Fifty years ago, first-time author Harper Lee threw a 320-page stone into the ocean of literature, setting off a tidal wave that reverberates to this day. On July 11, 1960, Philadelphia-based publisher J.P. Lippincott released To Kill a Mockingbird to critical acclaim and a place atop the bestseller list, where it would stay for 80 weeks.
Lee’s book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961, became the subject of a successful movie that opened in December 1962 (with Gregory Peck in his only Academy Award-winning role), and
sold more than 30 million copies in more than 40 languages, making it one of the 10 bestselling novels of all time.
In addition to the novel’s commercial success, the character of Atticus Finch, through Lee’s writing and Peck’s acting, has pointed generations toward the goal of becoming lawyers — not just run-of-the-mill lawyers, but lawyers aspiring to serve the bar with Atticus-like integrity, professionalism, and courage.
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Great program at the State Bar Convention on Atticus Finch. Keep up the good work.