ASL-Proficient Attorney Needed to Represent Deaf Child; Training Session Jan. 26

Support Center for Child Advocates is looking for an attorney proficient in American Sign Language to represent a 16-year-old client. Child Advocates will be running a training session about this case on Jan. 26.

For more information, please contact Cary S. Davis at CDavis@ReedSmith.com.

Chancellor's Forum: Crime & Punishment: Criminal Records as a Barrier to Equality Jan. 27

The Philadelphia Bar Association will host a Chancellor's Forum titled "Crime & Punishment: Criminal Records as a Barrier to Equality" on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 4 p.m. The event is co-presented by The Barristers' Association of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Bar Association's Civil Rights Committee and Criminal Justice and Public Interest Sections.

Attorneys from various areas of criminal justice will discuss and solicit input on criminal justice reform from members of the legal, civil rights, government and public interest communities concerning the efficient and fair use of conviction and non-conviction data in the American justice system. In Pennsylvania, criminal charges, including charges that do not result in convictions, are publicly available.

Panelists will discuss pending legislation, efforts by the legal community to address unlawful criminal history discrimination, and the need to maintain an individual’s criminal history while allowing them to move forward as productive members of the community-at-large.

This event is free for members of the Philadelphia Bar Association and $15 for non-members. Attendees are invited to a wine and cheese networking reception following the Chancellor’s Forum. For more information and to register, click here.

Volunteer Judges Needed for Bradway Mock Trial Competition February 2016

It is once again time for the John S. Bradway High School Mock Trial Competition and your help is needed to make this year another success. The Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the Philadelphia Bar Association and Temple University Beasley School of Law team up each year to host this competition. Each spring students from approximately 30 - 40 public, private and parochial schools are given the opportunity play the roles of attorneys and witnesses in a fictitious criminal or civil case, focusing on real legal issues.

The YLD hopes that you will join them for an experience that is rewarding for both volunteer judges and the students. You can sign up to judge as many trials as you would like and each trial will require a 2-3 hour time commitment.

Please pass this information along to your friends and colleagues. You can direct any questions to Kristy Littman at littmanak@sec.gov or to John Coyle at john.coyle@phila.gov.

• Click here to view the schedule and sign up to judge.
• Click here to view this year's case materials.

Upcoming Philadelphia Bar Association CLE Courses

The Philadelphia Bar Association - your partner in justice - is a certified statewide provider of Continuing Legal Education beginning in February 2016.

Look to us as your convenient, low-cost provider for CLE programs on the latest issues, legislation and regulations. Take advantage of our full calendar of CLE courses taught by leaders of the profession - with a level of quality and service that has become a hallmark of America's first bar association.

Feb. 1
ABA Lead Law Leadership Training (Pt. 1): Lead Yourself - Lead Your Clients
3 SUB - Video
9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

Feb. 4
Defining Fiduciary Excellence: The Department of Labor and ERISA - The Changing Landscape of Investment Fiduciary Responsibility
2 SUB/1 ETH
12:30 to 3:45 p.m. Lunch and registration begin at 12 p.m.

Feb. 5
The New Science Behind Sentencing: What You Need to Know about Pennsylvania's New Sentencing Legislation
2 SUB
12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Lunch and registration begin at 12 p.m.

Feb. 9
For Sale! - Understanding 204 Pa. Code Rule 1.17
1 ETH
12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Lunch and registration begin at 12 p.m.

Feb. 11
Making Your Voice Heard: Advocacy and Lobbying 101
1 SUB/1 ETH
10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m.

Feb. 12
Tips and Practice Tools from the WC Bench including a 2016 WCAIS Update
2 SUB
12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Lunch and registration begin at 12 p.m.

Feb. 16
ABA Lead Law Leadership Training (Pt. 2): Lead Your Firm - Lead Your Community
3 SUB - Video
9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

Feb. 17
INSIDE-OUT: In-House Counsel Expectations of Outside Counsel on Environmental Matters
1 SUB
12 to 1 p.m. Lunch and registration begin at 11:30 a.m.

Feb. 23
Considering ODR in the Dispute Resolution Archetype and Its Impact on Lawyers and Ethical Considerations
1 SUB/1 ETH
12 to 2:15 p.m. Lunch and registration begin at 11:30 a.m.

Feb. 24
Outlook for 2016: Private Equity M&A
1 SUB
12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Lunch and registration begin at 12 p.m.

Feb. 25
Antitrust Pharmaceutical Patent Settlement Litigation
1 SUB
12:30-1:30 p.m. Lunch and registration begin at 12 p.m.

March 2
Smart Phone & Social Media Evidence in Fam Law Litigation
2 SUB/1 ETH
9 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

March 3
2016 March Probate Qtly - Probate Meets Real Estate
2 SUB
12:30-2:30 p.m. Lunch and registration begin at 12 p.m.

March 4
Non-Recourse Funding in Commercial Litigation
1 SUB/1 ETH
12-2:15 p.m. Lunch and registration begin at 11:30 a.m.

April 20
Bridge the Gap
4 ETH
12-4:15 p.m. Lunch and registration begin at 11:30 a.m.

For questions regarding Philadelphia Bar Association CLE, contact Tara D. Phoenix, Director of Continuing Legal Education, at 215-238-6349 or tphoenix@philabar.org.

Pro Bono Opportunity: Represent Refugee Families in Berks County

The Immigration Law Committee is looking for attorneys to volunteer with the Berks Pro Bono Collaborative to represent families and children detained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at Berks County Residential Center (BCRC).

Ninety-three individuals are currently detained at BCRC, and the center is likely to double in size in the coming weeks. Most families at BCRC have either a viable asylum or withholding of removal claim based on fear of returning to their countries. Training in immigration law, interpreters and mentoring are available to volunteer attorneys.

The Berks Pro Bono Collaborative is a project of the AILA Pro Bono Committee, Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center and HIAS Pennsylvania.

For more information on this pro bono opportunity, please contact Katelyn Hufe at katelyn@gthpc.com or at (215) 437-0392.

Philadelphia Bar Career Center

The Philadelphia Bar Association's new Career Center, the career hub for the legal community, is now open for business at careercenter.philadelphiabar.org.

The Career Center is geared toward both job seekers and employers. Job seekers can search and apply to more legal-related jobs than other job banks. They can upload an anonymous resume and allow employers to contact them through the Career Center's messaging system. Job seekers can also set up Job Alerts specifying skills, interests and preferred location(s) to receive email notifications when a job is posted that matches their criteria.

Employers can post job openings in front of the most qualified group of legal professionals. Employers can promote jobs directly to Philadelphia Bar Association members via the exclusive Jobs Flash email as well as search the resume database to find qualified candidates.

Employers can post jobs for $250 for 30 days at careercenter.philadelphiabar.org.