Click here for more information. Mention Philadelphia Bar Reporter for special ticket deals.

YLD, Workers' Comp Networking Event Jan. 29

The Young Lawyers Division and the Workers' Compensation Section invite you to a networking event on Thursday, Jan. 29 at the Field House, 1150 Filbert St., beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Come meet new people and expand your contacts. The first 50 people to arrive will receive drink tickets. The event will also feature $3 draft beer, $4 house wine and $5 Absolut mixed drinks. Light appetizers also will be available. The event is sponsored by Daniel P. Foley, Financial Advisor.

Basic Philadelphia, Pa. Transfer Tax CLE Program Jan. 27

The Pennsylvania Bar Institute will present a CLE program on Basic Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Realty Transfer Tax on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

The program begins at 12:30 p.m. at The CLE Conference Center on the 10th floor of the Wanamaker Building. Registration and lunch begin at 11:45 a.m.

Whether you are a real estate, trusts and estates, business, bankruptcy, or tax lawyer, or a small general practice firm, you need to understand the ins and outs of realty transfer tax. Join us for this basic level program that will provide you with an overview of both Pennsylvania state realty transfer tax, as well as Philadelphia realty transfer tax, and highlight where there are differences between state and local Philadelphia transfer tax regulations.

Wendi Kotzen, a partner in the Tax Group of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, and Stanley Kull, a tax partner at Saul Ewing, will highlight the importance of understanding realty transfer tax and the ways in which you may be able to save your clients money, or avoid the tax entirely, depending upon how a transfer is structured. Get answers to these questions and much more from Kotzen and Kull and bring your questions to the program to get insight and answers from our expert faculty members.

This seminar is intended for those who have only a little or NO understanding of realty transfer tax or who are handling fairly simple property transfers. For a more in-depth and complex review of transfer tax issues, be sure to sign up for PBI's "Advanced Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Realty Transfer Tax" seminar. Click here to register.

Sandra Day O'Connor Award Nominees Sought

The Women in the Profession Committee is seeking nominations for the 2009 Sandra Day O'Connor Award. Deadline for nominations is Tuesday, March 17.

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 October 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. That year, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor presented the first award to U.S. District Court Senior Judge Norma L. Shapiro. The award has since been presented to the late Juanita Kidd Stout, former justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court; Deborah R. Willig, first woman Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association; Professor Marina Angel, of the Temple University Beasley School of Law faculty; Third Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Dolores K. Sloviter (former Chief Judge); U.S. District Court Judge Anita B. Brody; Leslie Anne Miller, first woman president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association; Lila G. Roomberg of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP; the late Judge Judith J. Jamison; Ellen T. Greenlee, chief defender of the Defender Association of Philadelphia; former Chancellor Audrey C. Talley; U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Marjorie O. Rendell; Pennsylvania Superior Court Judge Phyllis W. Beck; Roberta D. Pichini, Lynn A. Marks and Roberta D. Liebenberg.

Click here to download a nomination form.

Emergency Preparedness Workshop Jan. 30

The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management, the Philadelphia Bar Association and the Center City District will present the free workshop "Emergency Preparedness for Philadelphia Businesses" on Friday, Jan. 30.

The program will be held in the 11th floor Conference Center of Bar Association headquarters, 1101 Market St. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. A continental breakfast will be provided.

The Office of Emergency Management will present a program on business continuity planning.

Registration is required. To RSVP, e-mail Edward.Vassallo@phila.gov by Jan. 28. For more information, visit www.phila.gov/ready or call 1-877-READY-11.

Coaches, Judges Needed for Mock Trial Competition

Volunteer coaches and judges are needed for the 2009 John S. Bradway Philadelphia High School Mock Trial Competition, which is run by Temple University Beasley School of Law and the Young Lawyers Division.

The rounds of competition will take place through Feb. 28. If you have volunteered in the past, we thank you and hope that you will do so this year. If you have not yet volunteered for the Mock Trial Competition, we encourage you to do so.

As a coach, you would meet and communicate with the students to prepare for the competition. As a judge, you can choose to fill as many time slots as your schedule will allow and you do not need trial experience to participate. Contact Roberta West at (215) 204-8948 if you have interest in coaching. Click here for more information.