“Lawyers in Libraries Day”

“Lawyers in Libraries Day” May 1

Lawyers across the state will spend time in local libraries on Law Day, Friday, May 1, to provide resources and assistance to people in need, talk about statewide legal issues, and meet with library visitors. Lawyers in Libraries: Law Day 2015 is a free event that is open to the public. The Camden Public Library will host attorney John S. Sanford 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm in a brown-bag lunch format presentation and Q&A session on Friday, May 1.

Jack Sanford has been a practicing lawyer in Camden for more than 40 years, and is a member of the firm of Harmon, Jones & Sanford. He will provide a brief description of the legal system in Maine and how it works in a practical way. He will then answer any questions the attendees may have related to the law, and let people know where they can get legal help they or their families may need.

Organizers of Lawyers in Libraries Day are the Maine Justice Action Group Collaboration on Innovation, Technology and Equal Access to Justice (the Collaboration) which includes Maine’s public libraries, the Maine State Bar Association, the Maine Bar Foundation, the State of Maine Judicial Branch, Maine’s legal aid providers, and other organizations interested in helping people access the legal resources they need, all working under The Maine Justice Action Group.

The goal of the day is to provide Maine citizens with access to legal advice and information so that they are better prepared to face legal issues that arise. Legal access is critical to a community’s well-being; an entire community suffers when neighbors and friends go through foreclosure, are not safe in their homes, or cannot afford heat or food.

“Access to justice is about fairness,” explains Hon. Andrew M. Mead, Associate Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, “so that, regardless of your income, you have access to our society’s system of justice. When we say the Pledge of Allegiance, we close with the promise of ‘justice for all.’ If individuals lack access to legal assistance, it profoundly affects their lives, the lives of their children, and the stability of their communities.”