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September 23, 2008
NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION UNVEILS NEW RADIO
CAMPAIGN AIMED AT EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ON KEY LEGAL RIGHTS ISSUES
The New York State Bar Association today unveiled a
new radio campaign focusing on three issues central to the fair
administration of justice: preventing wrongful convictions; improving
the conditions at courthouses across New
York; and protecting
privacy rights while preserving the principle of attorney-client
privilege. The radio announcements are
narrated by New York State Bar Association President Bernice K. Leber
(Arent Fox LLP
“This radio campaign is designed to help inform
and to educate the public about important issues that will impact every
New Yorker at some time in his or her life,” Leber said.
“Whether we are proposing legislation that will help prevent
innocent people from being sent to jail, offering recommendations that
will make our courthouses more user-friendly, or protecting the
fundamental right of attorney-client privilege, the New York State Bar
Association is working hard and is committed to ensuring that our system
of justice works for all who use it.”
The radio ads were produced and distributed in
coordination with the New York State Broadcaster’s Association as
part of an ongoing campaign to raise public awareness about a wide
variety of legal issues that affect the lives of New Yorkers.
The spots will run from September 22nd through October
19th. It is anticipated that the ads
will air several thousand times on radio stations across the state
throughout the month-long campaign. The
scripts for the three radio ads are as follows:
Script
#1 – Wrongful Convictions (30 Seconds)
This is Bernice Leber, President of
the New YorkState Bar
Association. It is vitally important to
protect society by incarcerating those who have committed
crimes. But, did you know that there
has been an alarming increase in the number of convictions overturned in
recent years? Ensuring that every
citizen has the right to a fair trial is
fundamental. Just one innocent person
wrongly convicted of a crime is one person too
many. We must make certain these
injustices become a thing of the
past.
Brought to you by the New York State Bar Association, in cooperation with
the New York StateBroadcasters Association.
Script
#2 – Courthouses (30 Seconds)
This is Bernice Leber, President of
the New YorkState Bar
Association. Every day, courthouses
play a central role in the administration of
justice. To the average citizen,
however, a courthouse can often be a confusing and intimidating
place. Just finding basic information
or a place to conduct confidential business can be time-consuming and
very frustrating. We are committed to
making New York State’s courthouses more accessible and user-friendly for the
people they serve. The principle of
“justice for all” demands nothing
less.
Brought to you by the New York State Bar Association, in cooperation with
the New York StateBroadcasters Association.
Script
#3 – Privacy Rights (60 Seconds)
This is Bernice Leber, President of
the New YorkState Bar
Association. If you are accused of a
crime, the information you share with your attorney must be private and
confidential in order for your attorney to give you
advice. As lawyers, we protect the
private communications with clients. But today, that privacy is at
risk. Regardless of the crime or who is
accused, if the privacy of one lawyer is compromised, the privacy of
every client could be in jeopardy. The
attorney-client privilege, a fundamental element in our justice system,
is under attack by those who feel it is harder to gain a
conviction. However, expediency must
never come at the expense of sacrificing important
rights. The right to privacy and the
attorney-client privilege must always be protected.
Brought to you by the New York State Bar Association, in cooperation with
the New York StateBroadcasters Association.
The 74,000-member New York State Bar Association is
the official statewide organization of lawyers in New
Yorkand the largest
voluntary state bar association in the nation. Founded in 1876, NYSBA programs and activities have
continuously served the public and improved the justice system for more
than 130 years.
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