The Joseph Saveri Law Firm is proud to honor Law Day, held annually on May 1st to celebrate the role of law in society and to encourage a deeper understanding of the legal profession.
Law Day was originally the idea of Charles S. Rhyne, President Dwight Eisenhower’s legal counsel and president of the American Bar Association. In 1958, President Eisenhower proclaimed May 1 as Law Day, which was later codified in 1961.
Historically, on Law Day some bar associations hold luncheons, featuring speakers who cover various legal principles and topics. Attorneys also conduct outreach to schools and universities, or publish articles, to highlight the American legal system and the rule of law. And the American Bar Association designates a Law Day theme to bring awareness to an important legal issue.
ROBERT KENNEDY’S LAW ADDRESS
In his 1961 Law Day address, delivered at the University of Georgia, Attorney General Robert Kennedy warned of the dangers of price-fixing:
We have been particularly concerned lately in the Department of Justice about the spread of illegal price fixing. I would say to you, however, this is merely symptomatic of many other practices commonly accepted in business life. Our investigations show that in an alarming number of areas of the country businessmen have conspired in secret to fix prices, made collusive deals with union officials, defrauded their customers, and even in some instances cheated their own government.
Our enemies assert that capitalism enslaves the worker and will destroy itself. It is our national faith that the system of competitive enterprise offers the best hope of individual freedom, social development, and economic growth. Thus every businessman who cheats on his taxes, fixes prices, or underpays his labor, every union official who makes a collusive deal, misuses union funds, damages the free enterprise system in the eyes of the world, and does a disservice to the millions of honest Americans in all walks of life.
Robert Kennedy’s words ring just as true today. Which is why the Joseph Saveri Law Firm is proud to honor Law Day every day by tackling price-fixing, “pay-for-delay” drug-pricing arrangements, “no-poach” employment agreements, and other illegal collusive activities on behalf of consumers and purchasers. Our clients matter, and our results benefit them and society.