We would like to remind Bar members to be diligent when it comes to recognizing scam emails.
A recent scam that has been brought to our attention involves a scammer impersonating me as Bar President, asking the recipient to handle an “Operating and Program Services Expense.” The scammer then states another officer is busy and asks the recipient to pay the vendor through Zelle. Please know that the Bar President and Bar officers would never send an email of this nature to members.
If you receive an email from myself or another officer that you were not expecting and which comes from a strange email address (the emails are spoofed, but if you hover over the sender's name you can sometimes see that the address does NOT actually belong to the sender), please do not respond to the email or click on any links; delete the email immediately. Other scam emails often ask the person receiving the email if they are "free at the moment." When the receiver responds, the scammer asks the receiver to procure several gift cards for the sender as a favor. Please be advised that the president of the Bar Association would never send emails of this nature to members.
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