Nearly 600 people filled the grand ballroom at the Bayfront Convention Center on Thursday, April 28 to hear keynote speaker Michael Smerconish during the Erie County Bar Association’s annual Law Day Luncheon.  Smerconish, an attorney who is perhaps best known as host of the eponymous Smerconish on CNN and The Michael Smerconish Program on SiriusXM, discussed the polarization of the current political climate and the impact of the media on today’s political dialogue.

Smerconish made time for local high school and college students from 14 schools during a lecture and Q&A preceding the luncheon. The Erie County Bar Association also honored local leaders within and outside of the legal profession.  Attorney Gary V. Skiba received the Pro Bono Award; the Honorable Thomas P. Agresti was named Chancellor of the Bar after a brief presentation that noted milestones in both his personal and professional life; and City Councilwoman and founder of Mothers Against Teen Violence, Sonya Arrington, was honored as the 2016 Liberty Bell Award recipient.  The Liberty Bell Award recognizes a non-legal professional and Erie resident for community service that has "strengthened the American system of freedom under law".

Michael Smerconish then took the stage for an hour-long discussion of this year’s presidential elections, his views of a polarized political climate, and the transformation of election coverage since the end of the Gulf War.  Smerconish also touched upon his own professional and political backgrounds, noting differences in attitudes from when his interest and participation in politics began in the early 1980s while still in college.  He also managed to reflect upon on the lighter side of his experience in talk radio, which he claims is more often than not: “the media equivalent of pro-wrestling”.

The ECBA wrapped up its Law Day weekend celebration with a 5K run/walk on Saturday, April 30, with help from the Erie Runner’s Club.  Runners and walkers of various ages and experience participated in the event, which benefits the ECBA’s Attorneys and Kids Together Program.  The program supports the educational needs of homeless students, and a donation from the 5K proceeds is also made to the Erie Runners Club Scholarship Fund in appreciation of the group’s support for the race.