[COLUMBIA, S.C.,] Collins & Lacy, P.C. is pleased to announce that founding partner and past-president of the ABOTA Foundation, Joel W. Collins Jr., along with the South Carolina Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, have planned the First Annual James Otis Lecture in celebration of Constitution Day at 2:00 pm, Friday, September 18th. The event will be held at the South Carolina State House.
On September 17, 1787, the U.S Constitution was signed by 39 men who changed the course of history. Now, Constitution Day is a time for American to continue their legacy and develop habits of citizenship in a new generation.
The James Otis Lecture will be host to leading history students from high schools statewide. Students from around the state will gather at the South Carolina State House to hear a variety of speakers that will include Collins; Dr. Walter Edgar, University of South Carolina Professor Southern Studies; and John L. Holcomb, ABOTA National President.
“The preservation of the civil jury trial, ‘Justice by the People,’ is the primary purpose of ABOTA,” Collins said. He also offered, “The James Otis Lecture is a perfect way for the ABOTA Foundation to reach out to younger generations with a compelling look at our nation’s history. The lecture is designed to acknowledge the wisdom, courage, mistakes and successes of our predecessors who made critical contributions to develop our country’s right of self government and preservation of individual liberties.” The lecture is named after James Otis, Jr., who John Adams considered the most influential lawyer in American history. According to Adams, Otis’s argument in the Writs of Assistance case in 1761 set the spark for the American Revolution.
SCETV will provide live television coverage of the James Otis Lecture on September 18th, so that high school students statewide can join in to view this Constitution Day celebration.
Through its partnership with Scholastic, Inc., the largest educational publisher in the world, the ABOTA Foundation has created the Justice by the People website at www.scholastic.com/americanjustice. The Justice by the People site contains lesson plans on the U.S. Constitution, the jury system, voting and other hot topics for Constitution Day. The content has been created in collaboration with Scholastic and is aligned with national standards for teaching social studies. And, best of all, it’s free to teachers.
