Philadelphia Bar Association | Today's News

2010 Women in Law Leadership (WILL) Academy, April 29-30

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The American Bar Association Commission on Women and Young Lawyers Division will present the fourth Women in Law Leadership (WILL) Academy on April 29-30. Realize your leadership potential, learn how to develop business and take your career to the next level.

The WILL Academy empowers and trains women lawyers to achieve success and leadership skills. You will receive practical advice from and have the opportunity to network with prominent judges, general counsels, and practitioners from around the country. You will participate in a number of interactive and highly informative programs that address a wide range of important and cutting-edge subjects.

Keynote speakers include Lynn Laverty Elsenhans, chair and chief executive officer, Sunoco, Inc. and Mary E. Snapp, corporate vice president, deputy general counsel, Microsoft Corporation.

The Academy will be held at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, 1200 Market St. and is being sponsored by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Roberta D. Liebenberg, a senior partner at Fine, Kaplan and Black, R.P.C., is chair of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession.

Maria A. Feeley, a partner at Pepper Hamilton LLP, is co-chair of the 2010 Women in Law Leadership Academy, as well as the Philadelphia liaison to the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession.

Click here for more information.

King and Ladov Address the Audience at the March 17 Quarterly Meeting

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

At the Bar Association's March 17 Quarterly Meeting, CNN's John King called for civility and objectivism in political debate and promised to uphold these values during his new television program, "John King, USA." King also answered questions from the audience and shared his hopes for a Phillies/Red Sox 2010 World Series.

In addition to King's keynote speech, Bar Association Immediate Past-Chancellor Sayde Ladov was presented with a gold box, an exact replica of the one given to Andrew Hamilton for his defense of John Peter Zenger in 1735 that is inscribed with the message, "acquired not by money, but by character." Ladov characterized her year as chancellor - in which widespread economic struggles prompted the Bar Association to create a well-received "Lawyers in Transition" program and engage in an array of public service initiatives - with Charles Dickens' famous first line of "A Tale of Two Cities": "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Click here to listen to the podcast of King's speech and here to listen to Ladov's remarks.

King's new show premieres Monday, March 22, at 7 p.m.

Business Development Skills Series Starts April 9

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Training Resource Group will present a series of programs to introduce business development skills to attorneys beginning on Friday, April 9.
The program is designed for attorneys who are now expected to develop business for themselves or their firms. Learn these essential skill sets that were never taught in law school.

The sessions will be held in the 11th floor Committee Room South of Bar Association headquarters, 1101 Market St., from 12 to 2 p.m. The April 9 session will cover building a network for business development and designing a business plan. The April 16 session will discuss the basics of networking and building a memorable 30-second commercial. On April 23, attendees will learn how to build a stronger network. The April 30 session will provide an introduction to a systematic approach to client development.

The cost is $795 per participant which includes four training sessions, one individual coaching session and materials. For more information call (215) 320-4650 or visit trainingresourcegroup.com.

Volunteer Attorneys Needed for Law Week 2010 Celebration, April 26-30

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Law Week 2010 takes place April 26-30 and the Philadelphia Bar Association and Young Lawyers Division seek volunteer attorneys of all ages to help present this annual celebration reaching thousands of citizens.

The week includes volunteers offering free legal advice at the city's free libraries, visiting high school classrooms, guiding students on tours of the city's courts, and using facts from popular fairytales to present mock criminal trials to grade school children at City Hall.

Law Week 2010 is coordinated and presented by the Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division and stands as one of the most ambitious public outreach efforts of its type in the nation. This year's theme is "Law in the 21st Century: Enduring Traditions, Emerging Challenges".

Click here to go to the Law Week 2010 Web page where you can learn more and sign up to volunteer.

The following is a schedule of Law Week 2010 activities:

Lawyer in the Classroom, Monday, April 26, through Thursday, April 29
Volunteer lawyers visit different Philadelphia schools throughout the week to address students' concerns about the law and the legal issues that affect them as they enter adulthood, and answer questions about the legal profession.

If you are interested in volunteering for the Lawyer in the Classroom program, please contact Aly Oswald or Aneesah El-Amin-Jaamia.

Legal Advice Live!, Monday, April 26
Volunteer attorneys will gather to provide free, in-person legal advice to area citizens from 12 to 2 p.m. at five different branches of the Philadelphia Free Library, including the Central branch. Attorneys will provide answers to legal questions on a broad range of topics including personal injury, medical malpractice, landlord/tenant law, divorce and child custody matters, and employment law, among others.

If you are interested in volunteering at the Central branch, please contact Anthony Chwastyk. If you are interested in volunteering at a satellite branch, please contact Rachel Branson.

In addition, on Wednesday, April 28, the Bar Association will host a special Legal Line program where residents facing legal issues can call 215-238-6333 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and have their questions answered confidentially without a fee.

If you are interested in volunteering for Legal Line, please contact Roxane Crowley.

Lawyer for a Day, Friday, April 30
Volunteer attorneys and judges take high school students into the city's courtrooms for an inside look at how the law works. Several city courtrooms open their doors to allow participants to observe proceedings. Students. The day ends with the students participating in a concluding lunch, during which the students will recount their experiences and hear from this year's special guest speaker: Bob Kelly, a pivotal member of the Philadelphia Flyers' Stanley-Cup winning teams in the mid-1970s who now acts as the team's Ambassador of Hockey.

If you are interested in volunteering for Lawyer for a Day, please contact David Walker or Amanda Shoffel.

The Trials of Goldilocks and the Big Bad Wolf, Friday, April 30
Volunteer attorneys and judges dress in costume and use facts from the fairytales Goldilocks and The Three Little Pigs to act out mock criminal trials for grade school children at seven different City Hall courtrooms. Volunteers act as prosecutors, defense attorneys and witnesses in the criminal trials, which include opening statements, examinations and cross-examinations of witnesses, closing arguments, and instructions of the juries. At the conclusion of each trial, the students act as the jury and determine whether the Big Bad Wolf or Goldilocks is guilty of a crime.

If you are interested in volunteering for The Trials of Goldilocks and the Big Bad Wolf program, please contact Heather Herrington or Justin Moriconi.

Edward F. Chacker Essay Contest, Monday, May 3
A Naturalization Ceremony welcoming dozens of new U.S. citizens will be held at the U.S. Courthouse, 6th and Market Streets in Philadelphia, at 10:30 a.m. Here, the winner of the Edward F. Chacker Essay Contest – open to Philadelphia high school seniors and named after a trial attorney and former Chancellor of the Bar Association who awards a $1,000 college scholarship to the winning essayist – will read aloud his or her essay.

All of the Law Week activities are under the direction of Bar Association Chancellor-Elect, Rudolph Garcia, and are coordinated by the Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division (YLD) with the help of scores of lawyer-volunteers. The Law Week 2010 co-chairs are Carolyn Chopko, YLD Chair-Elect, and Kelly Gastley, YLD Vice Chair.

Chancellor Scott Cooper's Recent Television Interviews

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Click the image above to see Chancellor Scott F. Cooper's interview with Pat Ciarrocchi on CBS3's "Newsmakers."

Cooper talked about current legal issues in the news and his agenda for the year.

To watch Scott F. Cooper's interview with Jill Horner on "Comcast Local Edition" view the video above.

Cooper talked about current legal issues in the news and his agenda for the year.

Sandra Day O'Connor Award Nominees Sought

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Women in the Profession Committee is seeking nominations for the 2010 Sandra Day O'Connor Award. Deadline for nominations is Monday, March 22.

The award is conferred annually on a woman attorney who has demonstrated superior legal talent, achieved significant legal accomplishments and has furthered the advancement of women in both the profession and the community. The award presentation will be made during the June Quarterly Meeting.

The committee established the award in 1993 to recognize the important contributions that women attorneys in Philadelphia have made to the legal profession. Click here to download a nomination form. Please send nominations to the attention of Dawn Petit, Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market St., 11th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107.

Soccer Program with Philadelphia Union to Launch New Bar Association Academy, March 29

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

On March 29, be there for the launch of the brand-new Philadelphia Bar Association Academy by joining Philadelphia Union President Tom Veit, Nick Sakiewicz, CEO and operating partner of the Philadelphia Union and Keystone Sports and Entertainment LLC, and Carl Cherkin, the team's vice president of communications, for an exclusive look at Philadelphia's newest sports franchise and its first-ever major league soccer team.

The free event takes place at The CLE Conference Center on the 10th floor of the Wanamaker Building, Market and Juniper streets, from 12 to 1:30 p.m. Attendees will get a virtual preview of the Union's new 18,500-seat stadium in Delaware County and learn the basics of soccer. Nick Sakiewicz, CEO & Operating Partner of the Philadelphia Union and Keystone Sports and Entertainment LLC, will also present and a raffle for "Union Gear" will be held.

The Philadelphia Bar Association Academy, launched this year by Chancellor Scott F. Cooper, is a new civic and cultural education series for members of the Association that aims to better connect members with the city's most vibrant institutions through exclusive, behind-the-scenes access.

CLICK HERE to register for the program. Lunch is available for $15 for those members who pre-register.

Sharon Pinkenson, Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, to Speak at YLD Annual Meeting, March 31

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

On March 31, hear from the woman who has helped bring more than 200 film, television and video productions to the City of Philadelphia. Sharon Pinkenson, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, will share her inside knowledge of the film industry and discuss new projects slated for the city at the Annual Meeting of the Philadelphia Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division (YLD), to be held at Table 31 in the Comcast Center, 1701 JFK Boulevard, at 12 p.m.

The event also features remarks from the 2010 Chair of the YLD, Albertine DuFrayne of Petrelli Law, P.C., and the presentation of three YLD community service awards to Lloyd Freeman of Archer & Greiner, P.C, Djung Tran of Smith & McMaster, P.C. and Ace Reporters, Inc.

Pinkenson has served as the Greater Philadelphia Film Office's Executive Director since 1992. Among her responsibilities is marketing the City of Philadelphia and its surroundings to the film, video, and television industry. The Greater Philadelphia Film Office also coordinates day-to-day production and location details, ensures the hiring of local cast and crew while directing local goods and services to productions, and develops financial incentives while enhancing the region’s reputation internationally. Pinkenson also publishes the “Greater Philadelphia Film & Video Guide” and the popular website www.film.org as well as advocates for the growth of Philadelphia's indigenous film community through the Greater Philadelphia Filmmakers program.

In 2004, Pinkenson's tenacity resulted in the passage of the $75 million Pennsylvania Film Production Tax Credit program that caught the attention of the entire film industry. As a result, a surge of new production business took place throughout the state, resulting in 2000 new jobs and $500 million for the regional economy in 2009 alone according to the Greater Philadelphia Film Office.

Highlights of Pinkenson's credits include the films "Philadelphia," "12 Monkeys," "Beloved," "The Sixth Sense," "Signs," "Invincible," "Rocky Balboa," and "The Lovely Bones," and the television series' "Cold Case," "Hack" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

Lloyd Freeman, an associate at the law firm of Archer & Greiner, P.C., will be awarded the Craig M. Perry Award, presented annually to a young lawyer who has devoted substantial time and energy to community-oriented activities. Freeman concentrates his practice in commercial litigation and began volunteering his legal skills while a student at Rutgers University School of Law, where he participated in three pro bono clinics and spent a year teaching constitutional law to high school students in Camden, N.J. He currently volunteers as a guest lecturer for Camden County Technical High School on topics such as business life skills and career exploration and, through the Burlington Camden Kappa Foundation, chairs a program for high school males that trains them in etiquette, fiscal responsibility and college preparation. In 2008, Freeman received the Young Urban Leader Award given by the Urban League of Philadelphia and, in 2007, the Rutgers Law School Mary Philbrook Student Public Interest Award.

Djung Tran, an associate at the law firm of Smith & McMaster, P.C., will be awarded the F. Sean Peretta Service Award, presented annually to an individual who has devoted substantial time to an innovative or non-traditional program that serves the community. Tran concentrates her practice on municipal representation, including land use and development. She has worked in family law, including protection from abuse cases, and immigration representation with the legal assistance program of A Woman's Place, a Bucks County nonprofit organization that provides assistance to victims and survivors of domestic violence. Tran is also the editor of the Bucks County Law Reporter, a member of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania, where she takes part in community outreach activities and young lawyer programs, and is a member of the Philadelphia School District's Task Force on Racial and Cultural Harmony.

Ace Reporters, Inc., a full service court reporting agency, will be awarded the Young Lawyers Division Vision Award, presented annually to an organization that has provided outstanding support to the YLD in the fulfillment of its mission.

The cost of the YLD Annual Meeting is $35 for Philadelphia Bar Association members and $50 for non-members. CLICK HERE to register online; CLICK HERE for a downloadable form to mail in with payment.

Ginsburg Writing Competition

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Entries are now being accepted for the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Eighth Annual Legal Writing Competition in honor of the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The co-chairs of the competition are Kathleen D. Wilkinson, partner at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman and Dicker LLP and Secretary of the Association and Diane Penneys Edelman, assistant dean for international programs and professor of legal writing, Villanova University School of Law.

The Bar Association recognizes the importance of excellence in legal analysis and writing skills, and seeks to award a student enrolled in an American Bar Association-approved or provisionally approved area law school for authoring a top-quality competition submission.

“This competition was created eight years ago. It gives law students the opportunity to show off their legal writing talents. The winner is invited to the October Quarterly Meeting to be recognized and presented with the award,” said Wilkinson. “This is an excellent way for a law student to distinguish oneself.”

“We are thrilled that the Bar Association has demonstrated a strong commitment to the development and recognition of excellent legal analysis and writing abilities among Philadelphia-area law students. These skills have always been important to a lawyer’s success, and have become even more crucial in this economy,” said Edelman.

This competition is open to full- and part-time law students who are in their second or third year of study during the 2009-2010 academic year at one of the following six institutions: Drexel University Earle Mack School of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Rutgers University School of Law – Camden, Temple University Beasley School of Law, Villanova University School of Law and Widener University School of Law (Delaware Campus).

Part-time law students in their third or later year of study are also eligible. Students must be in good standing at their institutions. The submission may not have been published previously, although it may have been prepared in connection with a law school course or for a law journal. The submission also may not have been submitted for any other competition during the time when it is under consideration for this competition, until after the time when awards are announced. The submission must be the work of one author alone (joint submissions will not be considered), and the author must certify that the submission has been prepared without substantial editing from others.

Candidates may submit a law review quality submission on any topic relating to rights, privileges and responsibilities under federal law. Entries must be received by Monday, May 10 at 4 p.m.

The author of the winning submission will receive a cash award of $2,500, the publication of the winning submission on the Bar Association’s Web site and/or in an appropriate Bar Association publication. The winner will be presented with the award at the Association’s Quarterly Meeting in October.

Competition Rules

FJD Training Session on E-Filing Rescheduled for April 22

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The First Judicial District training session on electronic filing scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 17 has been postponed and rescheduled for Thursday, April 22.

Electronic filing of all civil matters became mandatory in January 2009. This program will provide in-depth instruction on the use of the electronic filing system. It was designed to allow for the filing of all civil cases and legal document via the Internet from anywhere at any time. The system currently provides attorneys and litigants with unlimited online access to all papers and legal documents filed in their cases.

The faculty for the program includes President Judge Pamela Pryor Dembe, Administrative Judge D. Webster Keogh, Supervising Judge William J. Manfredi, Deputy Court Administrator Charles A. Mapp Sr., Prothonotary Joseph H. Evers, and Deputy Prothonotary Deborah E. Dailey, along with Harold Palmer, director of application systems development and Steven Wulko from quality assurance.
The program begins at 9 a.m. in Conference Room 380 of City Hall. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Click here for an electronic fillable registration form. Completed registration forms can be e-mailed to Kara.behlau@courts.phila.gov. The cost of the program is $125 and includes and electronic version of the e-filing manual. The program has been approved for 3 substantive CLE credits.

Bar-News Media Committee Lunch Program April 22

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Association' s Bar-News Media Committee program “How and When to Share Your Opinion with the Press – Submitting to Editorial Pages” will take place April 22.

Members will hear from editorial page editors from several area newspapers. Panelists will include Bernard Dagenais, Editor of the Philadelphia Business Journal; Hank Grezlak, Associate Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of The Legal Intelligencer; Lisa Hostein, Executive Editor of the Jewish Exponent; Irv Randolph, Managing Editor of The Philadelphia Tribune; and Guy Petroziello, Editorial Page Editor, Bucks County Courier Times. Additional panelists will be announced.

The program will take place from 12 to 1:30 p.m. at Bar Association headquarters, 1101 Market St., in the 11th Floor Conference Center. Click here to register. For more information about the Bar-News Media Committee, contact Committee Chair Gina Furia Rubel at Gina@furiarubel.com.

Save the Date for Bench-Bar and Annual Conference 2010

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Philadelphia Bar Association’s popular Bench-Bar and Annual Conference is returning in 2010, moving back to The Borgata in Atlantic City, N.J. for the weekend of Oct. 15 and 16.

Chancellor Scott F. Cooper has tapped Vice Chancellor John E. Savoth and Board of Governors Vice Chair Regina M. Foley to chair the conference.

“I am thrilled about the conference returning to The Borgata. We just completed the Bar’s Leadership Retreat at The Borgata and it is a top-tier venue. I think our attendees will be amazed at the facilities and the level of service. It is the perfect location for a conference of this caliber,” Cooper said.

The Association’s Bench-Bar Conference traditionally features a large selection of continuing legal education seminars for practitioners in a variety of specialty areas. There is always ample opportunity for attorneys to mingle and network with their colleagues and members of the bench.

The Borgata last hosted the Bench-Bar Conference in 2004. Since then, the event has been held at the Tropicana, Bally’s and Harrah’s.

Visit philadelphiabar.org for more details about the 2010 Bench-Bar Conference as they become available.

Haiti Relief Effort Donation Resources

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Click here for a list of donation resources to support humanitarian relief efforts currently underway in Haiti.