“We can all agree we want a peaceful, safer and a more harmonious country for ourselves, our families and our children. To advance that goal, we call upon our brothers and sisters in the legal community to be stewards of truth and to help educate our neighbors and friends about the fundamental tenants of democracy.” – NJSBA President John E. Keefe Jr.
Knowledge is power and informed citizens are empowered citizens. However, many people know very little about our state and federal government.
- Do you know that according to a national survey, 22 percent of Americans think the three branches of government are Republican, Democrat and Independent?
- Over one third of Americans cannot identify even one branch of government.
- Only two percent of Americans polled could identify the five rights in the First Amendment.
The New Jersey State Bar Association and New Jersey Judiciary created a program to foster a better public understanding of civics and the essential role the courts play in a vibrant democracy. The program is called the Benchmarks Civics Project and the latest training session is set for Wednesday, Jan. 30, from 9-11 a.m. at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick. Learn more and register here.
Through Benchmarks, lawyers will receive ethics/professionalism continuing legal education credits (CLE) when they attend a training session about speaking on civics issues to community groups. Once trained, attorneys who go out and speak with those groups can earn additional ethics/professionalism CLE credits.
Benchmarks is fun, interactive and not political. It’s not a lecture, but a creative program that will educate, inform and empower.