Sussex County Bar Association Hosts Annual Law Day Celebration
NEWTON — The Sussex County Bar Association welcomes the public to the annual Law Day celebration on Wednesday, May 1, at 7 p.m., at the historic Sussex County Court House in Newton.
Law Day 2013 will focus on “Realizing the Dream: Equality for All” in celebration of the 150 anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50 anniversary of the March on Washington and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
A lecture on this theme of equality will be offered by Mark Hontz, Esquire. T
he event will also honor the success of the Mock Trial team from High Point Regional High School, and recognize local attorneys Mark Hontz and Dina Mikulka for their service.
Refreshments from Café Pierrot in Sparta and live patriotic music by the Law Day Brass Band will be provided. Sussex County Bar Association President Amy Gjelsvik will be on hand to greet all guests.
Law Day USA is a celebration of the Rule of Law in the United States which was first proclaimed in 1958 by President Eisenhower. The event occurs annually on or near the first day of May. In recognition of the importance of the equality in America, local attorneys will also visit area middle schools and high schools to teach about “Realizing the Dream: Equality for All” on May 1.
Each year the Sussex County Bar Association selects a member of the legal profession whose lifetime service to the law merits recognition at Law Day. This year, Mark Hontz, Esquire, a local attorney and partner in the Newton law firm of Hollander, Strelzik, Pasculli, Pasculli, Hinkes, Wojcik, Gacquin, Vandenberg and Hontz in Newton, will be honored for his service to the practice of law.
“I am grateful and humbled to receive the 2013 Law Day Award from the Sussex County Bar Association,” said Hontz. “This year is the 18th annual local Law Day celebration in Sussex County. Law Day is a unique day for students and adults to celebrate the rule of law in our country. This year’s theme, ‘Realizing the Dream: Equality for All’ is an excellent springboard to thoughtful discussion. I hope that members of the public will be able to join our lawyers and judges, parents and students on May 1 in celebrating the rule of law with good fellowship, live music, refreshments and a thought-provoking presentation.”
Dina Mikulka, Esquire, will receive recognition from Project Self-Sufficiency for her work on behalf of low-income families at the Law Day Celebration. “Dina Mikulka has volunteered her time for the legal education program at Project Self-Sufficiency for several years, and recently took it upon herself to create a mediation program for low-income Sussex County residents. She has demonstrated compassion and a unique commitment to the participants she has advised through our program,” said Deborah Berry-Toon, Executive Director at Project Self-Sufficiency. “We are grateful to Dina and to all of the attorneys who have volunteered their time on behalf of the clients of Project Self-Sufficiency during this past year, and we look forward to continuing this successful partnership for years to come.”
The Law Day celebration will also recognize the award-winning High Point Regional High School Mock Trial team which finished in first place, beating teams from seven other Sussex County high schools at the competition. The Mock Trial Competition is sponsored annually by the New Jersey State Bar Foundation to provide high school students with the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills and careful fact analysis. During the event, each team must present a case to a judge, with students serving as witnesses and attorneys. Each team is judged based on their performance, with local attorneys volunteering as coaches.