Law Week 2019

Kankakee Community College will host a series of activities related to American Bar Association Law Day.

The American Bar Association's National Law Day is Wednesday, May 1. This year’s theme is "Free Speech, Free Press, Free Society." Most activities are free, and the public is invited.

Monday, April 29 to Thursday, May 2, KCC Cavalier Room & Miner Memorial Library
Courthouse replica competition and third annual Law Week poster competition for high school and junior high students will be on display. Gold, silver, and bronze medals will be awarded for the best posters, and a classroom pizza party will be awarded to the best courthouse replica.

Monday, April 29, 6:30 p.m., KCC Arts and Sciences Foyer
KCC’s Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies Program will host a reception with Justice Thomas Kilbride, and debut the Illinois Bicentennial Exhibit of Illinois Law. The traveling exhibit covers 200 years of Illinois law.

Tuesday, April 30, 6:30 p.m., KCC auditorium
Michael Beschloss’ “Presidents of War” book discussion in KCC’s auditorium. Panelists include Pat Brady, political analyst, former Illinois Republican Party chair and former federal prosecutor; Clifton Truman Daniel, author, activist, and eldest grandson of former President Harry S. Truman; Mike Frey, KCC alumnus and managing editor of the Daily Journal; and Professor Scott Kistler. Professor Steve DePasquale is the moderator.

Wednesday, May 1, 6:30 p.m., KCC College Center
Trivia Night benefiting Prairie State Legal Services. Members of the community are invited to form a trivia team and compete! Cost is $10 per person, or $50 for a team of six. All proceeds go to Prairie State Legal Services, a provider of free or low-cost civil legal aid services to the poor and the elderly in Kankakee and Iroquois counties.  The event is sponsored by KCC’s chapter of Lambda Epsilon Chi National Honor Society in Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies.

Thursday, May 2, 6:30 p.m., KCC Cavalier Room
KCC’s second annual Civics Fair, a family-friendly event featuring voter registration, plus information about election judges, various government and civics agencies, Kankakee County Teen Court, and KCC’s Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies program. Poster contest winners will be announced and prizes awarded. Participants are given a passport to be stamped at each vendor table and can enter the passport into a drawing for a free tablet computer. Participants who donate a nonperishable food item to KCC’s Food Pantry will receive an additional entry in the tablet drawing.

Friday, May 3, 10 a.m. - noon, Courtroom 300 at the Kankakee County Courthouse
Illinois Appellate Court, Third District, oral arguments on two pending appeals. Seating is limited, and appropriate business attire is required. The Appellate Court visit is sponsored by the Kankakee County Bar Association and the Kankakee chapter of the Society of Women in Law. Justices will not comment on matters pending before the court or provide legal advice to courtroom spectators.

Law Week events are being planned in collaboration with KCC’s chapter of Lambda Epsilon Chi, the national honor society for Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies; KCC Humanities and Social Sciences Division; Kankakee County Teen Court; Kankakee County Bar Association; the Kankakee Society of Women in Law; and Prairie State Legal Services.

For more information, phone Condon, professor and program coordinator of the Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies Program, at 815-802-8216 or email kcondon@kcc.edu.

KCC is located south of downtown Kankakee near River Road, off U.S. 45-52, or take Interstate 57 to Exit 308 and follow the signs. Directions are at www.kcc.edu/directions.

KCC’s Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies program is approved by the American Bar Association. Two degrees are offered, a two-year associate degree program for those who plan to immediately enter the workforce or to transfer into a four-year bachelor’s degree program; and an advanced certificate for those already holding a bachelor’s degree.

The college also has established partnership agreements for paralegal graduates with a number of area colleges, including Governors State University in University Park.