Storyteller teaches kids about the law
June 16, 2008
How do you entertain a group of toddlers to ’tweens on a sunny day in Ocean City? If you’re Jane Anders, and it’s the MSBA’s annual meeting, you sit them down in a stuffy hotel room and teach them all about the rule of law, conflict resolution, and the checks and balances inherent in a three-branch system of government.
Of course, it helps if you’re willing to dress up like a pirate and then, presto change-o, like Max, the “King of the Wild Things,” and if you bring a treasure chest full of books, toys, puppets and other props to beguile the audience.
That’s what Anders did last week, returning to the state bar convention for a 25th year as storyteller for the Children’s Hour. Sponsored by the Citizenship Law-Related Education Program for the Schools of Maryland, the Children’s Hour promised “to explore the ethical principles on which our legal system is based.”
That might sound a bit high-falutin’ for, say, a story about a dentist-mouse’s dilemma over whether to treat a wolf who would, but for a toothache, eat him; but never mind, the kids learned what a “dilemma” is. And other lessons, from other stories: that rules can be changed. And that sometimes, a peaceful resolution can be as close as the heads and tails on the penny in your pocket.
Anders, a teacher by trade, is married to former Anne Arundel County Deputy State’s Attorney Gerald K. Anders. “So I come by my love of the law honestly,” she said. You can see her in action here.
BARBARA GRZINCIC, Managing Editor/Law
Video from Ocean City and the MSBA
June 12, 2008
Reporter Danny Jacobs talked yesterday with some of the participants at this year’s MSBA annual meeting. Here’s what they had to say about their time in Ocean City…
This week in Maryland Lawyer
June 9, 2008
- Mandatory retirement ages for lawyers have lost favor with the ABA and many law firms, but as Danny Jacobs writes, performance-based retirement can bring its own set of problems. In a related story, the lawyer for a retired founder says his suit against his former partners is “just business,” but it feels personal to one of the men he mentored.
- Kathy Kelly Howard, lobbyist for property-owners’ rights, will be sworn in this week as president of the 23,000-member Maryland State Bar Association. Find out how she plans to use her year.
- The Court of Appeals heard argument Friday in two cases we’ve been following: A disciplinary matter against Lemon Law firm Kimmel & Silverman, and a zoning dispute between Loyola College in Maryland and North Baltimore County residents over the college’s plans for a retreat center in Parkton.
- A Frederick lawyer wins a round in his defamation suit over a blog post; and, in Verdicts & Settlements, a woman is ordered to repay $190,000 to her stepmother after her father dies.
- Leadership in Law honoree Mark Thomas, now a judge, talks about how being on the bench has literally given him a new perspective; Rommel Loria talks about the “low bono” green-card case he took for a Peruvian man after taking a class at Catholic Charities.
- The Editorial Advisory Board calls for more changes to Maryland’s foreclosure process; Wilhelm Joseph calls for more money for Legal Aid; and the woman at the center of a controversial child support ruling tells her side of the story in a letter to the editor.
Also, find legal briefs, “movers,” case digests, and summaries of the U.S. Supreme Court, the 4th Circuit and the Office of Administrative Hearings opinions here.
As always, you can comment on any of these stories by responding to this blog. Or, if you’re in Ocean City for the MSBA’s annual meeting, stop by our booth and leave me a message!
BARBARA GRZINCIC, Managing Editor, Law
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