ADA – Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice James R. Winchester will be the featured speaker as the East Central University Department of Political Science and Legal Studies in conjunction with the Pontotoc County Bar Association, present “Law Day – Realizing the Dream: Equality for All” on Tuesday, April 30 in the Estep Multimedia Room, located in the Bill S. Cole University Center.
Law Day is a national event and the day will consist of panel discussions which feature area and state legal professionals, addressing topics regarding the legal profession as well as discussions on current legal issues. Winchester will be speaking from9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. with an address entitled “A Conversation on the Law.”
He was appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 2000. Previous to his appointment, Winchester served as an attorney, administrative law judge in Oklahoma City and New Orleans, and district judge for the Sixth District of Oklahoma. During his time as district judge, he tried over 200 jury trials and was named “Outstanding State Trial Court Judge” by the Oklahoma Trial Lawyers Association.
Winchester has also served as an executive board member and president of the Oklahoma Judicial Conference as well as Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Accompanying Winchester will be Regional University System of Oklahoma (RUSO) regent Susan Winchester, who is a former member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and sits on many boards throughout the state.
Additional panels will be offered throughout the day, beginning at 10:45 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., and will feature local judges, attorneys, paralegals, and current law students. All panels are open to the public as anyone is encouraged to attend. The 10:45 a.m. session is called “Legal Professionals – A Day in the Life”. At noon, a networking luncheon will take place with members of the Pontotoc County Bar Association. The 1 p.m. session is entitled “Women in the Law” and the 2 p.m. panel is “Advice from Recent Graduates”.
ECU’s Legal Studies Program is the only bachelor’s degree in legal Studies offered in Oklahoma that is approved by the American Bar Association. Program graduates enjoy careers as paralegals, attend law school, and work in all levels of the government and private sector.
For more information, contact Dr. Jenna Owens at 580-559-5603 or jowens@ecok.edu .