Philadelphia Bar Association | News Releases

Chancellor Scott Cooper Interviewed on CBS3

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

Click here 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.

Volunteers Needed for Earth Day Event

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

The Philadelphia Bar Association will mark the 40th anniversary of Earth Day by planting trees on the morning of Saturday, April 24.

Please join the Green Ribbon Task Force in helping make Philadelphia greener. We will be planting root trees at one or more locations in Philadelphia and no experience or heavy lifting is necessary. You and your family and friends are all welcome and encouraged to participate. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Kim Jessum at kjessum@stradley.com or call 215-564-8165. More details about exact locations and times will be forthcoming.

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 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.

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.

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.

NOTICE - NEW RECORDING FEES

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

Effective August 3, 2009. The schedule is posted on the City's website: www.phila.gov/records. Select Document Recording, then select Fees and look for the link to new fees.

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.

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.

DA Seth Williams to Speak to Criminal Justice Section Feb. 23

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

The Criminal Justice Section will present a conversation with District Attorney Seth Williams at its Tuesday, Feb. 23 meeting.

District Attorney Williams will share his plans for the year at the meeting, which begins at 12 p.m. in the 11th floor Conference Center of Bar Association headquarters, 1101 Market St. Lunch is available for $8 for those members who register in advance. Click here to RSVP.

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.

Justinian Event Honoring Cooper Rescheduled from Feb. 10 to Feb. 22

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Due to the possibility of inclement weather, The Justinian Society of Philadelphia luncheon event honoring Chancellor Scott F. Cooper has been rescheduled from Feb. 10 to Feb. 22.

The event will be held at The Union League of Philadelphia, 140 S. Broad St., with a reception beginning at 11:30 a.m. and a luncheon to follow at 12 p.m.

To register for the event, please contact The Justinian Society of Philadelphia at 215-545-0706 or e-mail justinian-uta@att.net or visit the Justinian Society web site at justinian.org.

Ticket prices are $50 per person for members and $60 per person for non-members. A table of 10 is $450 for Justinian members and $550 for non-members.

CNN's John King to Speak at March 17 Quarterly Meeting

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

On the heels of being announced as host of CNN's new primetime news program "John King, USA," CNN Chief National Correspondent John King will address Bar members at the Association's Quarterly Meeting and Luncheon on Wednesday, March 17. At the event, Immediate-Past Chancellor Sayde J. Ladov will be presented with a gold box, an exact replica of the one presented to Andrew Hamilton for his defense of John Peter Zenger in 1735.

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.

Young Lawyers Division to Present Comprehensive “Young Lawyer Bootcamp,” Feb. 19; Judges Confirmed for "Advice from the Bench" Panel

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Law students and young attorneys will receive practical and fundamental knowledge on the intricacies of the legal profession at “Young Lawyer Bootcamp: Tactics, Tips and Tricks for Law Students and New Lawyers”, an inaugural program presented by the Young Lawyers Division of the Philadelphia Bar Association on Feb. 19 from 12-5:30 p.m. at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. The program will be followed by a networking happy hour at Tavern on Broad, 200 S. Broad St.

In five distinct sessions, Philadelphia judges and experienced attorneys will speak on case preparation, selecting a career path, fully benefiting from initial employment, considerations when starting a solo practice, and building networking skills. The program will conclude with a networking happy hour open to all attendees and features the following courses and panelists:

Entering Unknown Territory: Choosing a Career Path
Panelists:
Hon. Dan Anders of the Family Court Division of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
Brandi Brice, an Assistant City Solicitor at the City of Philadelphia Law Department
Sophia Lee, Assistant Treasurer of the Philadelphia Bar Association and a senior counsel at Sunoco, Inc.
Sara Woods, Executive Director of Philadelphia VIP
Kathleen Wilkinson, Secretary of the Philadelphia Bar Association and a partner at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, LLP

Honoring the Veterans: Advice from the Bench
Panelists:
Hon. Charles J. Cunningham III, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
Hon. Gary S. Glazer, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
Hon. Bradley K. Moss, Philadelphia Municipal Court
Hon. Paul P. Panepinto, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
Hon. Cynthia M. Rufe, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Hon. Donna Woelpper, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas

Accepting Your Mission: Get the Most Out of Your First Job
Panelists:
Natalie D’Amora, an associate at Dilworth Paxon LLP
Lizabeth Macoretta, Executive Director of West Mt. Airy Neighbors
Theresa Rodriguez, staff attorney, Friends of Farmworkers
Gina Sullivan, counsel at GlaxoSmithKline
Robert Tintner, a partner at Fox Rothschild LLP

Leading the Troops: Considerations Before Starting Your Own Practice
Panelists:
Jeffrey Campolongo, The Law Office of Jeffrey Campolongo
James Elam, a partner at Elam & Scott, LLP
Laura Feldman, a partner at Feldman & Pinto
Stephanie Mensing, a partner at Wisniewski & Mensing, LLP
David Walker, The Law Office of David M. Walker LLC

Earning Your Stripes: The Nuts and Bolts of Networking
Panelists:
Kimberly Alford Rice, Principal, KLA Marketing Associates
Kim Jessum, of counsel at Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young, LLP
Scott Reid, a member at Cozen O’Connor
John Savoth, Vice Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association and of counsel at Saltz Mongeluzzi Barrett & Bendesky PC

The cost of “Young Lawyer Bootcamp: Tactics, Tips and Tricks for Law Students and New Lawyers” is $10.00 and includes lunch and 1 drink ticket and hor d'oeuvres at the concluding networking happy hour. The program is sponsored by KLA Marketing Associates.

Click here to register. Stay tuned for details on additional panelists.

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.

Local experts estimate that 70 percent of regional businesses don’t reopen after being hit with a fire, flood or blizzard. Don’t become a statistic.

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Philadelphia Bar Association is sponsoring the free seminar “Emergency Preparedness for Business: Learn How to Stay in Business when a Disaster Strikes” on Wednesday, Feb. 24, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the 11th floor Conference Center of Bar Association headquarters, 1101 Market St.

Presenting at the program will be Samantha (Sam) Phillips, deputy director for planning, Office of Emergency Management, City of Philadelphia; Joan Przybylowicz, deputy director for external affairs, Office of Emergency Management, City of Philadelphia; and Stacy A. Irving, senior director, Crime Prevention Services and chair, Philadelphia Crime Prevention Council, Center City District.

They will discuss business continuity of operations planning, where attendees will learn how to develop a business continuity plan; the corporate emergency access plan, to gain access to your facility when an emergency strikes; evacuation plans; and ways to receive critical information during a disaster with messages from ReadyNotify PA and AlertPhiladelphia.

There is no charge to attend. E-mail oem@phila.gov to register. A continental breakfast will be provided. For more information, visit phila.gov/ready or call 215-683-3250.

Philadelphia City Council Supports Funding of Unified Family Court Building

Mon, 4 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Philadelphia City Council has adopted a Resolution calling on Governor Edward G. Rendell and Mayor Michael A. Nutter to support funding for a unified Family Court building. Click here to view the Resolution.

An Ad Hoc Family Law Construction Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association featuring numerous stakeholders including representatives from the courts, the District Attorney's Office, the private bar, court reform advocates, architects, and others was established in early 2009 by Chancellor Sayde J. Ladov to create a blueprint to help advance and ensure the ultimate success of the project.

The lead sponsor of the Resolution, adopted by City Council on Dec. 17, was Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown.

"We applaud City Council for adopting this important resolution, which is a crucial step toward releasing critical funding for a unified Family Court headquarters," said Ladov. "We thank Councilwoman Reynolds Brown for her vision and leadership in advancing the effort to create a safe, modern and efficient facility that will benefit all Philadelphia citizens."

While many of the city's attorneys represent individuals in divorce, custody, domestic violence and other critical issues in Family Court, the overwhelming majority of matters involve self represented litigants who have no opportunity to speak to the public about their concerns. As the voice of 13,000 attorneys in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Bar Association can attest to the dire needs of these families, Ladov said.

The Bar Association and its ad hoc committee will continue to dedicate its resources to moving the project forward to ensure that city residents have unfettered access to justice in the Family Court system.

According to the Resolution, a combined Family Court building "will allow for a streamlined Family Court system, alleviating logistical issues for the courts and creating a more user-friendly system for patrons."

"The current locations for Family Court have served their purpose for a number of years but are now antiquated and the new combined Family Court can provide a level of safety and technological advancement that the citizens of this City deserve," the Resolution states.

The Association has long been on record in support of a new Family Court complex. The Family Law Section and Public Interest Section have worked with former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Sandra Schultz Newman, who served as liaison to the First Judicial District and who was an important and compelling advocate on behalf of a new Family Court building, to identify the broad range of problems with the current facilities.

In July 2003, the Board of Governors unanimously endorsed the recommendations of a comprehensive report from the Women's Law Project finding that the Domestic Relations Division falls short of national court performance standards in a number of critical areas. The report recognized that the Division "cannot significantly improve its performance if maintained at the current inadequate level of economic support and personnel and in its current building."

The Board also adopted a resolution expressing support for increased public accountability about funding and resources allocation in the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania. In addition to supporting improved facilities, it called for increased funding, personnel and resources; the provision of assistance and information for pro se litigants; improved security, scheduling and timeliness; and the fulfillment of the constitutional mandate of an open court.

Chancellor’s Reception to Be Held January 5 at Park Hyatt at the Bellevue

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The city’s outside chill will get a warm-touch antidote on Tuesday, January 5, when a record number of handshakes are exchanged at the Philadelphia Bar Association’s annual Chancellor’s Reception welcoming Scott F. Cooper, 83rd Chancellor of the Association, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue, Broad and Locust Streets.

This is the event at which even the city’s busiest and most successful legal luminaries patiently wait in a long line to wish their leader and each other good luck in the year ahead.

At times, the line of well-wishers will flow through the ballroom foyer, around corridors, past meeting rooms and down to the escalator that leads guests up to the ballroom level. But the honoree, Scott F. Cooper, who leads the Association through 2010, won’t be complaining even though he’ll be at the head of the line the whole time pumping as many as 13 hands per minute.

Cooper, a partner at Blank Rome LLP, is enthusiastically looking forward to the event. “Every year, this is one of my two favorite days on the Bar’s calendar. Our gathering together is one of our most important and time-honored traditions. In this hi-tech and e-mail driven age, it is more important than ever that we meet face-to-face as one Bar. This gathering of lawyers and judges -- of all disciplines and experience -- is truly unique to Philadelphia.”

The Inaugural Address of Scott F. Cooper, 83rd Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Sayde, you have been an amazing leader in a very difficult time. You have shown class and insight through even the most trying of tests.

You accomplished so much this year. You brought to life the programs you promised, continued the ones that define who we are and left an indelibly positive mark on this Association.

More than any of this, however, you were an amazing friend. You set a new gold standard for collaborative leadership.

And while I will have so many more wonderful things about you next April, for today, let me express simply that all of us who will follow are eternally in your debt.

Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in thanking again our 82nd Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, Sayde Ladov.

Let me also add what an honor it is for me to share this stage with three of the finest people who have ever served this Bar: Judge Annette Rizzo, Andre Denis and Joe Sullivan. It is people like them who inspire the rest of us. It is truly my honor to share time here with all three of you. Congratulations on your justly deserved recognition.

Distinguished jurists, other public officials, my dear friend and our Vice Chancellor, Rudy Garcia, our other bar leaders, honored guests and very special friends, I thank all of you for coming today.

This is always a very special day for our Bar Association. We gather together to celebrate the amazing work just completed and to outline our plans for next year.

Our 2010 agenda is one that I think even the most discerning among you will deem bold. And it is unapologetically so.

It is one born out of these incredibly difficult times. It responds to the savage cruelty that this recession has inflicted on our profession, this community and our clients.

But it is also one predicated on optimism.

Our Agenda next year calls on us to think beyond where we are today. It sets a course that gives us the best possible chance to take control of our futures despite seismic changes in our profession.

It will confirm our commitment to protecting the independence of our judiciary and fighting for those who most need access to attorneys. But it will also emphasize innovation and developing strategic partnerships to ensure that our Association and our profession stand strong at the epicenter of our world-class city.

Before I turn to how we are going to get there, let me first thank just some of my many my family, friends, colleagues, clients and supporters, without whose help I could not possibly have this amazing opportunity to serve all of you.

Of course, I cannot possibly name all of the people to whom I am so indebted.

But I do want to thank my family. My mom, Sandee, my dad, Dan, and their spouses, Sig and Autumn. Thank you for being here. I think in coming from Colorado, you may have set a record for how far any parents have ever come for one of our Annual Meetings.

To my children, Amanda and Colin, thank you. I love you so very much. And my in-laws, John and Elaine, for whom I share similar affections, thanks for being a part of our lives and thank you for coming today.

I cannot tell you what it means to me that we could all be here together to celebrate a very special day.
Case and point, I am not able to share this day with one of my most important teachers and mentors, Judge Herbert J. Hutton of our federal district court. I clerked for Judge Hutton and I owe him so much. A former member of this Association’s Board of Governors, I wish he could still be with us to see this day.

To my guest, Dale Hill, who was Judge Hutton’s secretary and my colleague in Chambers, I think it safe to say that had the Judge been able to be here with us, I think this day would have made him very happy.

To my work family at Blank Rome – the only place I have ever been in private practice. Thank you. To our leadership team, including my friends, co-chair of Blank Rome, Alan Hoffman, and our managing partner and CEO, Carl Buchholz, my practice group leader, Anthony Haller, our General Counsel Bill Roberts, and all my other very dear colleagues within and outside the employment law practice group.

Thank you so much. I could not be here without you.

To my dear friend and mentor, and our 67th Chancellor, Larry Beaser, how can I ever thank you and your charming wife Shelly enough? Larry, you are all that is still good in being a lawyer and a mentor. I, and this entire bar, are eternally in your debt for all you did as Chancellor and all you continue to do for the Board of Governors.

It takes a lot to have an entire process of governance named after you. Yet you have done it.
Almost no resolution of the Board of Governors passes before it has been “Beaserized.” That is that magical “once over review” that insurance the highest level of quality control before we send our work on to the public, the Courts and law makers. I and this Bar are eternally in your debt.

I also want to thank our former Chancellor and Chair Emeritus of our firm, Marvin Comisky, the 38th Chancellor this Bar Association, for all his support over the years.

The same for Tanya Robinson, my legal secretary of 17 years. We now have the longest continuous running work share in our practice group, and probably getting close in the firm. We have come a long way together and watched our kids grow up together. You are a very special person and I cannot thank you enough for all you do and continue to do for me, the firm and this Association. Thank you, Tanya.

To my many clients and friends who came to this meeting, I cannot thank you all enough. For you see, this is your day too.

When clients such as you – coming from every major segment of the economy, and in both the private and public sectors – want to be a part of a day like today, it reaffirms, yet again, why we are so proud to represent you and honored that you call us your lawyers.

No attorneys gets a chance to hold this position without exceptional clients. And you are quintessential examples of that rule. You are the embodiment of the very type of special and collaborative professional relationship every attorney would be jealous to have. Thank you for being here.
I also want to thank my Township Council, including Mayor Dan Rocatto, Deputy Mayor John Button, and Council Members Michael Testa and Greg Gallo, along with Judge Lois Downey, who gave up their valuable time to be with us today. And the same goes for our many other friends from Moorestown, who came today.

I also want to thank my teammates and truly special friends from the Red United Soccer Club. The hardest working team in the men’s over 35 indoor league, yet the one whose efforts are least accurately reflected in the win column of the league standings.

As your captain, your teammate and, most important, your friend, I am humbled and honored that you would take the time to attend.

It is not lost on me that we have now attended more Bar meetings in Philadelphia together than we have wins this season, but I have a strange feeling things might look up tomorrow night.

And my very best friend from law school, a Philadelphia lawyer by training, and now a Lt. Colonel in the United States Army, Jag Corps, Jeff Lippert, who came here from Ft. Benning, Georgia just to join us today: thank you.

Let us also recognize the Bar Association Leaders, the Officers, the Board of Governors, the leaders of Sections, Committees and Divisions, and to the Bar Association Staff – all of whom never get all the credit they deserve-for making this the best bar association in America, if not the world. Thank you.
I also add my personal congratulations to John Savoth on his victory today to be the Vice Chancellor of the Bar in 2010, and the 85th Chancellor of the Bar, in 2012. I have known John a long time. He is fabulous. And along with another amazing leader, strategic thinker and friend, Rudy Garcia, I personally welcome John to the Leadership team. With the final piece now in place, 2010 is going to be an amazing year. Welcome, John.

Last, and the opposite of least, let me thank the most important person in my life, my wife, Karen.
Every year, I fear we never thank the spouse of the Chancellor enough. As everyone who has ever held this job knows, the spouse always makes this possible, without all the public attention that shines on the office holder. Well today, we try.

I am almost without words to express how much it means to me that you came into my life. You are the smartest, most insightful person I have ever met. An incredible attorney in your own right, and truly the center of our family and my world.

All that I have any chance of doing well this coming year, will likely have your grace and touch all over it; those things that may not go as well, are likely because I disregarded your incredible perspectives.
Our friends know that we have been visited by some significant health challenges over the past few years.

Yet through it all, you have taught me the renewed lessons of courage, compassion, faith and determination.

I love you more than words can ever describe. And very soon, this entire association is going to realize just how lucky it is that you are a part of this coming year.

I could not and I would not take this walk without you.

And it is with such unbelievable pride that I have the honor of introducing my very best friend, the mother of our beautiful children and your soon to be first lady of this great Bar Association, Karen Cooper.

I thank you for allowing me the time to thank some, but certainly not all, of the people who are so dear to me. And with that, it is time to focus on the future.

It is time to discuss how collectively we will move forward, and what we are going to do for our profession, our City and help those who count on us.

Before I list anything that is new, let me start with something that is quite old.

Let me reiterate right up front that this Bar Association will be unwavering in its full and vocal support for an independent judiciary. We have some of the finest jurists in the world here. That is in no small part because they know that they are defended when they do what their oath to the law requires them to do, and not what is necessarily popular.

So to the Judiciary, let me say this: our unbroken commitment to you will continue and grow next year.

An attack on your independence is an attack on all of us.

We stand with you and we will stand in front of you, should any dare challenge this most important tenant of our third branch of government. We are so very proud of the role you play in our system of justice and the time you give to this Bar Association.

It is our duty to protect that independence and you can count on us to be there, should any dare to test it.

Now, let me shift gears and spend a moment setting the stage for just how grave the consequences will be if we do not prepare now for a future that is rapidly racing towards us.

When you stand on the verge of leading a Bar Association, you study things that you do not necessarily see in your daily practice. Over the past year or so, I have been tracking with concern some of the forces that are coming to bear on our profession.

We are all too familiar with the headlines describing how hard it is now to run a law firm or public sector law department:

Partner and associate firings, staff layoffs, capital calls, hirings deferred or cancelled, salary deflation, law school debt continuing to climb, lack of dedicated funding for court appointed counsel and firms reclassifying how attorneys will advance within the firms. And on and on.

But this, sadly, is not really the scary part. Each of these issues will work themselves out, or not, within a revived economy. Or as each individual legal employer figures out a way to best address them. Solutions that work in one place are not guaranteed to work in others.

And those who claim a bar association is irrelevant because it cannot fix these issues, respectfully, are mistakenly misstating the relationship between a professional association and the employers operating in the free market.

It would be folly to suggest that a bar association can tell employers how many attorneys to hire or how much to pay them. Competitors are not going to come together to discuss those issues – nor should they.

But this is simply too narrow a definition of relevance.
For there are forces that are bearing down on our profession. They are bigger than these issues. And, I fear, they are ones for which the strategic partnerships necessary between legal employers and the bar are not sufficiently developed to be ready for the next challenges.

Let me give two illustrations.

First, look with me at London, and gaze into the not-too-distant future of 2012.
For in that year, the British will permit the full and open practice of something called the Alternative Business System, or the ABS. Under Britain’s Legal Services Act, the British will allow a form of law practice in which there can be investment in the law business by those who are neither attorneys nor who share an interest in the outcome of any particular case. In simple terms, private equity investment in the ownership of law firms.

There will also be permitted combinations with insurance companies, realtors and other specialized non-core legal services.

In this new structure, the ability of their law firms to take on cases and transactions will no longer turn on the personal wealth nor creditworthiness of individual law partners.

The British have spent over a decade working on the applicable regulatory codes, conflict rules, matters related to confidentiality and client complaints.

The British have been training for years to run this marathon, yet we are not even climbing out of the crib to crawl to the registration table to get into the same race.

Beyond that, in Australia, shares of law firms already trade on their stock exchange.

Our prior debates over multidisciplinary practices have not prepared us for this coming evolution.
Before these competitive forces come to America – and they will come – we all need a strategic partner to help respond to them. I do not care how small or big your organization is, these issues are larger than any one firm or employer. And without a partnership with an organization that understands these issues, understands the need for a dialogue with the ABA, the Pennsylvania State Bar and, most important, our judiciary and regulatory counsel, this City’s legal profession is plainly at risk.

At a meeting I attended last year in London, our counterparts shared (sometimes after a few beverages) that they see this new world order of investment in law firms and permitted combinations as an essential prong of their efforts to have England supplant the United States as the center of business-law commerce in the post recession era.

And lest you mistakenly believe that this is just a big firm issue. Remember, the British are a loser pays civil system. The plaintiffs’ bar there is just as invested in making this work as the defense firms.

And whether we should be one of the first American states to embrace these ideas, fight to ensure that they never happen here, or be somewhere in the middle, a partnership with the bar must be at the center of this inevitable debate.

Here is another example. Let’s assume that we finally get serious about trying to position Philadelphia as a true international center for arbitrations or other interstate business disputes. It will take a partnership with the Bar to help design it, advertise it and help draw work to this city, so that lawyers of all stripes can, in turn, compete for it.

If we are going to have discussions about making Philadelphia a destination venue for such matters, then who better to interact with American Arbitration, Federal Mediation, JAMS and other ADR providers to drive business here than the local Bar Association.

And if we are really going to prepare for the future, than we must discuss whether we can host some of these proceedings within the security perimeter of the Philadelphia airport.

Now no business likes litigation, but can you imagine the buzz it would create if it became known that if you had to be in a case, and it was in Philadelphia, at least executives, witnesses and in-house counsel do not have to waste half the day in transit and in security lines?

Well, if you like this type of idea, or better advertising for our commerce court, we will need the Bar to facilitate this type of win-win dialogue to draw more work to Philadelphia.

Add to these structural and macro economic issues the already mounting problems with technology, and we stand exposed to a perfect storm. Each day, another person enters the ranks of a generation more content to send an email or communicate online than meet in person. Billing guidelines that prohibit personal conferences among lawyers only fuel this.

All of this leads to the very real prospect that the virtual law firm may be a valid competitor before many of us retire from the practice of law.

The ABA did a full feature article on this last summer.
Ivy league-educated lawyers offering advice to fortune 100 companies from their kitchen tables – and making a killing doing it. Most using unconventional billing methods.

The Internet has made the purchasers of legal services the most sophisticated in history. Whether it is a relatively small trust and estate issue, selecting criminal defense counsel for a family member or the most complex commercial deal in the world, purchasers of legal services are shredding geographic barriers and choosing their attorneys in ways that would have been unthinkable even a few years ago.
We are already a culture obsessed with immediacy. The Internet only accelerates the emphasis on speed, not quality or learned judgment. In the race to see who can answer complex matters first and fastest, we may all be headed towards finishing last.

And this brings us back, full circle, to the core questions underpinning this agenda.
What does Philadelphia do if the business case for bricks and mortar in Center City becomes a competitive disadvantage and not a Madison Avenue marquee of prestige and legal acumen?

What does our Bar do to help?

Well against this backdrop of a rapidly changing practice, the worst economic crisis in our lifetime and government resources stretched so thin that lawyers have to defend those most at risk without guarantees of pay, let me offer how I think we should allocate our resources next year to respond.
First, we must start this discussion. So I am going to do something that no leader of this bar association has done in a very long time.

During the first quarter of next year, I am going to call upon the leaders of the legal employers to meet on this simple question:

What can we do to best enhance your chances of being a vibrant employer in this City 5, 10 and 20 years from now?

I am asking flat out: tell us how we can help. From this discussion, we have a chance at responding to the real strategic challenges for remaining viable in this City.

The plan is simple.

We will have separate meetings for firms with a plaintiff side client base, firms with a defense side and corporate client base, and government and public advocacy interest groups.

We will start the meetings by bringing in experts who will describe some frightening scenarios for the future we face in our practices. Then we will sit and listen carefully to you.

There are no preconditions on these discussions, and no topics are off limits. But these meetings will be closed door to ensure candor and avoid attribution.

Then, with your permission, we will brief the judiciary and city leaders on our conclusions.
But here is the most important part. I need the attendees to be the TOP people at these organizations or their highest-level designees.

We do not need meetings to discuss the ill effects of the recession; all of us have those war stories to tell. What we do need are people in the room who have the authority to effectuate solutions.
I urge all these leaders to give this a chance. I promise that I will give 100% of my best efforts for a year and ask that those out there in our legal community who lead employers to give 100 minutes of their time to this question. For so much hangs in the balance.

I know of no other organization that can host such discussions.

And if not us, who?

If not now, when?

The time to take ownership in our futures is now!

Beyond these meetings, I will conduct a number of Chancellor’s Forums on the complex issues affecting work in our legal industry. These include the changing demographics of attorneys – young and old – and who we can work together to advance the mission of the bar and protect the public.
No lawyer should suffer the indignity of ending an otherwise distinguished legal career by appearing before the disciplinary board, just because no one was there to ask, “do you need help.” As our population ages, and attorneys practice longer, we must be there for our colleagues.
In the process, I hope to impress upon an entire generation of current and up-and-coming leaders of our legal employers that this Bar Association is an indispensable first-step partner in securing all of our futures in Philadelphia – not an afterthought.

We will then fully leverage technology to make sure that the largest number of people have access to and can use the results of all this hard work.

Next, we need to do a better job partnering with the law schools.
Whatever training we need young lawyers to have, it starts with the law schools being relevant to those entering the legal profession.

This is why I will ask the Board of Governors to adopt a bylaw proposal that will allow representation by the Deans of our local law schools to join the Board of Governors. We need to stop this false dichotomy between the academic and practicing worlds.

Employers want better trained attorneys, and law schools want their graduates hired. I can think of no more efficient way than to have the leadership of each segment be plugged in at the highest levels to what the other is doing and having a direct impact.

Staying with the theme of learning, in 2010, we will launch one of the most ambitious undertakings in the Bar’s History, and create the Philadelphia Bar Association Academy. This organization will partner with outside organizations to provide a life of learning for our members – outside of CLE.

The lawyer of the future needs to be someone who is both well rounded and technically proficient.
Through our new academy, lawyers will be able to register for free or modestly priced courses that will help them be part of this City and simply become better-rounded people. Courses will be driven by specific interests in cultural, civic, epicurean, sports, technology and other matters, as you the members desire. The curriculum will change over time and will involve some live and some Internet-based learning.

Through this Academy, I see our Bar Association partnering with Philadelphia’s other great institutions to bring true value-added learning to our members. It may include meeting with the opera company before a production, cooking lessons from a five-star chef or learning about a new sport or keeping up with the latest in technology or social networking. But these are not just social activities.

Can you imagine the impact our association would have on mentoring and professional development if an associate or young lawyer in a law department, who knows nothing about, football or art history, and who was closed out of those discussions with clients and senior lawyers, could go to a bar-sponsored class with the head coach of a football team or a curator. Suddenly, the ostracized become the conversation carriers.

Better client service, better marketing, better lawyers, more civility, better members of the community. And because these courses involve non-lawyer members of the community, your Bar Association will bring an added set of skills and networking to our members. At a time when most legal employers have cut training programs to the bone, I can think of nothing more relevant to the practicing attorney.
Next, I will be contacting the other county bar Presidents to discuss better and more expanded cooperation within this region. The already existing networks and organizations of attorneys, which meet occasionally must be strengthened.

We must, for the first time, move to formalize a process through which Bar leaders in this region can meet and discuss those issues that truly transcend boundaries. I envision using a model similar to the business community’s Select Greater Philadelphia First.

The recent success of the Third Circuit Bar Association and the emerging sophistication of clients make it clear that attorneys from different parts of this region can work together for the common good. This is particularly true of cases that transcend county and state boundaries, such as family law and criminal court matters.

We also will focus our energies inward to make sure that you, the member, are getting the most efficient bar association you can have. All of you have been doing “more with less,” and so, too, will your association.

We have already passed a balanced and dramatically tightened budget for 2010.
In addition, I asked and your Board of Governors has already voted to suspend any further dues increases in 2010. The rates that were set back in April 2009, will not go up again until such time as the Board decides that times have improved and a dues increase is absolutely necessary.
We cannot be and we are not tone deaf to what is happening in this market. Your membership is the lifeblood of this organization. As the leader of this bar, we must respect that dues increases are simply not something so many of you can afford right now.

In addition, I am sun-setting no less than seven committees of this Association. Those Committees who have either exhausted their mission statement or who serve only a few people simply cannot place an ongoing strain on our resources.

Next, I will be make some historic changes to the Cabinet. For the first time in history, I will nominate for confirmation a Pro Bono and Delivery of Legal Services Czar. This individual will be a direct advisor to the Chancellor in an effort to make the best policy we can in these critical areas. In short, we must become more proactive in the incredibly complex areas of helping those most at risk and understanding the complexities of funding such efforts or encouraging pro bono service.

I have asked someone who is so well known and respected in our community that he needs little introduction. I have asked our good friend, director of the clinical program at Penn and former executive director of Community Legal Services, Lou Rulli to be our first policy-level Czar. Lou will work with all of the stakeholders, including our existing committees, sections and the Bar Foundation, to help us all be as efficient as possible in providing these much needed legal services.

I will also appoint a first ever Cabinet-level appointee to help continue and develop our diversity efforts. By having a seat at the center of policy initiatives, this individual can help us make the most informed choices possible.

I have asked Scott Reid to be the first person to assume this historic position. As former President of the Barristers, the Diversity Partner at Cozen and O’Conner, and a good friend, Scott is the perfect person to work with a soon-to-be-hired staff Director of Diversity. This will allow us to take one of the most important legacies of my good friend and our former Chancellor Michael Pratt to the next level.
In this role, Scott will not only help coordinate efforts among all the key stakeholders, but he will bring his own unique perspectives to the Cabinet and on issues of diversity.

With all this talk about the future, it is time we get equally serious about preserving where we have come from. In 2010, we will create our own Philadelphia Bar Association Historical Society. This group will convene under the capable leadership of William Fedullo, chair of the Philadelphia Commission of Judicial Selection and Retention; Robert Heim, former Chancellor and Robert Liebenger, our 2008 Sandra Day O’Connor Winner.

The group will devise a plan to preserve our heritage, which includes gathering historic documents, interviewing senior attorneys, creating Web resources and saving our great history through writing and video. We will, of course, seek lots of input from the judiciary once this project is up and running.
This Historical Society will also help us celebrate in 2010 the 275th anniversary of Andrew Hamilton’s famous freedom of the press trial in New York.

Our final major initiative, and the one that my children inspire me to undertake, bears on our own role in saving this planet. Next year, we will focus on one of the most important movements of our generation – the crusade to save our planet and take this Association and our profession green.
Following the creation of a “green ribbon” panel, we will first determine how the Bar Association itself can better reduce resource waste. This will include both internal operations and member support. But that is just the beginning.

We will seek to set voluntary standards for each segment of our bar. If a legal employer complies with those goals applicable to institutions of a particular size, it will be invited to post a designation that it has met the Bar Association’s green standards for legal practices.

If we did just this, it would be an amazing contribution. But I want the Philadelphia legal community to truly lead on a national scale.

With the capable help of co-chairs Michael Hayes and Kim Jessum, today I call upon every Section, Division and Committee of this Bar to scrutinize all that we do as lawyers and find ways to reduce waste. I want transactional lawyers to look at how we document deals and closings. I want litigators to scour the litigation process – especially in discovery, the rules of court and hearing preparations – and come up with recommendations that will truly reduce our carbon footprint.

We will then take those recommendations and ask our jurists to join us by including those pertinent recommendations in their case management and trial preparation orders. If there are rules that are causing waste, we will open appropriate dialogue to see if the Courts will consider changing them.

We have to stop hoping that this is everyone else’s solution to find. We live on this planet, and we must do our part to make it last.

Well, I think we are going to be busy for a while.

We are going to strategically partner and rejoin with the legal employers to tackle these daunting challenges.

We are going break down a key barrier between the academic and practicing communities.

We are going to build an academy to train our lawyers to be the citizens of the future, predicated upon a life of learning.

We will reach out across our own borders for the betterment of our communities.

We will improve our governance to deliver better results for our core missions of serving the public, our diversity and the community.

And we are going to help save the planet we live on.

Now, if you are shaking your head right now or thinking, “He’ll never get all this done,” or maybe, “he just bit off more than he can chew.”

Well, let me tell you a little secret.

That is precisely the plan.

You see, I have no intention of doing this alone.

As Chancellor, and like a good CEO, I can chart a direction. I can allocate where we should expend our resources. What I cannot do is implement. Only we can collectively do that.
If these programs do not energize and excite broad-based support, they should and will die on the vine.

This is obviously not an agenda of two or three easy to accomplish items. For I have learned a few things from the public officials who grace this meeting. When times get tough, the good ones step up for the good of the constituency.

You do more than you might have wanted to.

You stretch further than you thought you could.

You risk trying solutions that may not be completed until long after your time for political credit has passed.

So to those who wish we would try nothing new and ask that we stay in the safe harbor of recycling only what worked decades ago, I fear you are going to be disappointed.

These extraordinary times and the forces converging on this profession do not give us the luxury of complacency or stagnation. If some want this profession to go the way of the buggy whip manufacturer – sorry. It is not going to happen on my watch.

We can protect the core of who we are while innovating.

I have lived my entire professional life by a simple maxim, one most aptly summed up by Henry Ford, who said, “Those who say they can, and those who say they cannot, usually are right.”

Well I say we can.

I say we must, and

I say we will!

This Bar Association is our last best hope to build the profession we all dream and know it can be.

Today we usher in an era of renewed enthusiasm and optimism about our ability to effectuate a positive impact on our own futures.

And like my soccer team here, we need everyone pulling as a team, irrespective of the odds we face when entering the arena. The scoreboard a year from now will not matter unless we leave it all out on that field for one another. And that is precisely what I intended to do for all of you.

To the young lawyers – we need your enthusiasm, idealism and passion.

To those more senior – we need your hard-earned battle scars, otherwise known as life’s experience and wisdom.

To everyone else – we need your sense of urgency and creativity.

Despite what our critics say, this profession is not just about making money. Each day we get up and help manufacture the greatest commodity the human race has ever devised – the rule of law and its inevitable byproducts of social justice, equality and the freedoms that holds this democracy together.
In short, it must work. Not only for all of us, but for all of those whose rights and liberties depend upon us.

So if you have it in you, please join our ranks. Stand up and be counted. This is your future too that we are fighting for.

A stone’s throw from where gather now, at the close of the Constitutional Convention, John Adams posed a fitting query to our own Benjamin Franklin. Adams noted that throughout the debates, he had studied the half-sun carved in the back of the Speaker’s chair. Adams asked Franklin if it was a rising or a setting sun.

Franklin responded, “My Dear Mr. Adams, it is indeed a rising sun. For the best days of this Republic are still yet to come.”

Well like Franklin, I too believe our best days are yet to come.

But if we are going to reach that sunrise, we must first cross a sea that is replete with dangers.
It masks perils off our coast and unleashes swells powerful enough to capsize all but the most skilled of piloted vessels.

Yet if this Bar Association remains strong, if it will give us a chance to implement the programs I have laid out and if it is willing to innovate, to keep abreast of the times, then no one will make this passage alone.

And in so doing, we will chart a course for that future on the yet unseen shore and we will make it easier for all those who follow us because they will not have to the face the challenges that we have already conquered.

And for my part in this, I am humbled by the chance to serve, yet energized by the chance to stand alongside you and embrace these challenges.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I know we are ready.

So mark our heading and

Bring me that horizon,

As I proudly and enthusiastically accept your challenge and your charge – to be the 83rd Chancellor of this great and wonderful Philadelphia Bar Association.

THANK YOU!

Chancellor’s Reception

Wed, 9 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Young Lawyers Division of the Philadelphia Bar Association Announces Election Results for 2010 Cabinet, Executive Committee

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

PHILADELPHIA – The Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the Philadelphia Bar Association has elected its 2010 Cabinet and Executive Committee.

Carolyn M. Chopko of Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock & Dodig was elected YLD Chair-Elect, defeating Jennifer S. Coatsworth of Margolis Edelstein in the only contested race for a Cabinet position. Chopko will assume YLD Chair in 2011.

Kelly J. Gastley, a supervising attorney at Philadelphia VIP, was elected Vice Chair; Melanie J. Taylor, a prosecutor in the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, was elected Secretary; John Encarnacion, an associate in the property-subrogation department at White and Williams LLP, was elected Treasurer; and Rachel E. Kopp, an associate in the international and domestic securities practice group at Spector Roseman Kodroff & Willis, P.C., was elected Financial Secretary.

Albertine Y. DuFrayne, an associate at the Law Office of Thomas J. Petrelli, Jr., will ascend to YLD Chair from her current role as Chair-Elect. She replaces current Chair Brian S. Chacker of Gay Chacker & Mittin.

Ten candidates ran for seven open YLD Executive Committee seats at the Bar Association’s Annual Meeting and General Election on Dec. 8. The winners were: Alexandra M. Antoniou, a sole practitioner and graduate of Villanova University School of Law; Rachel E. Branson, an associate at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP and a graduate of Villanova University School of Law; Roxane Crowley, a SeniorLAW Center Borchard Fellow in Law and Aging and a graduate of Temple University Beasley of Law; Ryan G. Gatto, a judicial clerk at the Complex Litigation Center, First Judicial District of Pennsylvania and a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law; Joseph P. Guzzardo, an associate with Reger Rizzo and Darnall, LLP and a graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law; Paul W. Kaufman, an assistant U.S. Attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and a graduate of Yale Law School; and Matthew G. Laver, a judicial law clerk for Court of Common Pleas President Judge Pamela Pryor Dembe and a graduate of University of Maryland Law School.

All positions take effect January 1, 2010.

DuFrayne’s practice is concentrated in family law, including divorce, support and custody. Prior to joining the Law Office of Thomas J. Petrelli, Jr., DuFrayne was a staff attorney with the Homeless Advocacy Project and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ann M. Butchart of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, Family Court Juvenile Division. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2001 and her law degree from Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law in 2004. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Philadelphia VIP and an active member of the University of Wisconsin – Madison Alumni Association Philadelphia, South Jersey and Delaware Chapter.

Chopko practices in the areas of medical negligence and product liability. She earned her undergraduate degree in nursing from Villanova University and spent four years as a registered nurse while on active duty as an officer in the United States Navy. She earned her law degree from Villanova University School of Law and is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Chopko is also a member of the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, the Pennsylvania Association for Justice and the American Association for Justice.

Gastley joined VIP in 2005 as an Independence Foundation Public Interest Law Fellow, working on its homeownership (tangled title) project. Gastley now works with VIP's homeownership, mortgage foreclosure, nonprofit, and small business clients, and supervises the LawWorks paralegal and interns. She also trains and mentors VIP's volunteer attorneys and participates in community outreaches. Gastley received her B.A. in Sociology and Government from the College of William and Mary and her J.D. from the Marshall-Wythe William and Mary School of Law, both in Williamsburg,
Virginia.

Taylor’s practice focuses primarily on criminal appellate prosecution with a varied caseload that includes homicides, assaults and economic crimes. Prior to her current position, Taylor worked as a Legislative Analyst Intern at The U.S. Government Accountability Office in Washington, D.C. She earned her undergraduate degree in 2001 from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her J.D. in 2005 from The George Washington University Law School. Taylor is also a member of The Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia and is actively involved in The West Philadelphia Child Care Network and The National Black Prosecutor's Association.

Encarnacion’s practice includes diverse matters such as insurance subrogation, commercial litigation, creditors' rights, products liability and construction defects. He received his undergraduate degree in 1996 from the College of William and Mary and his J.D. in 1999 from Villanova University, where he was the production editor of the Villanova Sports and Entertainment Law Journal. He has written articles on product tampering and accidental contamination insurance and is the primary contributor to “PhiLAWdelphia,” the YLD’s blog. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania and on the Board of Directors of Philadelphia VIP.

Kopp represents investors in securities class actions and other forums of investor protection matters. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland (College Park) in 2000 and her law degree from Villanova University Law School in 2003. During law school, Kopp served as a legal intern with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., MTV Networks, and Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts in New York. She also served as a judicial extern with the mediation program of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. Kopp is currently a member of the Villanova Law J. Willard O'Brien American Inn of Court and is involved in the American and Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Divisions.

The Young Lawyers Division is made up of members of the Philadelphia Bar Association who have not yet reached their 37th birthday or who have been practicing less than three years. Its mission is to promote the interests of young lawyers, improve the quality of the legal system, provide a forum for the exchange of views among young lawyers, encourage the professional development of young lawyers through educational and service programs, participate in the growth and advancement of the legal profession, and encourage young lawyers to represent deserving clients on a pro bono basis.

Listen to Podcasts of Dec. 8 Annual Meeting

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Podcasts of Chancellor Scott F. Cooper's remarks to Bar membership as well as presentation of the Wachovia Fidelity Award, Justice William J. Brennan Jr. Distinguished Jurist Award and the Chancellor's Diversity Award at the Dec. 8, 2009 Annual Meeting are available at philadelphiabar.org.

Philadelphia Bar Association Introduces Incoming Chancellor Scott F. Cooper, Announces Annual Election Results and Holds Balloting for YLD Executive Committee Seats

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

On Dec. 8, the Philadelphia Bar Association greeted its 83rd Chancellor at its Annual Meeting and Luncheon and held its Annual Election of Bar officers and members of the Board of Governors.

Current Chancellor Sayde Joy Ladov introduced incoming Chancellor Scott F. Cooper, whose term officially begins on January 1, 2010. Cooper delivered his inaugural address at this event.

At age 44, Scott F. Cooper will become one of the youngest chancellors in the history of the Philadelphia Bar Association. A partner in Blank Rome LLP’s Labor, Employment and Benefits Practice Group, Cooper is accustomed to the fast track. He made partner within five years at age 33. The Legal Intelligencer has recognized him as a “Lawyer on the Fast Track” and the Philadelphia Business Journal named him one of the city’s “Top 40 under 40” in 2004.

As a law student at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, he was a triple threat: managing editor of the law review, a member of the National Trial Team and on the Moot Court Honor Society. He was also a judicial intern for the Hon. Dolores K. Sloviter, Hon. Clarence Newcomer and Hon. Marvin Halbert.

Cooper is also the first person in more than 35 years to serve as Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association while living in New Jersey.

During the Dec. 8 program, the Philadelphia Bar Association also recognized the Hon. Annette M. Rizzo of the Court of Common Pleas as the recipient of the 2009 Justice William J. Brennan Jr. Distinguished Jurist Award, and Joseph A. Sullivan, special counsel and director of Pro Bono Programs at Pepper Hamilton LLP, as the recipient of the 2009 Wachovia Fidelity Award.

In addition, André A. Dennis, a partner at Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP, received the second annual Chancellor’s Diversity Award. Dennis was the first African American to serve as Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association in 1993.

There being no opposition for the following offices, a unanimous ballot was cast for these individuals who were elected to the offices as noted: Vice Chancellor, John Savoth; Secretary, Kathleen D. Wilkinson; Assistant Secretary, Sophia Lee; Treasurer, Joseph A. Prim Jr.; and Assistant Treasurer, Wesley R. Payne.

There being no opposition, a unanimous ballot was also be cast for the following candidates for Board of Governors: Brandi Brice, Kimberly Ruch-Alegant, Scott P. Sigman, Stacy A. Tees and H. Marc Tepper.

Balloting was held for candidates seeking seats on the Young Lawyers Division Executive Committee. Ten candidates ran for seven seats on the Young Lawyers Division Executive Committee, with the following seven winning: Alexandra Antoniou, Rachel E. Branson, Roxane Crowley, Ryan G. Gatto, Joseph P. Guzzardo, Paul W. Kaufman and Matthew G. Laver.

Founded in 1802, the nearly 13,000-member Philadelphia Bar Association is America’s first chartered metropolitan bar association and the largest local bar association in Pennsylvania.
Attorneys look to the Philadelphia Bar Association for guidance on controversial legal issues and as an organized meeting ground for professional support and information sharing. The Philadelphia Bar Association also provides help and general information on legal issues to members of the public.

Marsha Levick, Co-Founder of the Juvenile Law Center, to Receive Prestigious Andrew Hamilton Award from the Public Interest Section of the Philadelphia Bar Associaton at Annual Awards Ceremony and Reception, Dec. 2

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

PHILADELPHIA – The Public Interest Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association will award its prestigious Andrew Hamilton Award to Marsha Levick, the co-founder of the Juvenile Law Center, the oldest public interest law firm for children in the United States, at its Annual Awards Ceremony and Reception, Dec. 2 at 5:30 p.m. at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel.

The Andrew Hamilton Award honors an exceptional legal services advocate or public defender associated with an organization with a purpose of serving persons who cannot afford to pay for legal representation. Levick co-founded the Juvenile Law Center (JLC) in 1975 and currently serves as its Deputy Director and Chief Counsel. She has litigated cases concerning children's rights in both the juvenile justice and child welfare systems and authored several scholarly articles on children's rights issues.

"Ms. Levick exemplifies what it means to serve on behalf of the less fortunate," the chair of the Public Interest Section, Angus Love, said. "She has been an advocate for over 30 years to our most vulnerable population – children – and deserves our gratitude and recognition."

Levick also serves on the boards of the National Juvenile Defender Center, Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, Southern Poverty Law Center, and the advisory board of Rutgers-Camden Law School's Juvenile Justice Clinic. She received the 2006 Temple Law School Women's Law Caucus annual Professional Achievement Award, the 2008 Pennsylvania Child Advocate of the Year Award, the 2009 Pennsylvania Prison Society Award for Meritorious Service and was one of six winners of the 2009 Foundation for the Improvement of Justice Awards. She currently serves as an adjunct professor at both the University of Pennsylvania and Temple Law Schools.

The Annual Meeting and Reception begins at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 2 at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, 1200 Market Street. Tickets are $40.00 for public interest and government attorneys and $55.00 for both Public Interest Section and non-section members. Price includes drinks and heavy hors d’oeuvres. Click here to purchase tickets.

Annual Meeting and Election Tuesday, December 8

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Annual Meeting and Election
Tuesday, December 8

Registration Info:
Register Online at: philadelphiabar.org
Mail in form: form download

Time:
12:00 p.m.

Date:
Tuesday, December 8

Location:
Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue
Broad and Walnut Streets

Cost:
Tickets are $55 for members and $60 for non-members.

Candidates for YLD Executive Committee:
Alexandra Antoniou, Rachel E. Branson, Roxane Crowley, Ryan G. Gatto, Joshua L. Gayl, Joseph P. Guzzardo, Paul W. Kaufman, Matthew G. Laver, Justin J. Serianni and Jeffery Wyble

Inaugural Address:
Chancellor-Elect Scott F. Cooper

Program:
The Philadelphia Bar Association will greet its 83rd Chancellor at its Annual Meeting and Luncheon on Tuesday, Dec. 8. Current Chancellor Sayde Joy Ladov will introduce incoming Chancellor Scott F. Cooper, whose term officially begins on January 1, 2010. Cooper will deliver his inaugural address at this event.

The Philadelphia Bar Association will also recognize the Hon. Annette M. Rizzo of the Court of Common Pleas as the recipient of the 2009 Justice William J. Brennan Jr. Distinguished Jurist Award, and Joseph A. Sullivan, special counsel and director of Pro Bono Programs at Pepper Hamilton, LLP, as the recipient of the 2009 Wachovia Fidelity Award.

The Philadelphia Bar Association will also hold its Annual Election of Bar officers and members of the Board of Governors.

There being no opposition for the following offices, a unanimous ballot will be cast for these individuals who will be elected to the offices as noted: Vice Chancellor, John Savoth; Secretary, Kathleen D. Wilkinson; Assistant Secretary, Sophia Lee; Treasurer, Joseph A. Prim Jr.; and Assistant Treasurer, Wesley R. Payne.

There being no opposition, a unanimous ballot will also be cast for the following candidates for Board of Governors: Brandi Brice, Kimberly Ruch-Alegant, Scott P. Sigman, Stacy A. Tees and H. Marc Tepper.

However, balloting will be held for 10 candidates seeking one of seven seats on the Young Lawyers Division Executive Committee. Balloting will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the ballroom level of the Park Hyatt Philadelphia, Broad and Walnut Streets.

Chancellor’s Forum, Dec. 1

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Sponsored by the Bar-News Media Committee

A Year in Review: Big Cases - What Was Hot, What Was Not.
"It's Your Call with Lynn Doyle."

Tuesday, December 1

Registration Info:
Register Online at: philadelphiabar.org

Time:
12 - 1:30 p.m.

Date:
Tuesday, December 1

Location:
11th Floor Conference Center
Philadelphia Bar Association

Lunch:
Lunch is available for $6 for those members who register in advance.

Moderator:

Emmy-award winning journalist Lynn Doyle, host of "It's Your Call with Lynn Doyle" of the Comcast Network.

Panelists:

Chancellor Sayde Ladov, Tariq El-Shabazz, Rhonda Hill Wilson and Chuck A. Peruto, Jr.

Judge Annette M. Rizzo, Joseph A. Sullivan of Pepper Hamilton LLP and André L. Dennis of Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP Awarded Philadelphia Bar Association Awards at Annual Meeting and Luncheon, Dec. 8

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The Philadelphia Bar Association awarded its prestigious Justice William J. Brennan Jr. Distinguished Jurist Award to Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Annette M. Rizzo, its Wachovia Fidelity Award to Joseph A. Sullivan, director of pro bono programs at Pepper Hamilton LLP, and its Chancellor’s Diversity Award to André L. Davis, a partner with Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP, at its Annual Meeting and Luncheon, Dec. 8 at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia.

First presented in 1995, the Brennan Award honors a jurist who adheres to the highest ideals of judicial service. Past recipients include Justice Russell M. Nigro and Honorable Sandra Mazer Moss. Judge Rizzo was recognized as the driving force behind the city’s Residential Mortgage Diversion Pilot Program, an initiative launched in June 2008 that helps struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure. The American Bar Association recently awarded its Harrison Tweed Award to the Philadelphia Bar Association for its work with the program, which has helped more than 1,500 homeowners.

“Judge Rizzo took a very, very difficult situation that was driven by national economic circumstances and constructively worked out a program that benefits both sides,” said Brennan Award Committee Chair John E. Savoth.

“The program has had such a positive effect on the community. The homeowners and the mortgage companies both benefit. It’s a win-win for everybody. That, coupled with her incredible energy and work ethic in getting the program up and running, are the primary reasons she was chosen,” said Savoth.

Judge Rizzo was appointed to the Court of Common Pleas in 1998 by then-Gov. Tom Ridge. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University School of Law.

Since 1966, the Wachovia Fidelity Award has recognized an attorney’s significant accomplishments in improving the administration of justice through voluntary activities rather than services rendered as a paid professional. Along with Sullivan’s pro bono efforts at Pepper Hamilton LLP, he is co-chair of the Bar Association’s Delivery of Legal Services Committee.

In nomination materials, Sullivan is cited as “integral to almost every major effort of our public interest community over the last decade, helping to strengthen the resources and futures of our organizations and programs and promoting the ideal of access to justice” and “a model attorney citizen for promoting pro bono within his firm and for leading by example in partnering with dozens of legal services agencies around the city.”

Sullivan serves on the boards of Community Legal Services, the Homeless Advocacy Project (ex officio and as past president) and Inn Dwelling (a community development organization for which he is board chairman). Sullivan is also active in a number of other organizations, including the Philadelphia VIP, and has served as adjunct faculty at Villanova University School of Law.

Sullivan is a past counsel to the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia Bar Association, and he has served as an independent counsel to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and as a legal advisor to the Philadelphia School Reform Commission. He is a recipient of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Louis J. Goffman Award, the highest honor for pro bono service, and its Pro Bono Award for Philadelphia County.

The Chancellor's Diversity Award recognizes an individual who has made a substantial contribution to diversity and inclusion in the legal field. Dennis served as Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association in 1993 and is currently a partner with Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP.

"With characteristic modesty, Andre Dennis accepted the Bar Association's highest award for an incredible body of work in the field of diversity and inclusion," said Chancellor Sayde J. Ladov.

In 2000, Dennis was appointed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Committee on Racial and Gender Bias in the Justice System. He received the Civil Liberties Award from the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation and the National Bar Association bestowed the Region III Advocacy Award upon him. His alma mater, Howard University School of Law, recognized him as a Distinguished Alumnus. Dennis has been honored by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Legal Defense Educational Fund and received the American Bar Association's Pro Bono Publico Award.

Also at the Annual Meeting and Luncheon, Scott F. Cooper of Blank Rome LLP outlined his agenda for his year as Chancellor of the Bar Association. Cooper’s term officially begins Jan. 1, 2010.

Alfano is Recipient of 15th Annual Beccaria Award

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Gaetan J. Alfano, a name partner of Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP and chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Board of Governors, has been named the recipient of the 15th Annual Beccaria Award, presented by the Criminal Justice Section and The Justinian Society.

Cesare Beccaria, an 18th century Italian scholar, was an early proponent of many of the tenets of modern criminal law. His visionary work is credited with aiding the subsequent European penal code reform and the eventual development of the American criminal justice system. This year marks the 210th anniversary of his death.

The Beccaria Award is presented annually to a judge, scholar or practitioner for outstanding contributions to the cause of justice and the advancement of legal education. The award was presented on Nov. 16 at a ceremony at City Hall.

Business Litigation Committee Updates Commerce Case Management Program Opinions

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

In 2009, the Business Litigation Committee updated the Commerce Case Management Program Opinion Project with a new chapters on Civil Conspiracy and Negotiable Instruments and the UCC

Philadelphia Bar Association Announces Annual Election Results

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

During its Annual Meeting and Luncheon on Tuesday, Dec. 8, the Philadelphia Bar Association held its Annual Election of Bar officers and members of the Board of Governors.

There being no opposition, a unanimous ballot was cast for the following candidates for Board of Governors: Brandi Brice, Kimberly Ruch-Alegant, Scott P. Sigman, Stacy A. Tees and H. Marc Tepper.

Balloting was held for candidates seeking seats on the Young Lawyers Division Executive Committee. Ten candidates ran for seven seats on the Young Lawyers Division Executive Committee, with the winners being: Alexandra Antoniou, Rachel E. Branson, Roxane Crowley, Ryan G. Gatto, Joseph P. Guzzardo, Paul W. Kaufman and Matthew G. Laver.

Founded in 1802, the 13,000-member Philadelphia Bar Association is America’s first chartered metropolitan bar association and the largest local bar association in Pennsylvania.

Attorneys look to the Philadelphia Bar Association for guidance on controversial legal issues and as an organized meeting ground for professional support and information sharing. The Philadelphia Bar Association also provides help and general information on legal issues to members of the public.

Business Law Section Seeks Nominations for 2009 Replansky Award

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The Business Law Section is seeking nominations from the Philadelphia legal community for the Section’s 2009 Dennis H. Replansky Memorial Award. The award will be presented at the Section’s Annual Reception to be held in January. The award recipient will receive the privilege of designating the recipient of the Section’s annual charitable contribution to a public interest organization.

Award criteria are:

superior legal talent in the area of business law
unique contributions to and significant achievements within the business law community in the Philadelphia area
a reputation for mentoring young attorneys
significant participation in and contributions to civic and charitable causes in the community
uniform recognition in the legal community of the candidate’s honesty, integrity and professionalism
Each candidate must be a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Business Law Section.

The Section established the award in recognition of Dennis Replansky’s career as a lawyer and his contributions to legal, civic, religious and other charitable causes. Dennis Replansky was a 51-year old senior partner at the law firm of Blank Rome Comisky & McCauley when he died in March 1994. He was a former chair of the Business Law Section.

The deadline for award nominations is noon on Wednesday, December 2, 2009.
Written nominations detailing the nominee’s qualifications for the award should be sent to: Dennis H. Replansky Memorial Award, c/o Sandra A. Jeskie, Esquire, Duane Morris LLP, 30 S. 17th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-7396; or e-mailed to jeskie@duanemorris.com

More information about the Dennis H. Replansky Award or the nomination process for the award may be obtained by calling Sandra Jeskie at (215) 979-1395.

Tentative Appointment of Magdeline D. Coleman to Bankruptcy Judgeship; Comments Being Solicited by Dec. 4

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Click Here to View Notice

After a thorough vetting process, Magdeline D. Coleman of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney has been tentatively selected by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to fill the vacant bankruptcy judgeship in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania seated in Philadelphia.

The U.S. Court of Appeals is currently soliciting comments concerning Ms. Coleman's qualifications for the position prior to a definitive appointment. Such comments will be accepted until Friday, December 4 and should be addressed to: Circuit Executive, 22409 U.S. Courthouse, 601 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19106-1721.

Workers' Comp Hearings Still Being Held During SEPTA Strike

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Workers' Compensation Judge Manager Peter Perry has asked that the bar be advised that during the SEPTA transit strike, hearings in Northeast Philadelphia, Center City and Upper Darby will still be held. If an individual is unable to attend because of the strike, the hearing will be continued and a relisting will be granted.

Two Philadelphia Law Firms and Executive Director of Community Legal Services to Receive Prestigious Philadelphia Bar Foundation Awards

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Dechert LLP, Berner Klaw & Watson LLP and Catherine C. Carr, executive director of Community Legal Services, will receive two of the awards presented by the Philadelphia Bar Foundation at the 31st Anniversary Andrew Hamilton Benefit, November 21 at the Please Touch Museum at Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park. Dechert LLP and Berner Klaw & Watson LLP will receive the Citizens Bank Pro Bono Award, honoring outstanding law firm pro bono efforts, and Carr will receive the Philadelphia Bar Foundation Award, presented to an attorney in the non-profit legal community whose work advances the cause of equal access to justice.

“We believe that good companies make a profit, but that great companies make a meaningful difference in their communities,” said Daniel K. Fitzpatrick, Citizens Bank President and CEO for Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. “Both Dechert and Berner Klaw & Watson exemplify the concept of pro bono services and we are proud to celebrate their level of excellence by presenting them with the Citizens Bank Pro Bono Award,” said Fitzpatrick.

Dechert has partnered with several public interest legal organizations in Philadelphia to provide hundreds of thousands of dollars of free legal services annually. The firm is also developing practice groups that focus on specific areas of poverty law and provide materials and support for Dechert attorneys volunteering in that area of law.

Despite being a small firm, Berner Klaw and Watson’s attorneys often exceed the 50 hours of pro bono service suggested by the firm’s internal policies. Founding partner Joni J. Berner has set the tone for the firm’s commitment to pro bono by personally performing 500 hours of volunteer work in the past five years.

Long an advocate for the rights of the poor, Catherine C. Carr is a fitting recipient of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation Award. Before taking over the leadership of Community Legal Services – an organization that helps low-income Philadelphia residents obtain equal access to justice by providing them with legal services – Cathy brought numerous precedent-setting class action lawsuits which were used as models for change by legal services programs around the country. Since being named executive director of CLS in 1995, Cathy has provided leadership and vision for her organization and the Philadelphia legal services community at large.

“Cathy Carr is a role model for every attorney in the public interest and legal services community,” Amy Ginensky, president of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation, said. “This award is well-deserved and long overdue.”

With the presentation of these honors, the Philadelphia Bar Foundation is pleased to recognize the work being accomplished in the legal community to help those most in need.

Philadelphia Bar Association Applauds Pennsylvania Supreme Court's Order to Dismiss Thousands of Luzerne County Juvenile Cases

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The Philadelphia Bar Association applauds the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s order yesterday vacating thousands of “tainted” juvenile cases that were handled by an ex-judge accused of taking kickbacks in Luzerne County, Pa. between January 1, 2003 and May 31, 2008. Further, the association specifically lauds the work and recommendations of Senior Judge Arthur E. Grim, chairman of the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission, who was appointed by the state’s Supreme Court to review these juvenile cases.

Sayde J. Ladov, Chancellor of the Bar Association, says, “We applaud this action by our state’s highest court, for we believe that this order helps to right an egregious wrong perpetuated against thousands of vulnerable youth. It also demonstrates that we are moving in the right direction, as our state’s highest court seeks to rectify the problems created by this unconscionable scandal.

“In recommending that nearly all the juveniles’ records be expunged, Judge Grim and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court have sent a powerful message restoring hope to the individuals and families personally affected by this tragedy, and they have provided an invaluable service to all citizens by helping to reestablish confidence in our justice system,” says Ladov.

She adds, “We must now work together in curing the public’s perception of the failures of the justice system in Luzerne County so that going forward, litigants and their lawyers will not be prejudiced by what has happened there.”

“A fair and independent judiciary is critical to the administration of justice,” says Ladov, “and is vital toward maintaining the integrity of our democratic system of government.”

Founded in 1802, the 13,000-member Philadelphia Bar Association is America’s first chartered metropolitan bar association and the largest local bar association in Pennsylvania.
Attorneys look to the Philadelphia Bar Association for guidance on controversial legal issues and as an organized meeting ground for professional support and information sharing. The Philadelphia Bar Association also provides help and general information on legal issues to members of the public.

Volunteer Attorneys Sought for Annual Mock Trial Competition in January and February 2010

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the Philadelphia Bar Association and Temple University's Legal Education and Participation Program (LEAP) are seeking volunteer attorneys to act as judges at the annual John S. Bradway High School Mock Trial Competition, held in Philadelphia in January and February 2010.

Held each spring, the John S. Bradford High School Mock Trial Competition pits teams of high school students playing the roles of lawyers and witnesses against one another in simulated trials. Approximately fifty Philadelphia public and parochial high school teams enter each year. Volunteer judges will commit to judge at least one three-hour round of competition during a weekday, weeknight or weekend between January 25 and February 27, 2010. Volunteers can choose to judge as many rounds as their schedules permit and no trial experience is required. Topics of previous competitions have involved hate crimes, constitutional issues and civil forfeitures in a criminal context. The top two teams represent the city in the state championship, the winner of which will represent Pennsylvania in the national competition, being held for the first time ever in Philadelphia in May 2010.

Lawyers and law students of all ages are invited to volunteer. To sign up or for more details, CLICK HERE or contact YLD members Joshu Harris at jlh67@georgetown.edu, Paul Kaufman at paul.kaufman2@usdoj.gov or Kristina Littman at Kristina.Littman@dbr.com.

Philadelphia City Council Members to Engage in Open-Ended Question-and-Answer Session at Philadelphia Bar Association’s Bench Bar and Annual Conference On Friday, October 23

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Philadelphia City Council members Bill Green, Brian O'Neill, Blondell Reynolds Brown and Marian Tasco will discuss the future of Philadelphia as a "Great City" and answer questions from audience members at the opening session of the Philadelphia Bar Association's Bench Bar and Annual Conference, held Oct. 23 and 24 at Harrah's Resort Atlantic City. The forum, moderated by KYW Newsradio 1060's Wally Kennedy, will take place on Friday, Oct. 23 from 12-2 p.m. during the Bar Association's October Quarterly Meeting.

"In the midst of these tough economic times, we need to hear from those on the inside about where our great city stands and where it is headed," Chancellor Sayde J. Ladov said. "An audience of savvy, politically-astute attorneys and judges will undoubtedly have much to ask these City Council members."

The discussion will cover many hot button issues, including the recent state and city budget crisis, forecasted regional growth, issues involving the Board of Revision of Taxes, and much more. Kennedy will ask direct questions for 20 minutes before taking questions from the audience for 40 minutes.

A news anchor with KYW Newsradio 1060 since 2006, Kennedy has 25 years experience covering stories in the Philadelphia area. He has reported from the Vatican, the trial of South Carolina mother accused of drowning her children, and the OJ Simpson murder trial, among others. He has been an adjunct professor of journalism at Temple University and served on the Philadelphia boards of directors for nonprofit organizations such as the American Heart Association and the Lupus Foundation.

Bill Green is an at-large member of Philadelphia City Council and chair of the Labor and Civil Service Committee; Brian O'Neill represents the 10th District and is chair of the Technology and Information Services Committee; Blondell Reynolds Brown is an at-large member of Council and chair of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Committee; and Marian Tasco represents the 9th District and is chair of the Finance and the Public Health and Human Services Committees.

The Conference is open to Philadelphia Bar Association members and non-members. For pricing, a full schedule and to register, visit philabenchbar.org or call 215-238-6300. Hotel reservations can be made through Harrah’s at 1-800-345-7253.

Chancellor’s Forum, Pro Bono Open House Highlight Philadelphia Bar Association’s Celebration of National Pro Bono Week, October 26-30

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

A Chancellor’s Forum on Prisoner Pro Bono Projects and an Open House featuring Philadelphia public interest legal agencies and law school pro bono programs highlight the Philadelphia Bar Association’s celebration of National Pro Bono Week, October 26-30.

The week, spearheaded by the American Bar Association and coordinated by the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Delivery of Legal Services Committee and the Law School Outreach and Law Firm Pro Bono Committees, recognizes the work attorneys perform on behalf of the less fortunate and offers attorneys the occasion to learn more about pro bono opportunities with Philadelphia’s public interest organizations.

“Pro bono service is part of every lawyer’s professional responsibility,” Philadelphia Bar Association Chancellor Sayde J. Ladov says. “National Pro Bono Week gives us the chance to honor those lawyers already making a difference and spread the word to others on how to get involved.”

The celebration kicks off on Monday, October 26 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. with a Chancellor’s Forum on Prisoner Pro Bono Projects at Bar Association headquarters, 1101 Market St., 11th Floor. The program, moderated by Ladov, features a discussion on two innovative prisoner pro bono projects: the Supervision to Aid Re-Entry Program, which assists federal prisoners with assimilation into society, and the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, which works to exonerate those imprisoned in Pennsylvania for crimes they did not commit. Panelists include Marissa Bluestine, legal director, Pennsylvania Innocence Project; James Figorski of Dechert LLP; U.S. Magistrate Judges Timothy Rice and L. Felipe Restrepo; and Philadelphia VIP Executive Director Sara Woods. Closing remarks will be presented by Amy Ginensky, president of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation. Lunch will be offered for $5. Register at www.philadelphiabar.org.

Also on October 26, from 5 to 7 p.m., a Pro Bono Open House featuring Philadelphia public interest agencies and law school pro bono programs will be held at the Morris Café, located at Duane Morris LLP, 30 S. 17th St. President Judge Pamela Pryor Dembe, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, First Judicial District, is the guest speaker at 5:30 p.m. Attorneys interested in learning more about pro bono opportunities in Philadelphia can also hear directly from the coordinators of pro bono programs as well as become a volunteer. The event is open to all Philadelphia attorneys. Register by contacting Nicole Friant at anfriant@duanemorris.com.

Other events celebrating National Pro Bono Week are:

Tuesday, October 27

Philadelphia VIP’s Pro Bono Opportunities Day: Spotlight on Preventing Homelessness: 8:30 a.m to 12:15 p.m. at Montgomery, McCracken, Walker, & Rhoads LLP, 123 S. Broad St., 28th Floor. The program features CLE training sessions on mortgage foreclosure, public housing and quiet title. The fee is $45 for course materials and breakfast; two free substantive CLE credits are available in exchange for handling a pro bono case within six months of the training. Register at www.phillyvip.org.
Homeless Advocacy Project Legal Clinic: 10 to 11 a.m. at Kirkbride/Travelers Aid, 111 N. 49th St. Register with Marsha Cohen at marsha@philalegal.org.

Wednesday, October 28

How to Handle a Child Abuse Case, a pro bono training program presented by the Support Center for Child Advocates: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at The CLE Conference Center, Wanamaker Building, 13th and Market Sts., 10th Floor. Six CLE credits, including one ethics credit, are available. Register with the Pennsylvania Bar Institute at 1-800-247-4724 or www.pbi.org.
Homeless Advocacy Project Legal Clinic: 6 to 7 p.m. at UHCH, Penn Clinic, St. Agatha/St. James Church, 38th and Chestnut Sts. (SE corner). Register with Marsha Cohen at marsha@philalegal.orgmarsha@philalegal.org}.

Thursday, October 29

HelpLine Volunteer Training Program, a pro bono training program presented by the SeniorLAW Center: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Fox Rothschild LLP, 2000 Market St., 10th Floor. Two free CLE credits anticipated for volunteers. Register with Sue Wasserkrug at swasserkrug@seniorlawcenter.org.
Homeless Advocacy Project Legal Clinic: 6 to 7 p.m. at Eliza Shirley Shelter, 1320 Arch St. Register with Marsha Cohen at marsha@philalegal.org.

Friday, October 30

Pro Bono: Where Do We Go From Here?, a Capstone CLE Forum: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, 34th and Chestnut Sts. Three CLE credits. The fee is $25 for public interest attorneys and $30 for all others (includes lunch). Register with Arlene Finkelstein at arfinkelstein@law.upenn.edu.
Personal Planning 101: Wills, Living Wills, and Powers of Attorney for Older Pennsylvanians, a pro bono training program presented by the SeniorLAW Center: 12 to 3 p.m. at Duane Morris LLP, 30 S. 17th St. Three free CLE credits are available in exchange for handling a case. Register with Roxane Crowley at rcrowley@seniorlawcenter.org.
Homeless Advocacy Project Legal Clinic: 1:45 to 3:00 p.m. at St. John’s Hospice, 1221 Race St. Register with Marsha Cohen at marsha@philalegal.org.

For more information on the public interest legal agencies mentioned above and details on the Philadelphia Bar Association’s pro bono efforts, visit the Public Interest Section of the Bar Association’s web site at www.philadelphiabar.org.

Panel Discussion with City Council Members, State of the Courts Address from Pennsylvania Judges, and Sports Talk Program Highlight the Philadelphia Bar Association’s 2009 Bench Bar and Annual Conference

Fri, 9 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

A panel of City Council members will discuss what it takes to make Philadelphia the “Next Great City” at the Philadelphia Bar Association’s 2009 Bench Bar and Annual Conference, October 23 and 24 at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City. This premiere event for Philadelphia attorneys and judges will also feature a State of the Courts address from Pennsylvania’s top judges and a Sports Talk program hosted by Anthony Gargano and Ike Reese of SportsRadio 610-WIP.

Kicking off the Conference on Friday, October 23 at 12 p.m., City Council members Blondell Reynolds Brown, Bill Green, Brian O’Neill and Marian Tasco will discuss the future of Philadelphia in a forum moderated by KYW Newsradio 1060 anchor Wally Kennedy.

Friday will also feature six distinct Continuing Legal Education (CLE) break-out seminars, each taught by prominent members of the bench and bar. These include: Effective Negotiation and Advocacy; The Counsel Fees Conundrum: Perspectives of the Bench and Bar; Alternative Fee Arrangements: Bang for Your Clients’ Bucks or Loss Leader; Navigating Your Way Through Commerce Court; Medicare Set-Asides: Changes in the Medicare Secondary Payer Act and Navigating Your Way Through the Set-Aside Mazel; and Is Forensic Science Really Science?

The day concludes with a Grand Reception at The Pool After Dark, one of Atlantic City’s hottest night spots.

The Saturday, October 24 session begins at 8 a.m. with the Conference’s first-ever Sports Talk program hosted by local radio celebrity Anthony Gargano and former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Ike Reese. Gargano and Reese will give their unique take on the state of Philadelphia sports and answer questions from the audience.

Saturday also features another six CLE break-out seminars, including State and Federal Coordination in Complex Litigation and Mass Tort Cases; Challenging Times in a Troubled Economy: What Directors and Officers Need To Do Now; Ethical Considerations for Lawyers with Respect to Communications, Marketing and Public Relations; Deans of the Bar: Delivering Winning Closing Arguments; The Public’s Perception of the Courts; and What Every Lawyer Should Know About Estate Law.

The slate of programming concludes at 12:30 p.m. with a State of the Courts Plenary and Luncheon, the final CLE session. Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; President Judge Kate Ford Elliot, Superior Court of Pennsylvania; Judge Robert (“Robin”) Simpson, Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania; President Judge Pamela Pryor Dembe, Court of Common Pleas, First Judicial District; and President Judge Marsha H. Neifield, Municipal Court of Philadelphia will give attendees a comprehensive update on the current state of Pennsylvania’s court system, moderated by Chancellor Sayde J. Ladov.

Founded in 1802, the Philadelphia Bar Association is America’s first chartered metropolitan bar association. Composed of 13,000 members, the Association serves the public and the profession by promoting justice, professional excellence and respect for the rule of law. The Bench Bar and Annual Conference typically attracts more than 300 attorneys and judges.

This year’s Conference is sponsored by USI Affinity, JuriStaff, PNC Wealth Management, American Lawsuit Funding, Iron Mountain, JAMS, LexisNexis, The Legal Intelligencer, Alliance Medical Legal Consulting, Court Call, Eastern Pennsylvania Orthopedics, the ABA Retirement Funds Program, Philadelphia Pain Management and MRI, and Summit Pharmacy.

The Conference is open to Philadelphia Bar Association members and non-members. For pricing, a full schedule and to register, visit www.philabenchbar.org or call 215-238-6300. Hotel reservations can be made through Harrah’s at 1 (800) 345-7253.

Philadelphia Bar Association Releases Poll Results for Judges Seeking Retention

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The Philadelphia Bar Association's Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention is releasing the results (see www.electqualifiedjudges.org) of a poll made available earlier this year to all practicing Philadelphia lawyers.

More than 900 attorneys completed the poll. Under the bylaws of the Association, this poll is not binding upon the Commission's deliberations, though it must be published along with the Commission's findings. In addition to poll results, the Commission evaluates each candidate based on criteria including integrity, legal ability, judicial temperament and efficiency.

Sayde Ladov, Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association and a member of the Judicial Commission, says she hopes that "voters will understand why judicial elections are so important and why we invest so much time and energy in reviewing and rating these candidates."

Referring to the Bar Association's web site, www.electqualifiedjudges.org, she adds, "Judges have enormous power. This is one place where voters can find thorough, non-partisan, objective ratings of judicial candidates."

The following candidates have been rated recommended for retention to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas: Sandy L. V. Byrd, Ida K. Chen, Pamela Pryor Dembe, Richard J. Gordon, Glynnis Hill, Benjamin Lerner, Annette Rizzo, Karen Shreeves Johns and Sheila Woods Skipper.

The following candidates have been rated recommended for retention to Municipal Court:

Frank T. Brady, Barbara Gilbert, Lydia Kirkland, Gerard Kosinski, Marsha H. Neifield and Craig M. Washington.

In addition to the judicial retention candidates, the following candidates (nominated in May's primary) have been recommended for election to the Court of Common Pleas in the general election:

Daniel Anders, Adam Beloff, Robert P. Coleman, Angeles Roca, Diane Thompson and Donna M. Woelpper.

The following candidate (nominated in May's primary) is not recommended for election to the Court of Common Pleas in the general election:

Roxanne Covington.

The following candidates (nominated in May's primary) are recommended for election to Municipal Court in the general election:

Patrick F. Dugan, Charles Hayden, Dawn A. Segal, Joseph C. Waters, Jr.

The Commission consists of lawyers and non-lawyers including the President Judges of Common Pleas Court and Municipal Court, the Chief Public Defender, the City Solicitor, the Chancellor, Chancellor‐Elect and Vice Chancellor of the Bar Association and representatives of diverse interests within the community.

Earlier this spring, the Commission released its recommendations for judicial candidates seeking
open seats on Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas and Municipal Court. Of the 17 candidates nominated in May’s primary election, 16 were recommended by the Commission.

The Philadelphia Bar Association has issued its recommendations on judicial candidates for 33 years. Composed of 13,000 members, the Bar Association serves the public and the profession by promoting justice, professional excellence and respect for the rule of law.

For more information about the Judicial Commission, its process and recommendations, go to www.electqualifiedjudges.org.

Philadelphia Bar Association Issues Recommendations for Judicial Candidates Seeking Retention in the November 3 General Election

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

In preparation for the November 3 general election, the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention has issued its recommendations for judicial candidates seeking retention on Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas and Municipal Court.

The following candidates have been rated recommended for retention to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas:

Sandy L. V. Byrd, Ida K. Chen, Pamela Pryor Dembe, Richard J. Gordon, Glynnis Hill, Benjamin Lerner, Annette Rizzo, Karen Shreeves-Johns and Sheila Woods-Skipper

The following candidates have been rated recommended for retention to Municipal Court:

Frank T. Brady, Barbara Gilbert, Lydia Kirkland, Gerard Kosinski, Marsha H. Neifield and Craig M. Washington

The Commission bases its recommendations in part on a poll made available to all practicing Philadelphia attorneys. More than 900 attorneys completed the poll. In addition to the poll results, the Commission evaluates each candidate based on criteria including integrity, legal ability, judicial temperament and efficiency. The Commission consists of lawyers and non-lawyers including the President Judges of Common Pleas Court and Municipal Court, the Chief Public Defender, the City Solicitor, the Chancellor, Chancellor-Elect and Vice Chancellor of the Bar Association and representatives of diverse interests within the community.

The retention recommendations follow recommendations released by the Commission prior to May’s primary election for open seats on Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas and Municipal Court. Of the 17 candidates nomintated in May’s primary election, 16 were recommended by the Commission.

“The results of the primary elections indicate the value of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s recommendations,” Chancellor Sayde Ladov says. “We have been performing this public service for 33 years. Through our current retention recommendations, we continue to assist citizens as we strive for a fair and independent judiciary.”

The following candidates nominated in May’s primary are recommended for election to the Court of Common Pleas in the general election:

Daniel Anders, Adam Beloff, Robert P. Coleman, Angeles Roca, Diane Thompson and Donna M. Woelpper

The following candidate nominated in May’s primary is not recommended for election to the Court of Common Pleas in the general election:

Roxanne Covington

The following candidates nominated in May’s primary are recommended for election to Municipal Court in the general election:

Patrick F. Dugan, Charles Hayden, Dawn A. Segal, Joseph C. Waters, Jr.

Brennan Award Nominations Being Accepted

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Nominations are being accepted for the Philadelphia Bar Association's prestigious Justice William J. Brennan Jr. Distinguished Jurist Award. The award will be presented at the Association's Annual Meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009 at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue, Broad and Walnut streets.

The award recognizes a jurist who adheres to the highest ideals of judicial service. Any member of the state or federal bench, whether active or retired, who has made a significant, positive impact on the quality or administration of justice in Philadelphia is eligible for consideration. Examples of accomplishments worthy of nomination include innovations in court administration, implementation of pioneering case management techniques, assumption of a leadership role in areas affecting the administration of justice, publication of a significant opinion, article, or other scholarly work, or the like.

This year's Brennan Award Committee is chaired by John E. Savoth. Nominations for the Justice Brennan Distinguished Jurist Award should be forwarded to: Brennan Award, Attn: Tracey McCloskey, Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market St., 11th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107. All nominations should include the full name, address and telephone number of both the nominee and the person submitting the nomination, a summary of the nominee’s accomplishments, and any pertinent supporting material the committee should consider. All nominations must be received no later than Friday, Nov. 6, 2009.

Nominations Sought for 2009 Wachovia Fidelity Award

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Nominations are now being accepted for the Philadelphia Bar Association's 2009 Wachovia Fidelity Award. Nominations should be made in writing. Please include a detailed statement setting forth information and reasons why you are recommending the nominee for this award. The deadline for receipt of nominations is Monday, Oct. 26.

Nominations should be sent to Tracey McCloskey via e-mail at tmccloskey@philabar.org or by mailing to Philadelphia Bar Association, c/o Fidelity Award Committee, 1101 Market St., 11th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107.

The criteria for the award are:

• Significant accomplishments in improving the administration of justice (preferably in Philadelphia);

• The absence of prior recognition for this work by the Philadelphia Bar Association;

• Distinguished service consistently rendered over a considerable period of time or a single outstanding achievement in a particular year. (The fact that this single achievement may have occurred some years ago is not material so long as it has not been recognized.);

• The accomplishment must arise from voluntary activities rather than for service rendered as a paid professional; and

• It is preferred that the recipient be a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association not now in public office or directly involved with court operations or any other public service activity.

"Nuts and Bolts" of Running for the Board of Governors Sept. 29

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

With the Philadelphia Bar Association Board of Governors election just months away (Dec. 8), and the deadline for nominations just weeks away (Oct. 9), now is the time to come find out about what it takes to run for the Board of Governors.

Come spend an hour hearing from current Board members, officers, and the Bar Association staff about collecting signatures, attending events, endorsements, and most importantly, learn about the role of a Board of Governors member in the Philadelphia Bar Association! The program will held Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 12 p.m. in 10th floor Board Room of Bar Association headquarters, 1101 Market St.

Offices for which candidates are being solicited are Vice Chancellor; Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer (each office carries a one-year term); and five seats on the Board of Governors (each Board seat carries a three-year term).

Association members may become candidates for any of these offices by filing with the Assistant Secretary, on or before Oct. 9, 2009, nominations in writing which, for candidates of the Board, must be signed by at least 25 members who are entitled to vote; for candidates for Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer, shall be signed by at least 35 members who are entitled to vote; and for candidates for Vice-Chancellor, shall be signed by at least 100 members who are entitled to vote.

Please RSVP to Brian Sims, Staff Counsel for Policy and Planning, at bsims@philabar.org or call (215) 238-6353.