Save $80 Now on Bench-Bar Registration

Early-bird savings is yours to enjoy when you register for the 2011 Bench-Bar & Annual Conference Oct. 14-15 at Harrah's Resort Atlantic City. Click here to save $80 on your registration fee. But hurry, this offer ends on Sept. 16. READ MORE

THURSDAY: YLD Diversity Scholarship Reception at Kokopelli

The Philadelphia Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division will emphasize the importance of diversity in the legal field by recognizing five outstanding local law students at its sixth annual Diversity Scholarship Reception, this Thursday, June 16, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Kokopelli Restaurant and Tequila Bar (Upstairs), 1904 Chestnut St. Sophia Lee, Chief Counsel in Litigation at Sunoco, Inc. and the Secretary of the Philadelphia Bar Association, will deliver keynote remarks.

The event is co-hosted by the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania, the Barristers' Association of Philadelphia and the South Asian Bar Association. Admission is free; registration is required (click here).

Each year, the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) presents five, $500.00 scholarships to select local law students in recognition of their excellence in academic achievement, community service, and commitment to the Philadelphia area.

This year's Diversity Scholarship winners are: Tanishka V. Cruz, nominated by the Hispanic Bar Association; Sammetria L. Goodson, nominated by the National Bar Association, Women Lawyers Division, Philadelphia Chapter; Jacquie T. Huynh-Linenberg, nominated by the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of PA; Sean-Tamba Matthew, nominated by the Barristers' Association of Philadelphia; and Muthuramanan "Ramana" Ramaswaran, nominated by the South Asian Bar Association of Philadelphia..

Cruz is a third-year law student at the Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University, where she serves as co-president of the Latin American Law Students Association and a lead editor of Drexel Law Review. She is also a full-time law clerk for the Sachs Law Group, LLC in Philadelphia and previously served as a judicial intern in the chambers of the Honorable M. Teresa Sarmina of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

Goodson is a recent graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law, where she served on the Executive Committee of the Black Law Students Association, as a member of the ABA Client Counseling Competition Planning Committee, and as a student member of the Faculty Hiring Committee. She was also an Academic Core Enrichment Counselor to first year students, a BLSA mentor to lower-division students, a member of the 2010-11 Temple American Inn of Court, and a member of the Christian Legal Society.

Huynh-Linenberg is a third-year law student at Rutgers School of Law-Camden. She earned a B.S. in Management Information Systems and International Business from Drexel University and an M.B.A in New Ventures and Entrepreneurship from Pennsylvania State University. Jacquie is heavily involved with diversity initiatives and, during the 2010-11 school year, served as the president of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, the Environmental Law Society, and as an auction co-chair for the Association for Public Interest Law at Rutgers.

Matthew recently completed his first year at Temple University Beasley School of Law. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Political Science. He spent two years working at Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA as a Fellow and has continued his participation with Big Brothers Big Sisters at Temple as a Mentor. He is active in the Black Law Student Association, the Student Public Interest Network, and will serve as the co-vice president of the Business Law Society next year.

Rameswaran recently completed his first year at Temple University Beasley School of Law and is currently a summer associate with Page, Wolfberg, & Wirth in Mechanicsburg, Pa. At Temple Law, he serves on the executive boards of the South Asian Law Student Association and the Health Law Society. He also serves as the student representative to the law school's Faculty Curriculum Committee. Prior to law school, Rameswaran attended medical school, worked at two local Fortune 100 pharmaceutical companies and served as one of the commonwealth's first South Asian emergency medical services chief officers.

Sophia Lee is responsible for managing Sunoco's portfolio of nationwide litigation, including commercial, environmental, insurance, toxic tort, personal injury and products liability matters. She is also involved in the development of litigation policies and best practices.

Prior to joining Sunoco, Lee was a member of the litigation department at Reed Smith LLP and the labor and employment department at Blank Rome LLP. She also served as a Federal Judicial Law Clerk to the late Honorable James McGirr Kelly, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Active in Philadelphia's civic and charitable communities, Lee serves as Vice Chair of the Mayor's Commission on Asian American Affairs and on the boards of Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program and the Women's Law Project. Lee is also Co-Chair of the Litigation Committee for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and a past president of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania.

Lee received her J.D. and LL.M. in Trial Advocacy from Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, where she was a member of the Temple Law Review and the Moot Court Honor Society. She received her B.A. in English from Cornell University.

Click here to register.

Marketing Corner: Command Your Career by Cultivating Your Contacts

by Kimberly Alford Rice

Contact lists - gotta have them…and should be growing them.

If there is one element in the business develop arsenal which is fatal to ignore or not attend to faithfully, it is the contact list. This is and will be the foundation of your practice for many years ahead. Why, you may ask? Well, put simply: no list equals no connections and communications with friends, peers, industry contacts, prospects and ultimately, no clients.

In my practice, particularly with newer attorneys, I hear consistently: "I do not have a list, how (or why) do a get one?" and "I don't know anyone to add to a list." Unless you live in a cave on a deserted island, you have all the tools you need to grow your own quality list.

To be clear, a contact list should be comprised of a group of people who are interested, engaged and willing to both talk about and share your messages. These most likely will include:

• Friends and family
• School classmates (law school, college, high school, etc.)
• Co-workers and former co-workers
• Contacts from former clerkships
• Professional contacts (YLD members, Chamber YP contacts, etc.)
• Association contacts
• Community contacts
• Holiday card recipients, and so on

In short, most people with whom you come in contact who also have a network of contacts. Living in the age of social media, it has never been easier to develop a network, professional and personal. We all "know" people and they "know" people, etc. Point being, it is imperative to "collect" contacts as you move along your career, even as early as "day one" as a lawyer.

Too many lawyers I coach sadly make the mistake of omission of not focusing on their list as soon as they start their career. Five or more years later when they realize they need to concentrate on expanding their network and educate their contacts to the legal services they provide, they find that they can't put the "toothpaste back into the tube" of individuals with whom they have lost touch.

It is critical to develop a clean, accurate and precise contact list in order to engage in specific marketing initiatives such as sending out e-newsletters, direct mail campaigns, blogging, seminars, trade show conferences, and anywhere you want to demonstrate your area of expertise and communicate directly in front of those individuals who may retain you directly and/or refer you to others.

In my next post, I will outline some practical tips of building and growing your contact list in an effort to expand your network and grow your client base. In the interim, start gathering all those business cards.

Kimberly Alford Rice is Principal of KLA Marketing Associates, a business development advisory firm focusing on legal services. As a law marketing authority, Kimberly helps law firms and lawyers develop practical business development and marketing strategies, which lead directly to new clients and increased revenues. Additionally, Kimberly provides career management services to lawyers in transition. She may be reached at 609-458-0415 or via email at kimberly@klamarketing.net.

Take Part in VIP's 30 for 30 Challenge

Matthew S. Olesh and Martha F. Reilly, co-chairs of Philadelphia VIP's 30th Anniversary Engagement Committee, are calling upon the members of Philadelphia's legal community to participate in the "30 for 30 Challenge." They are asking all Philadelphia-area attorneys to commit to 30 hours of pro bono service this year with an organization of their choosing in honor of Philadelphia VIP's 30th anniversary.

The "30 for 30" pledge form is available on Philadelphia VIP's website at phillyvip.org. All pledge signers will be recognized at a special 30th Anniversary ceremony during National Pro Bono Week this October. Philadelphia VIP will also track all participation and provide special recognition to practices of varying sizes with the highest rates of participation.

Save $80 Now on Bench-Bar Registration

Register by September 16 to save $80 on full conference admission to the 2011 Bench-Bar & Annual Conference, Oct. 14-15 at Harrah's Resort Atlantic City.

Click here to register. Visit the official website here.

The Bench-Bar & Annual Conference provides attendees with the opportunity to earn CLE credit while networking with colleagues and members of the bench.

If booked by Sept. 16, registration for members is $349; for non-members, $399; and for members of the Young Lawyers Division and public interest and government attorneys, $199. After Sept. 16, registration is $429 for members, $479 for non-members, and $279 for for members of the Young Lawyers Division and public interest and government attorneys. For those wishing to attend only the Grand Reception at The Pool at Harrah's on Friday, Oct. 14, tickets are $150 for all members and $175 for non-members. Tickets will be an additional $25 if purchased at the door.

For those wishing to attend Friday's session only, tickets are $299 for members, $149 for the Young Lawyers Division and government or public interest attorneys and $349 for non-members. Members and guests wishing to attend without receiving CLE credit will pay $200. For non-members, the cost is $225. Admission includes all sponsored meals and events. Those wishing to attend programs on Saturday, Oct. 24 will only pay $229, while YLD members and government and public interest attorneys can attend for $79 and $279 for non-members. Click here to register.

Chief Judge Lippman to Speak; Judge Rufe to Be Honored, June 27

Hon. Jonathan Lippman, chief judge of the State of New York and a strong advocate for equal access to justice, will be the keynote speaker at the Bar Association's Monday, June 27 Quarterly Meeting and Luncheon.

The Association will also present the Sandra Day O'Connor Award to U.S. District Court Judge Cynthia M. Rufe at the event and honor the newest members of its Year Clubs, attorneys who have been practicing law for more than 50 years. The O'Connor 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.

As New York's chief judge, Lippman has championed equal access to justice issues and taken an active leadership role in identifying permanent funding streams for civil legal services, strengthening the state’s indigent criminal defense system, addressing the systemic causes of wrongful convictions, and reforming New York's juvenile justice system, among many other areas. Judge Lippman's four decades in the courts have been marked by a commitment to fostering a justice system that is independent, open, accountable and responsive to the people it serves.

Judge Rufe was nominated to the Eastern District by President George W. Bush on Jan. 23, 2002. She was confirmed by the Senate on April 30, 2002, and received her commission on May 3, 2002. She received her B.A. from Adelphi University and received her J.D. from State University of New York at Buffalo Law School.

Judge Rufe began her professional career as an assistant and coordinator in the Juvenile Division of the Bucks County Public Defender's Office in 1977. She was a deputy public defender with the Bucks County Public Defender's Office from 1980 to 1981. She served as solicitor for the Bucks County Children and Youth Social Services Agency from 1984 to 1988. She served as a judge on the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas from 1994 to 2002.

We will also welcome Hon. Bruce W. Kauffman to join us in saluting the distinguished careers of our senior members of the Bar Association as we induct new members into the 50-, 60-, 65- and 70-Year Clubs. Our two new 70-Year Club members, Albert Konefsky and George Ovington, will receive special recognition for their extraordinary record of service.

Tickets for the event, to be held at the Hyatt at The Bellevue, Broad and Walnut streets, are $55 for members and $65 for non-members. Click here to purhcase tickets.

Free Fastcase Training Webinars Scheduled

A series of free webinars have been scheduled for Philadelphia Bar Association members to help them familiarize themselves with Fastcase®, the new member benefit legal research tool.

Fastcase® puts a comprehensive law library of Pennsylvania state and federal cases, statutes and rules at your fingertips. If your firm's Philadelphia office has 100 percent attorney membership in the Philadelphia Bar Association, you'll receive Fastcase® free!

Webinars for Fastcase Research Tips (in depth) will be held:
Wednesday, July 13, 12 to 1 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 10, 3 to 4 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 14, 1 to 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 12, 3 to 4 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 9, 1 to 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 14, 3 to 4 p.m.

Webinars for Case Law Nuts & Bolts (Overview) will be held:
Tuesday, July 5, 12 to 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 6, 12 to 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 1, 12 to 1 p.m.

Webinars for Searching for Statutes (Overview)
Tuesday, Aug. 2, 3 to 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 3 to 4 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 6, 3 to 4 p.m.