Winners of the 29th Foley & Lardner Dallas MLK Oratory Contest Announced

The 29th annual Foley & Lardner MLK Jr. Oratory Competition has been completed and the winners have been announced. The first place, which had a cash prize of $2,000, went to Dominic Patermo, a fifth-grader from the Dallas Independent School District (ISD), specifically from the Harry C. Withers Elementary School. In this contest, fourth-grade and fifth-grade students in Dallas ISD competed on delivering speeches about civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Specifically, they explained how Dr. King’s teachings can be of help today.

Zoe Frazier, who is a fourth-grade student at J.P. Starks Math, Science, and Technology, won second place and took home $1,000. Dinastee McKinney, who is at fifth-grade at Clara Oliver Elementary school, won third place and received $400 as cash prize. The other finalists were Ni'Kyah Levelston of Ronald E. McNair Elementary School; Jessie Washington of Charles Rice Elementary School; Jamari Williams of Wilmer-Hutchins Elementary School; Cortlin Harbert of Thomas L. Marsalis Elementary School; and Gregory Anderson of Urban Park Elementary School. Each of them received $200 as cash prize.

The MLK Oratory Competition, which is held every year, was established by Foley Gardere to motivate elementary students to develop their writing and oratory skills. It also has the goal of celebrating cultural diversity and of spotlighting the talents of Dallas ISD students while they learn about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year’s judges mostly came from the NBA and the Dallas Mavericks, specifically Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall, former Dallas Cowboy DeMarcus Ware, Dallas Stars legend Marty Turco, and community leader Michelle Silverthorn.

The Barber Law Firm, a firm based in Dallas, has taken an interest in such events, being a part of the Dallas community, and has recently reported about the competition on its website, through an article titled, “Dallas 5th Grader Wins MLK Oratory Contest.” The article presents excerpts from the NBC 5 DFW article that reported on this event. The article also points out that the complete winning speech of Dominic Patermo can be viewed on the NBC 5 article.

The Barber Law Firm specializes in personal injury cases in Dallas and neighboring areas. People who have been injured in an accident as a result of the negligence of another person can get assistance from the firm on how to get a fair settlement compensation for their losses. The firm was established by Kristopher Barber, who started his legal profession as a lawyer at a big insurance defense company. He was then involved in trial work as a defense lawyer and he became familiar on how such cases are defended and the circumstances under which the insurance firms will pay to settle such cases. Attorney Barber believes that the firm is very much a part of the Dallas community and reports on interesting developments on the firm’s blog, such as the MLK Oratory Competition.

Attorney Barber has received an AV “Preeminent” Peer Review Rating, which is the highest rating that an attorney can receive. The Peer Review Ratings are handled by Martindale-Hubbell and are proof of an attorney’s professional ethics and legal ability based on the confidential opinions of various members of the Bar and Judiciary. Such legal ability ratings take into account the standard of professional ability in the area where the attorney is practicing law, the attorney’s expertise, including other professional qualifications.

The practice areas of The Barber Law Firm include car accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, bicycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, drunk driving, defective autos, wrongful death, negligence, workers compensation, construction accidents, and premises liability. A common cause of personal injury through negligence are motor vehicle accidents. In such cases, the firm can offer sound legal advice and personalized support to victims. The attorneys from the firm will deal with the insurance firms and the litigation process on behalf of the client at every stage of the legal process.

Those who are interested in the services provided by The Barber Law Firm, including other announcements that they make, may want to check out their website or contact them on the phone or through email.