Arianna Huffington to Address Bar Members, April 1

Political commentator Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of "The Huffington Post," will be the keynote speaker at the Association's Wednesday, April 1 Quarterly Meeting and Luncheon at 12 p.m. at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue. READ MORE...

Arianna Huffington to Address Bar Members, April 1

Political commentator Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of "The Huffington Post," will be the keynote speaker at the Association's Wednesday, April 1 Quarterly Meeting and Luncheon at 12 p.m. at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue.

Immediate-Past Chancellor A. Michael Pratt will be honored at the event. Pratt 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. The gold box is presented annually to the immediate-past Chancellor and is inscribed with the message "acquired not by money, but by character."

Huffington is also a nationally syndicated columnist, and author of 12 books. She is also co-host of "Left, Right & Center," public radio's popular political roundtable program. She launched "The Huffington Post" in May 2005, and the news and blog site has become one of the most widely read, linked to, and frequently cited media brands on the Internet.

Tickets are $55 for members and $60 for non-members and can be purchased online: Click here

TODAY: Lunchtime CLE, "The Initial Attorney-Client Interview--
Getting it Right from the Start"

Today, March 10, the Bar's Professional Responsibility Committee will be sponsoring a lunchtime CLE seminar, "The Initial Attorney-Client Interview--
Getting it Right from the Start" from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. at the PBI CLE Conference Center – 10th Floor, Wanamaker Bldg., 13th & Market Sts. (please use Juniper St. entrance).  Lunch and Registration begin at 12:00 p.m.

This program will be a re-enactment of an initial client interview followed by a panel discussion covering the scope of the representation being provided to the client--issues regarding limited representation and criminal conduct; has an attorney-client relationship actually been formed?; letters of Engagement and Fee Agreements--what to include and can they be changed later?; how to avoid problem clients; where to deposit your retainer; and required notice regarding malpractice coverage.

Course planner is Paul J. Kazaras, Esq., Assistant Executive Director, Philadelphia Bar Association and featured panelists are Sayde J. Ladov, Esq., Chancellor, Philadelphia Bar Association, Offit Kurman, Philadelphia and Kimberly S. Ingersoll, Esq., Abrams & Associates, Philadelphia.

The program has been approved for 1.0 Ethics CLE credit.  Participants wishing to receive the CLE credit will be required to pay a fee of $33.00 for members of the Philadelphia Bar Association admitted for more than five years, and $28.00 for members of the Philadelphia Bar Association admitted for less than five years.  Lunch fee is included in the tuition price.  If you wish to register in advance, please call PBI Customer Service at 1-800-932-4637. 

Lunch will be available for those not requesting CLE credit for a fee of $8.00 per person with payment being made to the Pennsylvania Bar Institute at the time of program.

Philadelphia Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program CLE, Mar. 11

The Philadelphia Court System in response to a national crisis caused by over 700,000 seriously delinquent mortgages and a 37% increase in foreclosure filings in Philadelphia alone in 2008 determined that judicial intervention was not only justified, but absolutely necessary to avert a crisis. The Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Pilot Program is a case management alternative designed to provide early court intervention in residential owner-occupied mortgage foreclosure cases. The process involves early identification of suitable properties for the program and diverts those cases to counselors and pro bono attorneys for possible interest rate renegotiation, loan restructuring, or other settlement options prior to foreclosure.

The process involves early identification of suitable properties for the program and diverts those cases to counselors and pro bono attorneys for possible interest rate renegotiation, loan restructuring, or other settlement options prior to foreclosure.

The Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Pilot Program provides court-sanctioned negotiations between lenders and borrowers to try to resolve troubled loans and avoid foreclosure.

The program has been extraordinarily successful and is being emulated in cities across the country.

Learn about the program and how to best represent your client facing foreclosure proceedings. Whether you represent the debtor or creditor- this program is for you. Click here to register for this program.

YLD Networking Event, March 26 at JL Sullivan's

The YLD, partnering with the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association and Septa Citizen's Advisory Committee, is holding a Networking Event on Thursday, March 26 at JL Sullivan's at Broad and Walnut streets. The event is a great opportunity to meet and socialize with young professionals in Philadelphia and is being sponsored by Esquire.

ADVANCED Pennsylvania and Philadelphia 
Realty Transfer Tax

On Wednesday, March 18, from 12:00 – 3:15 p.m., the more sophisticated tax, business, bankruptcy and real estate attorneys can take advantage of the best team of realty transfer tax faculty in the Commonwealth.

Join Wendi Kotzen, partner from Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll; John Brenner, from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue; Christine Bak, from the City of Philadelphia Law Department; and Phil Korb, partner from Ballard Spahr, as they share their insights and expertise on this highly complex topic.
Registration and lunch begin at 11:15 a.m. at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute 
CLE Conference Center, 10th Floor, Suite 1010, Juniper Street Entrance.

The course will cover new Pennsylvania regulations regarding realty transfer tax were issued in 2007 – what has and will be the impact and how do the new regs change the way you need to structure real estate transfers? What types of transfers are most impacted by the regs?

As with any tax issue, the manner in which a transaction is structured can have monumental consequences for your client – do you know how to achieve the best tax result for your client in: sophisticated commercial transactions?; bankruptcy proceedings?; and high net worth estate planning?

Could you find yourself facing potential liability to a client if you fail to structure the deal in the manner that achieves the best transfer tax result?

This seminar is a MUST ATTEND for anyone involved with real estate transactions. This panel, with input from attendees, will discuss hypothetical factual circumstances and the realty transfer tax consequences and planning opportunities.