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"Lawyer For a Day" Caps Off Law Week
PHILADELPHIA Nearly 100 students from more than a dozen Philadelphia high schools were the guests of the Young Lawyers Division of the Philadelphia Bar Association today for the annual Lawyer For a Day event. The event capped off a weeklong celebration of Law Day, which was established as an annual event on May 1, 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to draw attention to both the principles and practice of law and justice.After touring courtrooms, observing trials, and meeting judges and attorneys, the students, teachers and their YLD host attorneys returned to the Philadelphia Bar Association offices at 1101 Market St. for lunch and an inspirational program.
Highlighting the program was Doug Overton, who is a graduate of Dobbins Tech and La Salle University. He helped lead La Salle to three consecutive NCAA tournaments. He was drafted in the second round of the 1991 NBA draft by Detroit and spent 11 years as a point guard in the league. Overton played with seven different teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers.
Retired as a player, Overton continues to work in basketball and now serves as the 76ers Director of Player Development. He focuses on off-court player development, helping the players to realize their full potential and helping them achieve their post-NBA goals. He is also a pivotal member of the coaching and scouting staff.
NBC 10s Lori Wilson also recounted her career path for the students. A general assignment reporter for NBC 10 and a contributor to the station's 10! show, Wilson has a true eye for finding the interesting story. A graduate of Indiana University, she began her career with WCIA in Champaign, Ill. Wilson made stops in Shreveport, La and Atlanta, Ga. before joining the NBC 10 staff in November.
Also speaking was native Philadelphian James Eisenhower, a distant relative of President Eisenhower. A local attorney with Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP, Eisenhower began his career working in various government posts, including stints in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and as an Assistant United States attorney. As a White House Fellow, Eisenhower drafted the executive order President Clinton signed allowing the United States to seize assets of the Colombian Cali drug cartel, which served as the foundation to seize Al-Qaeda assets after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Eisenhower served as Gov. Rendells chief criminal justice advisor during the 2002 governors race, and was a member of Gov. Rendells transition team and also acted as counsel to the Inaugural Committee.