Bar association Web sites often provide resources for free to the public (members get access to even more). The American Bar Association offers free podcasts and audio recordings in the multimedia section of ABANow, the Web site of the ABA’s media relations division. A lot of the material is promotional, but I like this podcast on one of the hottest topics in ethics right now, social media use by lawyers, entitled Beyond the Ethics of Web 2.0—What’s Now, What’s Next, What If. Download the podcast here, or listen to the recording on your computer.
On-the-ball Research Attorney Amy Emerson has informed me that the ABA has a Peep diorama competition of its very own called Peeps in Law modeled on the Washington Post Peeps Show. The ABA contest is only in its second year, while the Peeps Show has a storied tradition stemming from four epic years of peep-filled diorama goodness. Despite its newbie status, Peeps in Law has several key advantages over Peeps Show:
- The artistry and craftsmanship is of a much inferior caliber, although lawyers can be very artistic. I admittedly prefer a homespun look, but some of the ABA dioramas are too minimalist for my taste (e.g., My Cousin Peep, Murder or Accident).
- Fewer entries (39 in the ABA competition vs. 1,100+ in the Washington Post competition).
How are these advantages? Your odds of winning Peeps in Law are excellent when compared to Peeps Show, and so far the ABA has displayed all of the entries! So start brainstorming. Spring Break provides the perfect opportunity for diorama-crafting.
There are many excellent dioramas from this year’s competition, to which I give the following awards:
- Most realistic: 2009 Bar Exam: Peeps Under Pressure
- Best use of the natural environment: Sheriff Joe Arpeepo
- Best use of tiny props: 1L Peeps Study Group
- Best Peep clothing: Minnesota U.S. Senate Trial Peeps
- Best Peep hair: Phil Peeptor in Peeparazzi
- Best Peep eyebrows: Sonia Steps Out (above, scroll down if you click the link)
Vote for your favorite here. Polling closes 5 p.m. central time on Monday April 12. The winner receives a prize from the Just Born, the candy company behind Peeps.
