Law Day is a conference for high school students. It is one day of energizing and thought-provoking seminars at Portland State University.

Law Day features 18 different workshops on legal issues concerning and of concern to youth. More than 500 students from Oregon and southwest Washington participate and learn from scholars, activists and other experts.

 

32nd Annual

Law Day Conference

An exploration of the justice system featuring
18 dynamic workshops for high school students

Portland State University
May 17, 2012

Sponsored by
Classroom Law Project

Click here to download the flyer and share it with your colleagues.

 
Overview

Since 1981, more than 20,000 Oregon and SW Washington high school students have attended the Law Day Conference featuring exciting workshops that explore our legal system.  The Conference was first started to celebrate National Law Day, May 1, by offering students a variety of provocative, informative, and timely workshops about legal issues and led by legal experts.  The success of the conference has led to full-capacity workshops each year as well as fostered dialogues and discussion on how the law affects us all.

Classroom Law Project sponsors this conference in order to provide students with information to help make well-reasoned decisions.  Workshops are interesting, topical, and so current that many are being argued in the courts today.  When students leave the conference at the end of Law Day, they will be more informed citizens, know more about where to go for help, and, we hope, develop new interest and appreciation for being an active citizen.

 

REGISTRATION
Students will attend four workshops – two in the morning and two in the afternoon – on a first-come, first-serve basis as room capacity allows.  Please note, this means students may not be assigned their top choices.  Using the Workshop Descriptions and Student Worksheet, students are asked to prioritize their top four morning choices AND top four afternoon choices. Students must return the registration form plus $10 (includes lunch and materials, non-refundable) fee to the teacher who will then write ONE check to the Classroom Law Project (or skip student payments if the school is paying for registrations).

Registration steps:

  1. Distribute the Workshop Descriptions and Student Worksheet to students.  Ask students to prioritize their top FOUR morning choices AND top FOUR afternoon choices.
  2. Collect completed Student Worksheets from students and fill out the Student Preferences Form.
  3. Collect conference fee ($10/person, including adults) from individuals or from your school.
  4. Fill out the Online Registration Form.
    • Upload the Student Preferences Form (or if you prefer, send to office@classroomlaw.org)
    • Submit payment via credit card (or if you prefer, mail ONE check to CLP – see our mailing address at the bottom of this page).

Note: Registrations will NOT be complete until payment in full has been received by Classroom Law Project.

Downloads needed for registration:

** REGISTRATION DEADLINE is Friday, May 4, 2012! **

 

THE DETAILS
When: Thursday, May 17, 2012
8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Where: Portland State University
Smith Memorial Student Union
1825 SW Broadway
Portland, OR

What: Schedule for the day
8:30 – 9:00 a.m. Registration – Ballroom, Third Floor
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Workshop 1
10:00 -10:05 a.m. Break
10:05 – 11:05 a.m. Workshop 2
11:05 – 11:20 a.m. Lunch
11:20 – 12:20 p.m. Workshop 3
12:20 – 12:25 p.m. Break
12:25 – 1:25 p.m. Workshop 4

Questions? Contact us at (503) 224–4424 or office@classroomlaw.org

 

LAW DAY PLANNING COMMITTEE

Classroom Law Project
Morgan Bennett
Marilyn Cover

Lewis & Clark Law School
Marie Atwood
Toni Berres-Paul

Multnomah Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section
Jodie Ayura

Oregon Paralegal Association
Wayne Akin

Oregon State Bar
Toni Kelich

Portland State University
Shannon Sprague
Amie Wexler

Teacher
Marilyn Drichas, Rosemary E. Anderson

The 2012 Law Day Conference was made possible with support from:
Portland State University
Lewis & Clark Law School
Classroom Law Project Founders Circle Members

The Law Day Planning Committee wishes to thank the many volunteers and speakers who have donated their services. The Conference is intended as a forum to discuss and foster a better understanding of the law. Viewpoints expressed by the workshop presenters are their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the conference sponsors.

 

MORNING WORKSHOPS

A.  Animals and the Law
Are we humans really so different than our furry and feathered friends?  In the eyes of the law, animals are often treated as our personal properties to exchange, consume, destroy, enjoy, and utilize. From pet stores to pork chops, where are the ethical and legal lines when it comes to humanity’s use (some would say “exploitation”) of animals?  This session will explore these boundaries and illustrate some of the ways in which our current laws do and do not work with respect to animals.

B.  Careers in the Law: Opportunities for Everyone
A lawyer is only one career in the field of law.  There is a wide range of career opportunities, including private investigator, court interpreter, probation officer, medical examiner, paralegal, and corrections officer.  This workshop will explore various law-related career paths and reveal what some different legal jobs are really like.

C.  Consensual Sex, Sex Crimes and Sexting: When Prison Is the Result of a High School Relationship
In today’s world, what may seem like consensual willing participation in sexual intimacy and picture sharing between young people can be against the law, can result in prosecutions and, potentially, can result in prison sentences.  Young people need to know the adult imposed legal rules and social boundaries that govern and dictate what many young people wrongly believe is innocent and lawful behavior.

D.  Cops and You: Do You Have an Attitude?
Imagine that you are approached by a police officer.  It could be at home, school, the mall, in your car, or elsewhere.  Does your attitude work against you?  Should it?  Get the inside scoop from a police officer and defense attorney in this popular workshop.

E.  Helping Your Community: How do you decide What to do and Who to Involve to really create change?
Gandhi said, “Be the Change you wish to see in the world.”  We all have issues in our community that we care about.  We all want to be a part of the change.  Learn how an international humanitarian aid organization works with communities to create change.  Bring the skills back to your projects in your community.

F.  Oregon’s Bill of Rights: You be the Judge!
The Oregon Constitution has its own Bill of Rights and, in some cases, it provides greater protection for civil liberties than the federal Bill of Rights.  In this workshop, learn about some of the leading Oregon cases that involve civil liberties and decide what should be protected and what shouldn’t.

G.  Sex Trafficking
Portland is one of the most active areas for sex trafficking in the nation, often involving young women from poor homes or countries.  Why is sex trafficking such a problem in Portland?  Many have pointed to Portland’s large sex industry and the surrounding rural areas as ideal for hiding victims.  Attend this workshop to learn what is being done to address this growing problem.

H.  Social Movements: From Women to Wall Street
We all saw in 2011 how effective social movements can be, from the revolutionary wave in the Arab world to the Occupy Wall Street movement at home.  One of the longest and most interesting movements in U.S. History is the Women’s Suffrage Movement.  Women won their right to vote gradually, state by state.  This workshop discusses historical and current examples of how leadership and collaboration can create unprecedented change.

I.  Talking About Racism
Dr. Cornel West once said “that a profound hatred of African people…sits at the center of American civilization.”  This session considers how race and racism shape societal relations in the U.S. today.  Students will learn about the impact of racial hierarchies on our lives as citizens and neighbors.

 

AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS

J.  Balancing Freedoms: Families, Government, & Religion
How should the government deal with parents who believe in faith healing rather than seeking medical treatment when their children are sick?  Oregon lawmakers have struggled with balancing family privacy and freedom of religion with the need to protect children.  This workshop will explore how the law deals with parents who fail to seek medical care for their children, what crimes and sentences those parents may face, and why this issue is in the news.

K.  Cavanaugh v. Cup of Joe: You be the Judge!
When a customer spills hot coffee purchased from a local shop, the injuries require surgery and months of physical therapy.  An investigation reveals that the shop had received several other complaints about the temperature of their coffee, which is served at nearly 200 degrees.  Was the coffee too hot to handle?  You be the judge of a mock trial based on the fictional case from the 2012 Oregon High School Mock Trial Competition.

L.  Consumer Savvy
When you buy that new cell phone, are you signing your life away?  Does the law protect you from unscrupulous salespeople, or are you on your own?  At this workshop, learn the importance of fine print and practical consumer knowledge that can help you avoid being the victim of a bad deal.

M.  CSI: The World of Forensics
How to catch a criminal – learn from an Oregon forensics expert the amazing and sometimes shocking methods that can make a corpse the principal witness in an investigation.  This session is not for the squeamish!

N.  Cyberbullying
Whether on Facebook, Twitter, or email, you or someone you know has probably been a victim or perpetrator of cyberbullying, and you may not even realize it.  Preventing cyberbullying, however, may involve serious implications for both free speech and privacy rights.  So what exactly IS cyberbullying, and can we prevent it?

O.  Death Penalty
Does an eye for an eye make the whole world blind?  Is the death penalty an appropriate sentence for some crimes, or is it “cruel and unusual punishment?”  What are the financial and social benefits, and do they outweigh the costs?  This workshop discusses the pros and cons of the death penalty debate.

P.  Equal Rights and Sexual Orientation
Can who you love make you different in the eyes of the law?  Should gay, lesbian, and transgendered persons have the same rights as heterosexuals?  Should sexual orientation be included in anti-discrimination policies?  What are the issues surrounding same-sex marriage or domestic partnership registration?  Learn about the many legal issues surrounding the GLBT community and what they mean to America as a whole.

Q.  Immigration
The United States has been described as “a nation of immigrants,” so it’s no surprise that immigration itself has become an increasingly hot button issue.  From concerns about border security to the vitality of the national economy, this topic has become a mainstay of the American conversation.  Come to this workshop to learn more about this issue’s subtleties and join in the discussion.

R.  Student Rights
Don’t want to dissect a frog in science class?  Feel threatened by random searches of your car, locker, or personal possessions?  The Constitution and the law do protect you.  Learn what this does and doesn’t mean as it relates to where authority ends and your rights begin in school.