Many of our Vermont County bars have robust programs for community engagement. Rutland and Windham counties, for instance, have long standing Law Day programs that bring lawyers and judges to schools, or school kids to lawyers and judges each spring. That wealth is not evenly spread, however. One of Josh Diamond’s goals for his year as VBA president is to build out the Bar’s reach into schools and community organizations so that every county has attorney’s engaging with the community. (See his President’s Column in the current issue of the Vermont Bar Journal).
The good news is that there are lots of opportunities for attorneys to get out into schools. Law Day provides the premier opportunity for that each year. We will start with that but read to the end because there are other educational law events happening around the state as well and they are looking for lawyers to get involved.
Law Day
Law Day, held annually on May 1 (although any day can be “Law Day”), is a national day set aside to celebrate the rule of law. Law Day provides an opportunity to understand how law and the legal process protect American liberty, strive to achieve justice, and contribute to the freedoms that all Americans share. The American Bar Association establishes a theme and provides education resources every year. In 2025 the Theme is: “The Constitution’s Promise: Out of Many, One.”
The Constitution enshrines our collective responsibility to one another, and the 2025 Law Day theme urges us to take pride in a Constitution that bridges our differences to bring us together as a united nation. Our civic lives tie us together as one “We,” whether through legislative efforts that serve the common good, through military service, or by working together, every day, to fulfill the promise of E pluribus unum, or “Out of many, one.”
As noted, the ABA has made lots of resources available to teachers and to attorneys for presentations to students at various grade levels. Click here to see the resources available for this year’s theme.
The VBA has a list of schools already that are looking for attorneys to do Law Day presentations. The schools are: Northfield Middle School (9th grade history class), Ferrisburgh Central School (4th and 5th grade), Mount Abraham Middle and High School, Bristol (Middle School), JFK Elementary School (elementary students in Winooski School District), and Rutland Middle School (Grades 7 and 8).
Could you be the attorney(s) these teachers are looking for? Please get in touch with the VBA (info@vtbar.org) and we will match you with the school of your choice if we can. Once the match is made, you and the teacher should follow up with one another concerning any details, such as access to the school, customization of the program for the students, etc.
Lawyers Wanted! Can You Help?
There are several other worthy programs looking for attorney participants coming up in the weeks ahead. Here are some looking for a few good lawyers right now.
We the People at St. Johnsbury Academy on March 31, 2025
Lucas Weiss, the AP Government teacher at St. Johnsbury Academy, is looking for five to eight attorneys or judges to judge the “We the People” program he is running at the Academy on March 31 from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM.
“We the People” is a civics education program sponsored by the California-based Center for Civics Education. They sponsor a competition that culminates with simulated congressional hearings where students testify before a panel of judges acting as members of Congress. In addition to state competitions across the country, every spring, the Center hosts the We the People National Finals and National Invitational for high school and middle school students in the Washington, D.C., area.
The St. Johnsbury program will include the 11 students in the Academy’s AP Government class. The day will consist of six 30-minute hearings: 20 minutes for the hearing (four-minute presentation, six minutes for questions, 10 minutes feedback) and then 10 minutes for the judges to score and comment. Lucas advises that there is no expectation that judges will stay for the whole day. However, being able to do at least 2 units would be helpful. To see a scoring rubric, click here. To see the topics covered, click here.
Lucas says that the format is not as formal as congressional hearings, but it is nonetheless a rigorous environment, and judges should both be well-versed in the unit areas and interested in engaging in compelling discussion with students around those areas.
If you can serve as a judge, or to get further details, or ask any questions, please contact Lucas Weiss. You can reach him at lucas.weiss@stjacademy.org.
Mock Trial April 5, 2025, at Vermont Law and Graduate School, South Royalton
The Mock Trial is in its 9th year and is a very popular event. Last year, more than 100 Vermont high school students participated. With original organizer, the Hon. Geoffrey Crawford, moving to senior status at the US District Court, the Hon. Heather Cooper of the United States Bankruptcy Court in Vermont has taken up the organization of the event this year.
There are currently 14 high school teams signed up to compete this year and 7 classrooms reserved. Judge Cooper would like to have at least two judges per classroom, as well as a few extra, in the event people need to back out or cannot make it to South Royalton on April 5. As of this writing (2/28/25), Judge Cooper is still looking for five or six more judges for Mock Trial. To see a schedule for the day, click here.
If you can serve as a judge at mock trial, please contact US Bankruptcy Court Judicial Assistant, Lisa Clifford: Lisa_Clifford@vtb.uscourts.gov
Vermont History Day at St Michael’s College in Winooski, April 5, 2025
Judging is an essential part of Vermont History Day; students receive meaningful feedback on their projects and can qualify for the National Contest in June. Most judging activities will take place between 9 AM-2 PM the day of the event, volunteer activities are split into a morning or afternoon shift. They are looking for seven to 10 volunteers.
If you can help, organizers request that you fill out the judge interest form. If you’re interested in assisting with more general events tasks, please fill out the volunteer interest form. General information about the contest is available below, and on their website.
About the Contest
Vermont History Day is in affiliation with the National History Day (NHD) program. NHD is committed to encouraging students to think innovatively with history education. Vermont History Day students can create a paper, website, documentary, performance, or exhibit on a topic of their choice. Students may examine a topic in state, national, or international history—however students must relate their topic back to NHD’s annual theme. 2025 is an exciting year for NHD, to gear up for the 250th commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The contest theme will be Rights and Responsibilities in History. Students will examine the intersections between these two powerful forces throughout history.
Contest Day Logistics
Judges at Vermont History Day work in teams of 3 to view and evaluate student projects. From 9am-2pm judges will have the opportunity to interview students and create their final rankings. Judges on paper, website, and documentary teams will receive early access to student projects. Website, documentary, and paper judges should do their preliminary evaluation of projects ahead of the April 5th contest. We will use the National History Day contest management system to coordinate the judging process. Coffee and refreshments will be available in the morning. We will also provide lunch. Please note that this year, judging rooms are in multiple buildings across St. Michael’s campus, please let us know in advance for any accessibility needs.
In addition, this year they will have two judge teams dedicated to evaluating special prize nominations. This team will receive entries ahead of the contest, this will help our team get the award ceremony ready in a timely manner the day of the event. If you have any additional questions about special prize judging, please feel free to email museum.educator@vermonthistory.org .