Law Day 2002 is almost upon us. Forty-five years ago, American Bar Association President Charles S. Rhyne, a Washington, D.C., attorney, envisioned a special day for the entire country to celebrate our legal system. Within a few years, both the President and Congress acted on this vision, and since 1961, May 1 has been officially recognized as Law Day.

The national theme for law day this year is "Celebrate Your Freedom-Assuring Equal Justice for All." This theme inspires us to look at our efforts to make equal justice and access to equal justice a reality for all.

For more than 100 years, America's charitable organizations and foundations, its lawyers and courts, and countless others have worked to bring equal justice to as many people as possible. We have achieved much, and we should particularly recognize and applaud the work of those who endeavor to make courts accessible to people who cannot afford representation. We owe a debt of gratitude to legal aid offices and clinics, public defenders, court programs that provide self-help resources, and to the many attorneys who, very quietly and without much fanfare, engage in pro bono representation.

You will read in this month's issue stories about a few individuals who have committed themselves in one way or another to the goals of equal justice and access. These are individuals who have made a difference on the bench, in the courtroom and in the representation of clients. They have also made a difference by volunteering time, energy and talent to civic events, to education and to promoting respect for law, legal institutions and the great diversity that makes our country strong.

We should learn from, be inspired by, and build upon their accomplishments and successes. Their successes are our successes. Peek below the surface of every individual success story, and you will discover a community of people who, over the span of many years, have provided support, encouragement, opportunity, advice and assistance.

While Law Day is a time to celebrate successes, it is also a time to realize how far we still have to go. Our efforts to date cannot be judged a success when over 80% of litigants in family court are unrepresented. So now, more than ever, we must recommit ourselves as a profession to finding new solutions to what has been a perennial, and seems to be a still growing, problem. How long will the public tolerate a legal system that fails to deliver the most basic promise of equal justice for all?

This year's Law Day celebrations in Sacramento are going to be special. Your county bar association has joined with the McGeorge School of Law and a loose-knit group of community leaders from the courts, government, education, the legal community, and the Sacramento River Cats to promote the development of character, good citizenship, selfless service, and pride among young people. Professor Clark Kelso and Professor Wollcott's article in this issue introduces the Playing by the Rules, Youth Citizenship Project, and I hope you will find a way to participate in and support an effort that has as its major goal the development in the next generation of citizens a heightened sense of civic pride and responsibility. Let's all Play Ball!