Judges Beck, Ludwig to Be Honored

O'Connor, Brennan Awards to Be Presented Oct. 18

Donna Brazile, a senior political strategist and former campaign manager for Gore/Lieberman, will be the keynote speaker at the Oct. 18 Quarterly Meeting and Luncheon. Click here to purchase tickets online.

U.S. District Court Judge Edmund V. Ludwig will receive the Association's 2005 William J. Brennan Jr. Distinguished Jurist Award at the event, which begins at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue, Broad and Walnut streets. Click here to purchase tickets online.

The Brennan 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.

Judge Phyllis W. Beck, the first woman to serve on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, will receive the Association's 2005 Sandra Day O'Connor Award at the event.

Judge Giles to Address Federal Courts Committee Oct. 19

U.S. District Court Chief Judge James T. Giles (left) will examine the state of the court at the Wednesday, Oct. 19 meeting of the Federal Courts Committee.

Judge Giles will be joined at the meeting by Michael Kunz, clerk of the court. The meeting begins at 12:30 p.m. in the 10th floor Board Room of Bar Association headquarters, 1101 Market St. Lunch is available for $7.50 for those members who register in advance. Click here to register for this meeting.

Lawyers Coach to Speak Oct. 20

Business and life coach Phyllis Sisenwine (left) will discuss "How to Get All the Clients You Want in Record Time" at the Thursday, Oct. 20 meeting of the Solo and Small Firm Committee.

Sisenwine will discuss the three biggest marketing mistakes lawyers make; ways to double referrals; and ways to increase billable hours. The meeting begins at 12 p.m. in the 11th floor Conference Center of Bar Association headquarters, 1101 Market St. Lunch is available for $7.50 for those members who register in advance. Click here to register for this meeting.

Memorial Service Today for Councilman Cohen

A memorial service will be held today (Monday, Oct. 17) at 4 p.m. for Philadelphia City Councilman David Cohen, who died Oct. 3 at the age of 90.

The service begins at 4 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Room 400, of Philadelphia City Hall.

Meet Foreign, Ethnic Media on Nov. 9

The Public Interest Section and the Bar-News Media Committee will host a free Chancellor's Forum, "Meet the Ethnic and Foreign Language Media" on Wednesday, Nov. 9, from 12 to 2 p.m. at Bar headquarters, 1101 Market St., in the 11th Floor Conference Center.

Panelists will include Hernan Guaracao, publisher of Al Dia; Darek Barcikowski, publisher of While Eagle (Polish) newspaper; Paul Kotrotsios, publisher of the Hellenic News of America; and Jorge Quintana, anchor for WFMZ-TV 69. Top representatives from the Portuguese and Ukrainian press also have been invited. Chancellor Andrew A. Chirls (left) will be the moderator for this program.

The forum is a continuation of the Association's effort to bring immigrant communities and the legal system closer together to reduce cultural and other barriers between people and the justice system. The program will focus on how to reach and communicate with the ethnic and non-English language media. While the event helps attorneys in the public interest sector let the ethnic and foreign-language media know about the legal and other services that they offer, all interested members of the Bar are invited to attend.

The Association held a similar forum on March 2, and 120 lawyers and legal advocates attended. Representatives attended from Korean, Chinese, Russian and Spanish publications.

A complimentary lunch will be provided, but RSVP is required. Click here to RSVP no later than Nov. 7.

Inquirer Columnist Rubin To Speak Nov. 2

The Public Interest Section and the Civil Rights Committee are sponsoring a Chancellor's Forum with Philadelphia Inquirer "Worldview" columnist Trudy Rubin on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

Rubin's book, Willful Blindness, The Bush Administration and Iraq, describes how the Bush administration got the U.S. into Iraq and the prospects for getting out. This book, a collection of Rubin's columns from 2002 to 2004, draws on her extensive experience in the Middle East, including four lengthy trips to Iraq and her close contacts with Iraqi officials, clerics and ordinary people.

The event begins at 12 p.m. in the 11th floor Conference Center of Bar Association headquarters, 1101 Market St. The event is free, but RSVP is required. Click here to RSVP for this event.

Air Quality Issues on Oct. 17 Agenda

Judy Katz of the Environmental Protection Agency and Joyce Epps of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will discuss air quality issues at the Monday, Oct. 17 meeting of the Environmental Law Committee.

The meeting begins at 12:30 p.m. in the 11th floor Conference Center of Bar Association headquarters, 1101 Market St. Lunch is available for $7.50 for those members who register in advance. Click here to register for this meeting.

YLD Happy Hour Oct. 21 at Pyramid Club

The Young Lawyers Division will hold a happy hour on Friday, October 21 at The Pyramid Club, 1735 Market St., 52nd Floor, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. The happy hour is a joint event with the Young Executives of the Pyramid Club. At the happy hour, there will be drink specials and free appetizers. If you plan to attend the happy hour, please note that The Pyramid Club has a business casual attire policy prohibiting any member or guest from wearing denim or sneakers in the club.

As an added incentive, The Pyramid Club has agreed to reduce its initiation fee by almost 50 percent for individuals who are 35 years of age or younger. On the day of the happy hour only, the initiation fee will be $260. Twenty-five percent of that initiation fee ($65) will be donated to the Philadelphia Bar Foundation from the Pyramid Club.

Space is limited for this event. Please RSVP for the happy hour by e-mailing Maureen Coyle at maureen.coyle@ourclub.com.

Law Practice Management Meeting in Phila.

"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Business - A One-Day Law Marketing Seminar for the Busy Attorney" is preceded by a day of technology programming in conjunction with the ABA Law Practice Management Fall Meeting in Philadelphia on Oct. 20 to 22. A one-day primer on business development efforts and strategies will be held at the Loews Hotel in Philadelphia on Friday, Oct. 21, developed by the Law Practice Management section of the American Bar Association, in conjunction with the Philadelphia Bar Association. The full day program, including breakfast, lunch, promotional gifts and written materials is only $195.

Highlights include a program on in-house counsel look for from outside counsel; extreme marketing makeover; branding; Internet marketing excellence and the art of effective public and media relations. Click here for more information or to register for the event.

Asian Bar Banquet Oct. 28

The Asian American Bar Association of the Delaware Valley will welcome Amardeep Singh, legal director and co-founder of the Sikh Coalition, as the keynote speaker at its annual banquet on Friday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. at the Ocean City Restaurant, 234 N. 9th St. in Chinatown. The Sikh Coalition is a community-based organization that defends civil rights and civil liberties in the United States, educates the broader community about Sikhs and diversity, promotes local community empowerment, and fosters civic engagement amongst Sikh Americans.

The annual banquet is the mechanism by which the AABADV raises funds for its Judge William M. Marutani Fellowship. Offered to first-year law students at Dickinson School of Law, Rutgers-Camden University School of Law, Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, University of Pennsylvania School of Law, Villanova University School of Law and Widener University School of Law, the Fellowship provides a stipend for an Asian-American law student to enable him or her to take a summer internship position with federal, state or municipal government offices/agencies (including the judiciary) or nonprofit/public interest organizations in the Philadelphia area.

Tickets for the event are $90, a portion of which will fund the Fellowship and is tax deductible. The event begins at 6 p.m. for social hour and the dinner is expected to begin at 7 p.m. The menu for the evening features a multiple-course feast. For ticket information, contact Suzanne Young at (215) 981-3754.

Mock Trial Volunteers Sought

Volunteers are being sought for scoring judges and trial judges in the John S. Bradway Mock Trial Competition that begins in late January.

This program allows students to play the roles of lawyers and witnesses in a simplified mock trial. Approximately 30 public and parochial high school teams compete each year. Click here to sign up as a volunteer.

Wanted: Tales From the Front Lines

Wanted: Short vignettes of Philadelphia lawyers and law practice; overheard conversations; observations; comments on interesting encounters; or unusual anecdotes similar to those found in The New York Times "Metropolitan Diary" feature for The Philadelphia Lawyer magazine. Example: overheard conversation between two associates about the bad wardrobe choices at a large Philadelphia law firm on dress-down days. All stories are subject to review and approval by the magazine's Editorial Board. Send your anecdotes to Managing Editor, The Philadelphia Lawyer, Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market St., 11th floor, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107-2911 or e-mail to tplmag@philabar.org.

Advice for Workers' Comp Practitioners Oct. 19

Judge Karen Wertheimer, judge manager of Southeast Region, Workers' Compensation Office of Adjudication, will be a guest speaker at the Wednesday, Oct. 19 meeting of the Workers' Compensation Section.

Judge Wertheimer, along with Charles S. Katz and Steven M. Levin, will discuss "Practical Advice from the Bench and Bar for Less Experienced Workers' Compensation Practitioners."

The program has been approved for 1.5 substantive CLE credits. Participants wishing to receive the CLE credit will be required to pay a fee of $37.50 for members of the Philadelphia Bar Association admitted for more than five years, and $32.50 for members of the Philadelphia Bar Association admitted for less than five years. If you wish to register in advance please visit www.pbi.org or call 800-932-4637. Please note that you may attend the meeting without making any payment, but you will not receive the CLE credit. If you wish to do so, please RSVP to skrzywanski@philabar.org. Lunch will be available for an additional fee of $7.50 per person. Click here to purchase lunch.

Women to Discuss Leadership Roles Oct. 25

Four women who have risen to leadership positions within their firms will share their stories and offer advice on how other women lawyers can rise to leadership positions in their firms at the Tuesday, Oct. 25 meeting of the Women in the Profession Committee.

The panelists for the program include Lynn Axelroth of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP; Jane Foster of Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP; Madeline Sherry of Hecker Brown Sherry and Johnson LLP; and Barbara Sicalides of Pepper Hamilton LLP. The program will be moderated by Maria Feeley.

The program begins at 12 p.m. in the 10th floor Board Room of Bar Association headquarters, 1101 Market St. Lunch is available for $7.50 for those members who register in advance. Click here to register for this program.

Nominating Committee Selects Eight

The Philadelphia Bar Association's Nominating Committee nominated the following candidates for Bar Association offices on Oct. 11: Vice-Chancellor, A. Michael Pratt; Secretary, John E. Savoth; Assistant Secretary, Kathleen D. Wilkinson; Treasurer, Scott F. Cooper; Assistant Treasurer, Jeffrey M. Lindy. The Committee also made the following nominations for three-year terms (three of five positions) on the Board of Governors: Matthew Perks, Stephanie Resnick and Eric G. Zajac.

Notice is hereby given that the Philadelphia Bar Association is accepting additional nominations for candidates for Bar offices to be elected by the membership at the Association's Annual Meeting and Election on Tuesday, December 6, 2005.

The deadline for filing these additional nominations is Friday, Nov. 4, 2005, at 5 p.m.

Nominations must be in writing and may take the form of a letter to the Secretary, c/o Susan Knight, Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107-2911. Letters must state the office the individual is seeking and must include the names and signatures of at least twenty-five (25) members of the Association who are entitled to vote, except for the nomination of Vice Chancellor, which shall be signed by a least one hundred (100) members who are entitled to vote. Offices to be filled are Vice Chancellor, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer, as well as five (5) positions on the Board of Governors for a term of three years.

Candidates are also asked to provide a photograph and statement of no more than 150 words, demonstrating their qualifications to serve as a member of the Board of Governors. Photos and statements will be published in the Philadelphia Bar Reporter and must be received no later than Friday, Nov. 4, 2005, at 5 p.m.

Learn How the Masters Try Cases

The drama of the courtroom is often compared to the drama of film with its suspense, comedy, stars and bit players. PBI's "How the Masters Try Cases" effectively combines legal education with Hollywood entertainment as it examines litigation strategies and tactics using courtroom scenes from such classics as: "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Adam's Rib," "Inherit the Wind," "A Few Good Men," "Miracle on 34th Street," "Class Action," "Witness for the Prosecution," "Judgment at Nuremberg" and "The Verdict." The carefully selected clips show men and women as trial attorneys presenting arguments of a discovery motion, preparing a witness for trial testimony, delivering an opening statement, conducting voir dire, examining and cross-examining witnesses and presenting closing arguments. Each clip shows lawyers at their best and is followed by a discussion of the litigation techniques and ethical issues illustrated in that clip. The four-hour program, including ethics provides practical training for the advocate, will be held Monday, Oct. 31 at The CLE Conference Center in the Wanamaker Building 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration begins at 8 a.m. For more information, or to register, click here.

Upcoming CLE

The following courses are cosponsored by the Philadelphia Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. All courses are at The CLE Conference Center in the Wanamaker Building, except as otherwise noted. Registration begins 30 minutes before course start time.

Tuesday, Oct. 18
Hot Topics in Employment Disability Law
3 substantive CLE credits
12:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Annual Auto Law Update
3 substantive CLE credits
9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 19
MBA Concepts for Lawyers (live via satellite)
4 substantive CLE credits
8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 20
Business Lawyers' Institute 2005
5 substantive, 1 ethics CLE credits
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 21
Winning in the Beginning
5 substantive, 1 ethics CLE credits
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

5th Annual Constitutional Law Conclave
5 substantive, 1 ethics CLE credits
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

More information is available on the PBI Web site at www.pbi.org, on the page devoted to Philadelphia programs, by calling 1-800-247-4724, or by e-mailing info@pbi.org. Note: some events sell out; before walking in, call PBI to confirm that space is still available for the program that interests you.

Earn up to 4 credits on your computer, at your convenience, at PBI's Online Campus, at www.onlinecle.pbi.org. More than 300 classes are available, including nearly 50 one-hour ethics programs. 24/7 CLE.