James Otis Lecture

2023 Topic: Celebrating Constitution Day

On September 17, 1787, 39 men gathered in Independence Hall in Philadelphia and signed the United States Constitution. What started in May of that year as an effort by delegates of the several States to amend the Articles of Confederation, resulted, instead, in an agreement by The People of the United States to establish a wholly new government unlike any on earth. Their expressed goal was to secure the blessings of Liberty to themselves and to their posterity. Of the 55 delegates who participated in the Convention that hot summer, 32 were lawyers. ABOTA hopes that the James Otis Lecture Series will help keep their memories and examples alive.

2023 Speakers: 

• The Honorable Jean H. Toal
• The Honorable Jocelyn T. Newman

About the James Otis Lecture Series

The South Carolina Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (SC ABOTA) annually present the James Otis Lecture Series in observance of National Constitution Day. The lecture series is broadcast live from the State House in the House Chamber and includes South Carolina high school students who have been recognized as James Otis Scholars.