The Community Outreach Section of The Jacksonville Bar Association comprises seven committees, one of which is the Civics Education Committee.
As its name implies, the committee strives to impart an understanding of government in the minds of our community’s most formidable constituents.
In the four years since W. C. Gentry and Ray Driver developed and spearheaded the JBA Civics Program, many lawyers, including judges and elected officials, have contributed to this undertaking by speaking at junior high and high schools across Duval County.
Generally, the subject matter of those presentations has related to the legal disciplines that fit within the interest and knowledge of the presenter.
Due to understandable issues with security and logistics, the success of the Civics Education Committee hinges upon a healthy relationship with the Duval County School Board and individual Duval County public schools, and with shifts in personnel, the committee’s ability to connect with educators willing and able to participate ebbs and flows.
Notwithstanding these difficulties, The Jacksonville Bar Association, through the Civics Education Committee, recently made a difference by connecting with a local high school when Calvin McFarland’s pre-law and civics class at Mandarin High School hosted Tony Zebouni, a former public defender and attorney in the General Counsel’s Office who is a partner with Regan, Whelan, Zebouni & Atwood.
Zebouni’s educational and interactive presentation on the legislative process came as no surprise given his passion for politics and experience working alongside Jacksonville’s City Council and Florida’s Legislature.
He began with a crash course on the Legislature, from its composition to the salary of legislators and everything in between.
After laying a foundation, he then separated the ninth through 12th grade students into “subcommittees,” giving them actual legislation that went before the 2015 and 2016 General Sessions.
The topics ranged from raising the state minimum wage to bills making requests for relief. The students were instructed to read the bills, analyze their substance, and form opinions.
With opportunities to discuss and debate the merits of the various bills, the students quickly became sincerely engaged and strongly opinionated with regards to the recommendations of their respective subcommittees. The exercise culminated in a class-wide vote on each bill presented.
At the recent luncheon held by The Jacksonville Bar Association, former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham spoke, discussing issues concerning civics education and promoting his new book, “America, the Owner’s Manual — You Can Fight City Hall and Win,” which provides instructions to successfully influence the government and stories of average citizens making their voices heard.
With the book fitting nicely into Zebouni’s presentations and the curriculum of McFarland’s pre-law class, Zebouni took the opportunity to present an autographed copy of the book to the teacher to use as a resource in his pre-law class.
The Civics Education Committee encourages members of The Jacksonville Bar Association to participate in the educational and entertaining community outreach program and is actively seeking new members and volunteers.
If you are interested in presenting a topic of your choice or working with the Civics Education Committee on formulating a topic and presenting, contact Judson Bradley at (904) 861-0768.