Attorney Larry Roland was one of about three dozen attorneys who visited fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms in the past month to conduct a show and tell about the legal profession, an annual event tied to the Omaha Bar Association’s observance of Law Day. The topic this year was the 14th Amendment, but as is usually the case, questions by students ranged all over the map.

Roland visited St. Margaret Mary Elementary School, where he is a proud parent. He calls many of the students by name and they give him their utmost attention. It’s a lively session. He asks questions, they answer, then counter with other queries. They are close to running over time, but are eager to get in one last question. Their teachers have pre-pared them well; they are familiar with the topic and ask mostly relevant questions. Mostly. Some questions were just fueled by curiosity or topics they had been seeing on the news.

In classrooms all over the metro area, students learn about the practice of law firsthand. Some want to be lawyers. Some don’t but their brush with the law will give them some perspective in the future. The purpose of Law Day is to acquaint the public with how the Rule of Law relates to nearly every facet of our lives in America today. Starting that education early is the aim of this and other activities organized by the Bar and the legal community, including Courthouse tours, attending a mock trial, and participating in poster and essay contest.