A legal symposium is a formal gathering of lawyers and judges to discuss the law and its applications. The emphasis is on in-depth legal analysis and authoritative reasoning, often drawing upon authoritative works to substantiate arguments or conclusions. With any such symposium, in-depth exploration of a certain theme or area of law, with reference to real-life situations, can add great potential for learning for everyone involved. By the same token, we at SPB Stoneworks Ltd find that creating a suitable memorial stone can also be a great opportunity for learning. We appreciate that by detailing genuine craftsmanship and creativity, the stone can serve to honour the memory of someone who has passed away, while also creating a lasting reminder of that person.

In many ways, there are parallels to be drawn between these two areas of development, a point that becomes all the more relevant when one learns the history behind the concept of a legal symposium, and how it serves to explore human legacy: The ancient Greeks and Romans held various informal meetings, colloquially known as “symposia”, which served the same underlying purpose of a formal symposium, while also allowing for those in attendance to enjoy entertainment, such as music, poetry, and even political speeches at times. It was the Greeks who first gave the symposium its more formal title, “symposion”, and was a staple of the Greek way of life, so much so that it was even considered a rite of passage for young men to attend.

The ancients considered the symposium to be an important part of their legacy, as it embodied their values of virtue, equality, and a sense of social responsibility. In many ways, this value remains active today, even in the modern political landscape, with many of the same issues under consideration that were once examined in the symposia of centuries past. In recent years, for example, the idea of the symposium has evolved to consider new innovations in technology, particularly with regards to the impact and uses of the Internet on people’s lives.

In spite of these innovatory considerations, the themes of equality and social responsibility remain centerpieces for any symposium, similar to the way in which the process of creating a legal symposium tends to encompass similar concepts. In other words, these two industries and practices have an undeniable connection, in that they share many similar concepts in their approaches to each step of the journey of creation, whether that pertains to recreating an individual’s likeness in stone, or conceptualizing the impact of a recent legal decision for an important case.

Many people who walk into our studio wonder about what goes on behind the scenes of a legal symposium – thankfully, the article promoted above answers this question succinctly, and provides readers with suggestions on how to get the most out of their own experience in attending one! Having the opportunity to create memorial stones for our customers is an experience that brings us a great deal of both joy and satisfaction – joy, because we are able to help bring some closure to our customers and their family members, and satisfaction, because we feel that we are passing our own legacy as stonemasons down to others through our work.

For more information on the historical significance of symposia, you can visit the Wikipedia page.