According to a news release from the RI Judiciary, Rhode Island Family Court Chief Judge Michael B. Forte and the Judiciary will be sponsoring a special event to celebrate the 19th National Adoption Day on November 19, 2022. The event will coincide with events being planned across the United States on this day to draw attention to the adoption process and the large number of children available for adoption. The Court will be finalizing nine adoptions with seven different families. The Celebration will begin at 9:00 a.m. on the 3rd Floor of the Kent County Courthouse. For more information, please click here.
Overcoming the Public Duty Doctrine and Recreational Use Statute – Slip, Falls, and Beyond
December 1, 2022 |12:30 pm - 1:30 pm | 1.0 credit
Henry Monti has tried over 70 jury trials and thousands of arbitrations involving slip/falls and other torts. Attend this seminar and learn about the Public Duty Doctrine and Recreational Use Statute, how the State of RI and its cities and towns use it to shield accountability for their negligence, and how to pierce that shield.
As a reminder, Rhode Island Law Day is scheduled for Friday, May 5, 2023. The classroom program topic will be Cornerstones of Democracy: Civics, Civility, and Collaboration. In recent years, tensions in our democratic system have revealed deep divisions in American society. These divisions are aggravated by incivility in public discourse and insufficient understanding among many people about the Constitution and the way American government works. Together, however, we can collaborate to overcome our differences, resolve our disputes, and preserve our democracy and republic. To that end, we call on members of the legal profession to lead the way in promoting civics, civility, and collaboration—the cornerstones of our democracy.
In addition to Rhode Island Law Day, the Association regularly receives requests from schools, non-profit organizations, and other institutions seeking volunteer attorneys from the Bar's Law Related Education (LRE) program. These requests are made through the Rhode Island Bar Association's Lawyers in the Classroom and Speakers Bureau programs. LRE volunteer participation times are generally limited to two hours. While most times are shorter, we do receive requests for longer programs. However, in all cases, the Bar checks with LRE volunteers to determine their interest before making any assignments.
If you are interested in serving as an LRE volunteer, and even if you have previously served as LRE volunteer, we are asking you to complete the new application to ensure our database is current with your continuing interest. Please click here to sign up as a volunteer for the Bar's classroom-based and adult non-profit organization-based Law Related Education programs.
Our Bar Association is proud to offer mentorship opportunities to our members, promoting professional development and collegiality, and assistance and guidance in the practice of law. Experienced practitioners can share their wealth of knowledge and experience with mentees, and mentees receive a helping hand as they begin, or revitalize, their legal career. Over the years, the Bar Association has matched numerous new members with seasoned attorneys, and we would like to refresh our directory.
For traditional mentoring, our program matches new lawyers, one-on-one with experienced mentors, in order to assist with law practice management, effective client representation, and career development. If you would like to volunteer and serve as a mentor, please visit ribar.com, select the MEMBERS ONLY area, and complete the Mentor Application form and return it to the listed contact.
We have revised this Application to include a sizeable list of practice areas, including a new category for Veterans. We are seeking attorney mentors in this area to who are currently serving or have served in the military as they transition to civilian legal practice. If you are a member of the military transitioning to civilian practice and would like a mentor, please email Communications Director Erin Cute at ecute@ribar.com.
As an alternative, the Bar Association also offers the Online Attorney Information Resource Center (OAR), available to Bar members through the MEMBERS ONLY section of the Bar's web site, to help members receive timely and direct volunteer assistance with practice-related questions.
If you have any questions about either form of mentoring, or if you would like to be paired with a mentor through our traditional program, please contact Communications Director Erin Cute by email: ecute@ribar.com , or telephone: 401-421-5740.