BANGOR — Lawyers across Maine will spend time in local libraries on Law Day, Friday, May 1, to provide resources and assistance to people in need, talk about legal issues and meet with library patrons. Lawyers in Libraries: Law Day 2015 is a free event open to the public.
Mary Louis Davitt, a law professor from the University of Maine Augusta (Bangor campus) will be available noon-2 p.m. on Law Day in Bangor Public Library’s Story Room.
Organizers of the series are the Maine Justice Action Group Collaboration on Innovation, Technology and Equal Access to Justice which includes Maine’s public libraries, the Maine State Bar Association, the Maine Bar Foundation, the State of Maine Judicial Branch, Maine’s legal aid providers and other organizations interested in helping the public access the legal resources they need, all working under The Maine Justice Action Group.
The goal of the day is to provide Maine residents with access to legal information so that they are better prepared to face legal issues that may arise.
“Access to justice is about fairness,” explained the Hon. Andrew M. Mead, associate justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, “so that, regardless of your income, you have access to our society’s system of justice. When we say the Pledge of Allegiance, we close with the promise of ‘justice for all.’ If individuals lack access to legal assistance, it profoundly affects their lives, the lives of their children and the stability of their communities.”
Participants in Lawyers in Libraries: Law Day 2015 will have an opportunity to meet with a local lawyer and receive information about free resources, low-cost legal assistance and legal referrals.
The Justice Action Group is a coalition of Maine’s state and federal judiciaries, the University of Maine School of Law, the Maine State Bar Association, the Maine Bar Foundation, the Maine Trial Lawyers Association, and the boards of legal service providers.