ABA BAR LEADER MAGAZINE

The W-BLLA was featured in a detailed two-page story of the January-February 2004 edition of the nationally renowned ABA Bar Leader magazine. The story highlighted the Association's award winning 2002 programs, "How Many Lawyers Does It Take To…" and the In Re Wyoming Appellate Moot Court.

The "How Many Lawyers Does It Take To…" program was the Association's initial public awareness campaign to improve the lawyer image in Luzerne County that was launched by Bar President William F. Anzalone in 2002. The campaign was developed under the committee leadership of Attorney Robert D. Schaub and Attorney David E. Schwager. Catherine D. Shaffer of CDS Creative of Forty Fort, Pennsylvania served as consultant and the development company for the campaign.

The campaign took place over a three month period in the Fall of 2002 and featured numerous billboards and newspaper advertisements throughout Luzerne County with the white lettering on a black background, "How Many Lawyers Does It Take To …" The next month installment of the billboards and newspaper advertisements featured groups of local lawyers in a variety of charitable and community services, such as coaching a sport team, heading a boy scout, girl scout, or cub scout group, volunteering for Big Brothers and Sisters, donating blood to the red cross, helping the environment, serving on the local volunteer fire department or emergency ambulance or rescue unit, being involved at the local soup kitchen to feed the needy, or volunteering for church or synagogue community activities, and the list went on and on. Lawyers are people who care about our neighborhoods and the quality of life. Lawyers help people not only in a professional legal setting, but are involved everyday as human beings in all of the events that improve the community and add value to life.

Therefore, the campaign asked, "How Many Lawyers Does It Take To… Coach a Team;" "How Many Lawyers Does It Take To … Feed the Homeless;" "How Many Lawyers Does It Take To … Save the Environment;" "How Many Lawyers Does It Take To … Lead Our Community To Spirituality;" Although the initial question sounded like the beginning of an old joke, placing the legal profession at the focus, the end was no laughing punch line. Lawyers, as ordinary, regular people - whether as next door neighbors, acquaintances, or friends, - make a difference in all of our lives. They make our community a better place in which to live.

The 2002 campaign attracted national attention and received acclaim from a host of sources. The campaign concluded in December 2002 on the light hearted side with a simple, unassuming, question: "Have You Hugged a Luzerne County Lawyer Today?"