From a free legal clinic to assistance for veterans to meals for service heroes, a special event next Monday will celebrate the role of this country’s legal system in society.
Hosted by Southwest Virginia Legal Aid Society (SVLAS), Law Day will be marked in Marion, Lebanon, Abingdon, and Tazewell on Monday, May 2, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Law Day, which is commemorated annually on May 1, is a national event designed, according to the American Bar Association, “to celebrate the role of law in our society and to cultivate a deeper understanding of the legal profession.”
Bruce Russell, a Washington County attorney who serves on the SVLAS board, first launched commemorations in Lebanon and Abingdon. Gary Cody, SVLAS Director of Development, said this year the agency is working with Russell to expand the region’s activities.
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Throughout the day, Cody said, SVLAS wants to recognize those who help protect and defend the U.S. Constitution and the country. He noted that free meals will be available in Marion (227 West Cherry St.) and Lebanon (29 East Main St.) for service heroes, which include active duty military, veterans, law enforcement, health-care workers and senior citizens.
Also in Marion, Tazewell, and Lebanon, private attorneys will conduct a free legal advice clinic for members of the public and students.
Blood drives will take place at all four locations. In Marion, the American Red Cross will host a drive, and appointments can be made at www.redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED-CROSS. In the other three locations, Marsh Regional Blood Center will conduct the drives. Appointments can be made by calling 423-652-0014.
The day’s activities are getting the support of the Virginia State Bar. Its president, Jay Myerson, will speak at 1 p.m. in Marion and 3 p.m. in Lebanon. His remarks will be open to the public.
Myerson, of Reston, founded The Myerson Law Group, P.C., and supervises a domestic, criminal, and civil litigation practice in Fairfax County. A graduate of Georgetown University and Georgetown Law School, Myerson is a Fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation and has been a member of the Fairfax Law Foundation’s Board of Directors since 2012.
Myerson plans to address “the Rule of Law as the glue that binds our diverse country together and how Virginia’s lawyers have a special legacy by virtue of the prominent role played by Virginians, especially Virginia’s attorney, in crafting the Constitution and the Bill of Rights so as to protect the Rule of Law, and subsequent Virginia attorneys roles in protecting those rights for all.”
Myerson is expected to call “on all attorneys in Virginia to reflect on how they model those values, particularly since June 2023 will be the 235th anniversary of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.”
He has served on Virginia State Bar Council and several Bar committees. He is a past president of the Fairfax Bar Association, has served in the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates, and is a past president of the George Mason American Inn of Court.
Additionally, live continuing legal education will be presented live on-site in Abingdon and simulcast to the other locations at 1 p.m. Boston University Professor John Woodward, a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, will address “Presidential Powers and National Security When The President Takes Extreme Measures During Wartime.” This class is offered to all Virginia attorneys at no cost, with an optional donation to support the Special Olympics 2022 USA Games. Members of the public and students are also invited to attend.
Vendors that can provide assistance to veterans, senior citizens, and others will also be on site. In Marion, they include D’s Street Grub food truck , Anthem Healthkeepers Plus, the Department of Veteran Services, People, Inc. Mt. Rogers’ Veterans Navigator, and the National Guard.
Helping sponsor Law Day in Southwest Virginia are the Russell County Bar (founding and organizing sponsor), Anthem HealthKeepers Plus, SWVA Legal Aid, Tazewell County Bar, Washington County Bar, City of Bristol Bar, Buchanan County Bar, the 28th District Criminal Defense Bar, the Virginia Mountain/Valley Lawyers’ Alliance (VMVLA), students from the Appalachian School of Law, Marsh Blood Services, and the Virginia American Red Cross.
For more information, visit https://www.bhr2law.com/law-day-2022 or www.svlas.org.
To learn more about Law Day, visit https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/law-day/.
