Legal Experts Conduct Newtown’s First Law Day

By Steve Bigham

A large contingent of Newtown attorneys converged on Edmond Town Hall’s Alexandria Room Tuesday morning to provide three hours’ worth of pro bono legal advice. The free legal clinic was sponsored by the Danbury Bar Association as part of a host of area Law Day activities.

Between 30 and 40 Newtown residents turned out for the event in the hopes that attorneys like Barbara Kershaw, Will Rodgers, and Celia Barnum might be able to steer them in the right direction. The areas of legal expertise included family law, personal injury, elder law, real estate and zoning, employment and business law, education law, and probate. Probate Judge Margot Hall was among the dozen or so legal professionals who were on hand.

The event was coordinated by Attorney Ed Kelleher and his wife, Doreen, who saw it as an opportunity to provide a public service for the community and for Newtown’s attorneys to meet.

The event is believed to be the first of its kind in Newtown.

“I thought it went really well. I was gratified at the turnout of attorneys and the interest shown by the public,” Mr Kelleher said.

The Town Hall Board of Managers donated the Alexandria Room for the event.

Charles S. Rhyne, a Washington, DC, lawyer, was the first to suggest the concept of Law Day in 1957. At the time, he was president of the American Bar Association. Congress established Law Day USA in 1961 and set May 1 as the annual date. Every year, Law Day celebrates our freedoms and the role of law in protecting and preserving them.

This year’s theme was “Celebrate Your Freedom” and First Selectman Herb Rosenthal presented a proclamation in honor of the event. In it, he pointed out that the body of law that governs us is the foundation for the individual freedoms that Americans enjoy.

“This year’s theme focuses on the one word that best captures America’s greatest strength,” he said, “and is a chance for all Americans to reflect on the protections of the law, and its role in enabling us to be truly free.”