2020-2021: A Time of Terror and Great Challenges to the Legal Community and Beyond: Past, Present, and Future

This January issue of the ISBA’s Committee on Law Related Education for the Public (‘LRE’) explores how we have coped, even prevailed, in managing the phases of our personal and work-related lives, especially in the courtrooms where the lawyers representing their clients and the judges overseeing that litigation must continue their respective roles in presenting the evidence and dispersing justice for the parties.  And on the personal side, sometimes we need a break and for that, we offer an intriguing list of potential new holidays to observe each day in January which might make you smile, even chuckle.  

Among our articles in this issue, you will find some terrific guidance from a law clerk and a law student who present helpful perspectives on: (1) how to stay out of trouble while navigating social media—a timely topic since so many of us are using that means of communication more often now that we spend most of our daily lives on-line and on smartphones, through texts and Facebook and Twitter, etc.; and (2) the specifics for lawyers re: how to present a case remotely to the court.  We also share with you, in a persuasive report, a new ISBA project to help bring much-needed legal representation to people living in the rural areas of the State which historically has limited access to attorneys, most of whom practice in the more heavily populated urban areas.  You will enjoy reading about this innovative Rural Practice Initiative and its Fellowship Program. 

And finally, because of the occurrence of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on January 18 in this year of 2021, we republish in our January newsletter an informative piece from two years ago about MLK, Jr., the history of his struggles and his rise in the public eye, and the battles he waged for racial justice and equality.  You will learn or be reminded as to why it is so important to remember and honor him, and to do so in this particular moment as we celebrate both the man and the powerful messages he fought so hard to communicate and implement.