Today Is Law Day 2015

VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - April 16, 2015) - The Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch (CBABC) announces that today Thursday, April 16 is Law Day; part of a week of province-wide celebrations, including public education law classes, courthouse tours, mock trials, Legal Health Checks, and a public speaking contest for high school students.

Law Day 2015 is a national celebration of the signing of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms and an opportunity to learn more about the justice system, what the legal community does, and what legal resources are available.

This year's theme is Access to Justice: What does it mean to YOU? Law Day events across Canada are made possible through the efforts of hundreds of lawyers who generously donate thousands of hours of volunteer time.

"Law Week events provide British Columbians opportunities to learn about the justice system in an engaging and interesting manner," said Alex Shorten, BC Branch President. "The CBABC is pleased to provide many varied opportunities to explore how the justice system functions. We invite all British Columbians to attend these free events across the province."

Law Week 2015 includes events across Canada during the month of April. Activities in British Columbia include public events from April 14 to 25 in Cranbrook, Duncan/Cowichan Valley, Fort St. John, Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, North Vancouver, Penticton, Terrace, Vancouver, Vernon, and Victoria, featuring:

• Community events including courthouse tours, free law classes, interactive displays, RCMP and K-9 demonstrations, contests, and more

• Mock trials based on fairy tales and children's stories, including The Three Little Pigs, Harry Potter, and The Grinch, with juries randomly chosen from the audience

• Student Forum with BC's three Chief Justices (available April 16 on bclawweek.org)

• Barry Sullivan Law Cup -- a public speaking contest for high school students

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 the CBABC Branch will hold its province-wide "Dial-A-Lawyer Day" from 10 am to 2 pm. Residents in British Columbia are invited to call 604.687.3221 or toll-free at 1.800.663.1919 to speak with a lawyer for up to 15 minutes at no cost in the following areas of law (Family, Wills & Estates, Torts & Motor Vehicle Accidents, Immigration, Business, Employment, and Criminal). Services may be provided in 10 languages.

Law Week 2015 partners are the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch, the Law Foundation of BC, the Law Society of BC, the Continuing Legal Education Society of BC, and the Vancouver Bar Association.

More information is available online at www.bclawweek.org.

The Canadian Bar Association is the professional organization representing more than 37,000 lawyers, judges and law students in Canada, including 6,700 members in British Columbia.