The purpose of International Be Kind to Lawyers Day, which falls on April 11 this year, is to show the lawyers in our lives the appreciation and courtesy they deserve. According to a 2018 Gallup survey, lawyers received fairly average ratings for their honesty and ethics. Yes, lawyers frequently find themselves in sticky situations, but this is part of their employment! Today, let’s acknowledge the great work they do to assist us out of the messes we create for ourselves.
HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL BE KIND TO LAWYERS DAY
In 2008, Steve Hughes, a coach of public speaking, established International Be Kind to Lawyers Day. Hughes worked with a large number of lawyers to improve their presentation and public-speaking skills, and he discovered that the general public frequently had negative perceptions of this profession whenever he disclosed his involvement.
Hughes believed that attorneys deserve our affection, admiration, and respect 365 days out of the year. The second Tuesday in April was chosen because it occurred between two holidays with somewhat negative connotations: April Fool’s Day (April 1) and U.S. Tax Day (April 15). (April 15). Perhaps he was trying to make lawyers appear good in comparison!
Since this is an international holiday, the entire world has agreed to set aside one day per year in which we refrain from making lawyer quips and practise a variety of niceties. In all sincerity, the majority of us have lawyer friends or relatives. If you do not, you may be in the group represented by an attorney. And we’re confident that they adequately represented you. Lawyers have always had our backs and have done everything possible to get us out of trouble. Therefore, it is not particularly difficult to agree that they should be honoured today.
5 FUN FACTS ABOUT LEGAL PADS
Legal pads originated at a paper mill
The first legal pads were introduced in 1888, when a paper mill worker began collecting paper scraps and cutting them to legal size.
Yellow was a deliberate choice
Yellow was chosen because the dye was less expensive than bleaching the paper white, but it also helped attorneys distinguish their notes from all other legal documents that were white.
Attorneys were the first to employ the initial dimension.
In the past, lawyers were the primary consumers of the legal pad size — 8 12 by 14 inches — but today, many others utilise this size.
There are so many alternatives.
In today’s world of variety, legal pads are available in a variety of colours and are perforated or hole-punched; the traditional yellow pad is also available in other sizes.
Judges enlarged the margins.
Judges requested a notepad with larger margins for improved note-taking, resulting in the larger margins on the left side of legal pads today.
INTERNATIONAL BE KIND TO LAWYERS DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | April 13 | Tuesday |
| 2022 | April 12 | Tuesday |
| 2023 | April 11 | Tuesday |
| 2024 | April 9 | Tuesday |
| 2025 | April 8 | Tuesday |
