for the PUBLIC

Programs For Youth

The Franklin County Bar Association offers two specific programs for youths and young adults: Law Day and Stepping Out.

Law Day

Our Law Day program is held at the Franklin County Courthouse on the first Friday in May, and is for area 8th graders. The morning-long program features a mock trial in which students act as jurors. Attorneys from the bar association serve as prosecutors, defense attorneys, victims, defendants and witnesses. The students deliver a verdict based on the evidence presented.

Law Day is celebrated nationally on May 1. President Dwight D. Eisenhower created Law Day in 1958 as a day to reflect on our country’s legal heritage. As the American Bar Association notes, “Our legal system makes the great guarantees of our Constitution not just high-sounding abstractions, but legally enforceable rights.”

Stepping Out

Stepping Out is a program aimed at high school seniors who are getting ready to “step out” into the world. Attorneys from the bar association go into local schools to discuss the legal rights and responsibilities seniors have as they make the transition to adulthood. This program is offered throughout the school year.

Other Programs

The Franklin County Bar Association can provide schools with attorneys who will discuss the profession of law at career day programs; talk with students in any age group about specific areas of the law; and much more.

For additional information on Law Day and Stepping Out or to arrange for a speaker for a class or career day program, call the bar association office at 717-267-2032 or contact us by email.

 

Programs for Adults

The Franklin County Bar Association offers two specific programs for the community: The Law and You and our Speakers’ Bureau.

The Law and You

The Law and You is a kind of “people’s law school,” where attorneys from the bar association provide general information on a range of topics of interest to the general public. Past programs have focused on divorce, custody and support issues; taking a civil case to small claims court; and elder law issues, such as wills and estate planning.

While the attorneys cannot address questions about participants’ specific legal cases, they strive to provide attendees with a basic foundation of information about the topic.

Speakers’ Bureau

The bar association provides community groups with speakers on a wide range of both criminal and civil legal issues.

Attorneys with expertise in family law, elder law, real estate law, small claims court, criminal prosecution and defense, and other areas can present programs of general interest or tailored to a topic of specific interest to a group’s members. Speakers can be provided for both day and evening programs.

For more information on future Law and You programs and to arrange for a speaker, call the bar association office at 717-267-2032 or contact us by email.

Franklin County Law Library

The Franklin County Law Library is located with the Franklin County Bar Association on the third floor of the Heritage Center Office Complex at 100 Lincoln Way East, Chambersburg (across the street from the Franklin County Courthouse). It has a varied collection of Pennsylvania and federal resources available to the public, including access to online materials through Lexis Nexis.

The library’s hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, call the library at 717-267-2032 or contact us by email.