[COLUMBIA, S.C. August 13, 2012] – The 2012 James Otis Lecture Series, hosted by South Carolina chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), will focus on “The First Amendment in Modern Times.” The lecture series begins 11:00 a.m. on Friday, September 14, 2012 at the South Carolina State House in the House of Representatives Chamber. Since 2010, SC-ABOTA has offered South Carolina high school students the opportunity to participate in the James Otis Lecture Series, an annual program about the U.S. Constitution in observance of National Constitution Day.
Federal law requires all schools that receive federal assistance to have a program about the Constitution on or around the anniversary date of the signing of the Constitution, which was September 17, 1787. SC-ABOTA offers this program as a free service to all South Carolina high schools and invites two outstanding history students from each school to participate. The program also can be viewed live by students on September 14 through South Carolina Educational Television (SCETV). The lecture series is named after James Otis, a prominent Boston lawyer in the colonial era.
“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,” said Joel Collins, past president of SC-ABOTA and founding partner of Collins & Lacy, P.C.
This year’s program will discuss privacy and first amendment rights in the age of social media, examining doctrines from the past applied in the context of today’s ever-changing technology and its implications for individual rights as well as freedom of speech. SC-ABOTA welcomes Furman University President Rodney Smolla as the keynote speaker. Past James Otis Lecture Series speakers include Dr. Walter Edgar, the late Honorable Matthew J. Perry Jr., winners of the American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship and other constitutional experts.
To register a high school student for this program or for more information about the SCETV live broadcast, please contact Stefanie Caraviello, Director of Marketing, Collins & Lacy, P.C. at (803) 255-0417 or scaraviello@collinsandlacy.com
