The Law Related Education Committee of the Palm Beach County Bar Association promotes civics education and inspires the public to get involved in their government. Presentations are informative, educational, fun and free.
Law groups recognize the critical need to improve the public’s knowledge of the role of the courts. The statistics are staggering: in one survey, 44 percent of Americans could not name any branch of government, and only 17 percent think that court funding is inadequate.
The committee, made up of local attorneys and judges, employ a series of presentations prepared by the Florida Bar Constitutional Judiciary Committee called “Benchmarks: Raising the Bar on Civics Education.” The members reach out to various community civic organizations, such as churches, temples, social clubs, nonprofits and HOAs, and give fun and engaging presentations. The presentations are interactive and encourage audience participation.
Bradley Thomasma, law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Ryskamp describes his presentation, “Is It Constitutional: The Case of the Scarlet Tag,” that involved a hypothetical law which required repeat DUI offenders to drive with a red, or “scarlet,” license plate and asked the audience to analyze the law and decide if it is constitutional.
Liz Herman, chair of the Law Related Education Committee for the Palm Beach County Bar Association and associate at Rosenbaum Mollengarden PLLC in West Palm Beach, recently presented “How To Judge Judicial Candidates” to a group at the Buena Vida senior community in Wellington.
“The residents raised excellent questions about judicial elections and merit retention, with several sharing quite pessimistic views about getting involved in our democracy,” said Herman, concerned at the sentiment. “At the end of the day, many participants agreed that the solution is not to sit out on the sidelines but to get informed about the process, the candidates and the issues, and spread the word and encourage participation among their friends, neighbors and family.”
To schedule a speaker, or for more information, call (561) 687-2800.
ABOVE: Attorney Liz Herman (center), chair of the Palm Beach County Bar Association’s Law Related Education Committee, recently presented “How to Judge Judicial Candidates” to residents of the Buena Vida community in Wellington.
