(Oklahoma City – April 28, 2008) Oklahoma lawyers will offer free legal advice through a toll-free hotline on Thursday, May 1 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. The statewide hotline will be staffed by Oklahoma City and Tulsa attorneys. The toll-free number to call is (800) 456-8525.

Spanish-speaking attorneys and translators also will be available to take calls.

This is the 30th year the Oklahoma Bar Association has offered the service as part of the state and national celebration of Law Day.

“Hundreds of attorneys have volunteered their time to answer callers’ legal questions at no cost. It’s all part of our annual Law Day effort to reach out the public to make a positive impact on our communities,” said OBA President Bill Conger of Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City attorney Mike Krasnow has volunteered to work the phones for the entire 12-hour event.

An estimated 2,500 people are expected to take advantage of the free service. About 350 lawyers will be volunteering statewide, donating approximately $52,500 in legal services.

Oklahoma County Bar President Charles E. Geister III has appointed John Heatly as county Law Day chairperson. The Law Day chairperson works in conjunction with the state bar’s Law Day Committee to coordinate the Ask A Lawyer call-in event. The state committee is chaired by Oklahoma City lawyer Giovanni Perry.

The accompanying “Ask A Lawyer” television program will air May 1 at 7 p.m. on OETA stations across the state.
During the hour-long TV show, a series of segments will be shown to provide a glimpse into Oklahoma's legal community. The show will feature three segments on the topics of mental health court, animal law and tort reform.

Viewers will meet Harvey Lawson as he describes his journey through the state's mental health court system and how he's gone from being a drug addict to a caring grandfather. Viewers will also see how Christine Cave has taken steps to make sure her four capuchin monkeys live the good life even if she's not around. Tort laws encompass much more than personal injury, and B.J. Kincade will tell the story of how her son's death in a car accident spurred her to become a products liability advocate.
OETA will also rebroadcast the Ask A Lawyer program throughout the month of May on OKLA.

Though Law Day is celebrated across the country, it was Wewoka attorney and 1953 OBA President Hicks Epton who originally had the idea of celebrating the law and how it affects our lives. President Dwight D. Eisenhower established Law Day nationally by proclamation in 1958; in 1961 Congress set aside the first of May as a day for the American people to celebrate their liberties and their ideals of equality and justice under the law. In 2005, the American Bar Association honored the OBA with the Outstanding Law Day Activity Award.

The Ask A Lawyer free legal advice project is one of several events in which Oklahoma lawyers participate in observance of Law Day. This year, more than 1,600 students statewide entered Law Day art and writing contests. Other students are taking part in various Law Day activities, such as classroom visits from lawyers and judges, an online citizenship test, and learning how legal rights and obligations change after one’s 18th birthday. More information about Law Day is available on the OBA Web site at www.okbar.org.