County Bar Assn. Plans Law Day Observances

The Orange County Bar Assn. will host a series of free legal seminars Monday through May 1 on issues of direct concern to senior citizens. The series is among several events planned around Law Day U.S.A.

The seminars, to be held at about 25 senior citizen centers throughout the county, will focus on such topics as Social Security benefits, disability planning, durable powers of attorney, directives to physicians, and general estate planning.

Volunteer attorneys, working with county officials, will provide general information and take questions on these and other issues. For more information, call Michelle Duffy at (714) 971-9911 or Faith Van Tubbergen at (714) 778-5441.

Law Day U.S.A. on May 1 is a national celebration that is to focus on the theme of “Access to Justice.” Other area events will include:

School productions. From Monday to May 1, about 100 volunteer attorneys will visit local elementary schools to help students become familiar with the law by putting on mock trials in the classrooms. “The Big Bad Wolf vs. the Three Little Pigs” and “The Bears vs. Goldilocks” are among the productions planned. Attorneys are also available to speak at high schools. For information, call Sally Post Nothwang at (714) 761-2951.

“Call-a-lawyer.” From 6 to 9 p.m. on April 28, community residents may call the bar association at (714) 541-6222 for free answers--in either English or Spanish--to questions about the law. Attorneys specializing in such areas of the law as landlord-tenant disputes, bankruptcy, business, personal injury, criminal defense, employment and immigration will man the phone lines.

Law Day picnic. Scheduled for May 1 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Old County Courthouse at Broadway and Santa Ana Boulevard in Santa Ana, the event will help commemorate “100 years of legal history in Orange County.” Box lunches will be available, and musical performances will be featured at the picnic, which is open to the public.