Marguerite's May President's Letter
May 1, 2015
Re: May Days and Toasts
Dear SCWLA members and friends,
This May, we celebrate a law day, a wedding day and a mother’s day. What do these days have in common? Read on.
May 1 is Law Day. Founded in 1958, Law Day is a national day to celebrate the rule of law and its contributions to the freedoms Americans enjoy. This Law Day, the American Bar Association is also celebrating the 800 year anniversary of the Magna Carta. Remember that document from history class? Well, of the original 63 clauses, only three remain as law. Most famously, however, the 39th clause gave “all free men” the right to justice and a fair trial. Today, SCWLA offers a toast to the Magna Carta: “To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice.”
May 8 is a Wedding Day. On that day, our Executive Director, Allyce Hill, will marry her law school sweetheart, Tyler Bailey, in New Orleans. In many ways, Allyce embodies the essence of a young SCWLA member -- a recent law school graduate looking to find a full time job and simultaneously working to enhance the status of women lawyers. Today, SCWLA offers a toast to Allyce and Tyler: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”
May 10 is Mother’s Day. It is not easy being a mother, much less a mother and a lawyer, or a housekeeper, or a truck driver. And, sadly, we know that mothers often face discrimination in the workplace. But today, SCWLA offers a toast to all mothers: “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” Why? Because the authors of the Magna Carta, Allyce and Tyler, and every SCWLA member had a mother – and I am betting a great one at that.
With best personal wishes, and more to come.
Marguerite Willis
President