Law Day Essay Contest
$250 First Place Prize
Additional $100 prizes available*
Open to High School Seniors and Juniors
Sponsored by:
Utah Minority Bar Association (UMBA)
Law Day 2009 Theme
A Legacy of Liberty
Celebrating Lincoln's Bicentennial
To Enter: Write a 3-5 page essay (typed, double-spaced) related to the
Law Day 2009 Theme. You can write, for example, about how you or
other youth have been empowered to make a difference in society, how
youth can learn to understand their rights and responsibilities under the
law, how youth can become effective participants in civic life, how
society can help to empower youth, or another topic of your choosing.
Deadline: Entries must be received by 5 p.m. on April 1, 2009.
Send entries by email to: umbalaw@utahbar.org
Include the following information: name, address, phone
number, email address, school name, age, and grade. If you do
not have access to email or have questions, please call Chrystal
Mancuso-Smith at 521-6677.
Winner(s) will be notified by April 15, 2009 and will be invited to attend
the Law Day Luncheon on Friday, May 1, 2009 at noon at Little America
Hotel for presentation of the award.
* Depending on number and quality of essays received.
Law Day 2009 Fact Sheet
What Is Law Day?
A national day set aside to celebrate the rule of law, Law Day underscores how law and the legal process have contributed to the freedoms that all Americans share.
When Is Law Day Celebrated?
May 1 is the official date, but celebrations often take place either before or after that date. Some bar associations celebrate Law Week or Law Month. Law Day also provides an opportunity to recognize the role of courts in our democracy.
How Did Law Day Begin?
What Is the Law Day 2009 Theme?
A Legacy of Liberty—Celebrating Lincoln's Bicentennial
Why Is This Theme Important?
In 2009 we will mark the bicentennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, regarded by many as our nation's greatest and most eloquent president. Lincoln, who devoted much of his adult life to the practice of law, was the quintessential American lawyer-president. His background in the law informed both his actions and his oratory. In his Gettysburg Address of 1863, Lincoln articulated his vision of American constitutional union, to be forged in the crucible of a "great civil war" and tested by the shared anguish of national sacrifice. For Lincoln, this vision begins— fourscore and seven years before—with the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration marks the origins of "a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all
men are created equal."
Do the animating principles of which Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg still represent "unfinished work"? What is the role of law in fulfilling the promises of the Declaration of Independence?
For Law Day 2009, we encourage efforts nationwide to commemorate Lincoln by exploring this rich and resonant theme—A Legacy of Liberty.