Court, Senate, U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. State Department.

Among Academy activities, students will visit the U.S. Department of Interior for a dialogue on President John Adams and his legacy, along with 250 high school students participating in the Close Up Foundation’s government studies experiential learning program.

**Students participating in the Civics and Law Academies will be from the following communities/schools:

• Chicago: Golder College Prep – A Campus of Noble Street Charter School
• New Orleans: Sojourner Truth Charter Academy
• Providence, R.I.: Central High School and Classical High School

The Civics and Law Academy event was planned this year to coincide with the ABA‘s annual Law Day events in Washington, D.C.

Envisioned in 1957 by then ABA President Charles S. Rhyne as a special national day of recognition, the first Law Day was established by President Dwight Eisenhower the following year.  Congress issued a joint resolution in 1961 designating May 1 as the official day for celebration.

The ABA Division for Public Education maintains the Law Day website, which offers a wide range of Law Day program planning materials for schools, courts, civic groups, lawyers and others.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

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