ADA – East Central University Legal Studies Program and the Pontotoc County Bar Association will present Law Day in the Chalmers Herman Theatre inside ECU’s Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center. The event begins at 11 a.m. with a lunch at noon, keynote speaker at 1 p.m., and another panel discussion at 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
The 11 a.m. panel discussion includes ECU graduates who are now attorneys. After lunch, ECU alumni and Coal County Associate District Judge Joe Trail will present “A Conversation with Judge Joe Trail” at 1 p.m. with Pontotoc County District Attorney Erik Johnson introducing him. A panel discussion will follow at 2 p.m. with non-attorney legal professions.
The keynote lecture will focus on Trail’s journey from high school to being elected Associate district Judge for Coal County in 2022. His educational journey was interrupted by the events of Sept. 11, 2001. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps directly after graduating from Ada High School. After leaving the military, he graduated from ECU in 2012 with a degree in Political Science. Trail also received the high academic honor of the George Nigh Award from ECU.
Trail graduated from the University of Oklahoma College of Law and then joined Johnson’s law practice in Ada. Trail became Atoka County Assistant District Attorney and was then elected Associate District Judge for Coal County.
Law Day at ECU is sponsored by the Hargrave Legal Studies fund through the ECU Foundation, Inc. The fund honors the service of Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice Rudolph Hargrave, a 1946 graduate from ECU. John Hargrave and his wife, Kay, established the fund. Both John and Kay are also ECU graduates (1977 and 1978 respectively) and attorneys. John Hargrave is currently the CEO of the ECU Foundation, Inc.
To RSVP for the lunch, a reservation is required. Please email cpappas@ecok.edu to RSVP or for more information.