YLD Annual Meetings Attracts More Than 300 Young Attorneys

After some meeting and mingling 2011 YLD Chair Carey Chopko called the meeting to order, spoke about the accomplishments of the past year and thanked the 2011 Executive Committee before ceremoniously passing the gavel 2012 Chair Melanie Taylor.

Taylor spoke briefly about her agenda for 2012 and then called several awardees to the stage for recognition. This year’s honorees were Albertine Y. DuFrayne, Esq. of Sacks Weston & Petrelli, the winner of the Craig M. Perry Service Award; Paul Kaufman, Esq. of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the recipient of the F. Sean Peretta Service Award; and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, which received the YLD Vision Award.

Philadelphia District Attorney R. Seth Williams was on hand to accept the Vision Award on behalf of the men and women of the DA’s office. He spoke about how everyone can fight crime and encouraged the attorneys in attendance to mentor a young person.

The evening concluded with more time for socializing as YLD members started the year renewing friendships and making new connections. For more photos visit the YLD blog, PhiLAWdelphia.

Increasing Access to Justice From the Bench Feb. 6

The panel will be moderated by Joseph A. Sullivan, special counsel and director of pro bono programs at Pepper Hamilton LLP.

The program beings at 4 p.m. in the 11th Floor Conference Center, at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market St. This program is free to all members of the Association, but pre-registration is required. Please register online at here. This program is co-sponsored by the Philadelphia Bar Association's Civil Gideon Task Force and the Criminal Justice Section.

Managing Law Student Loan Debt: Federal Loan Repayment Assistance Programs Feb. 9

This program will feature a presentation by Heather Jarvis, a national expert on educational debt and financial barriers facing law school graduates and income-based repayment and public service loan forgiveness under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act. The program is free to all members of the Philadelphia Bar Association, but space is limited and pre-registration is required. Registration is available online at here. This program is co-sponsored by the Association’s Public Interest Section, Delivery of Legal Services Committee, Law School Outreach Committee and the Young Lawyers Division.

Probate/Homeownership CLE Jan. 27

The seminar will delve into the probate process and an alternative to probate (namely, the § 3546 Petition filed in Orphans' Court) as avenues to transfer legal title of homes into VIP clients' names. It will concentrate on the unique issues that low-income clients frequently encounter in obtaining title to a family property, including how volunteer attorneys can utilize the financial assistance of the Tangled Title Fund in representing these low-income clients.

The seminar will be taught by Kevin Gilboy, partner at Teeters Harvey Gilboy & Kaier LLP and former chair of the Probate and Trust Law Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association, as well as Kelly Gastley, supervising attorney at VIP.

Attorneys receive two free CLE credits if they accept a VIP case within six months of the training. Please contact Philadelphia VIP at (215) 523-9550 or phillyvip@phillyvip.org (including your full name and contact information), to reserve your space.

Joint Initiative of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations and the School District of Philadelphia Seeks Volunteers

The most immediate need is to find 20 volunteer attorneys to provide training on the District's unlawful harassment and anti-bullying policies and the reporting requirements under these two policies to principals and assistant principals in the School District.

Important dates
January 31, 2012 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. (training for volunteer attorneys) OR
February 7, 2012 from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. (training for volunteer attorneys) AND
February 9, 2012, the time will either be from 3:45 to 4:45 or 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. as yet to be determined (training of all principals by volunteer attorneys) AND/OR
February 14, 2012, the time will either be from 3:45 to 4:45 or 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. as yet to be determined (training of all assistant principals by volunteer attorneys)

The Training Plan for Principals and Assistant Principals
All principals will be attending professional development programs on February 9th. The plan is to have simultaneous breakout sessions so that the volunteer attorneys will deliver the training in separate rooms to small groups of principals. The same program will be repeated for all assistant principals on February 14th. All volunteers must be available either on the 9th or the 14th, or both the 9th and the 14th.

We will provide training to the volunteer attorneys on the materials to be used during the breakout sessions on January 31st and February 7th. Volunteer attorneys need only attend one of these train the trainer sessions, not both.

Can You Help?
Please contact Kay Kyungsun Yu if you are able to participate in this important initiative. If you are available, you will receive a short questionnaire and confidentiality agreement so that we can ensure that there are no conflicts of interest and we can be clear that the specifics of what is discussed during the training sessions remains confidential.

Judge Carrafiello on Guardianship Issues Jan. 25

The meeting begins at 12 p.m. in the 11th floor Conference Center of Bar Association offices, 1101 Market St. Lunch is available for $8 for members of the Philadelphia Bar Association and $9.50 for non-members. Cancellations require 24-hour notice to receive a refund. Click here to register.

Mock Trial Volunteer Judges, Coaches Needed

Each spring students from approximately 50 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.

We hope that you will join us for an experience that is rewarding for both our volunteer judges and our 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.

Click here to view the schedule and sign up to judge.

Click here to view this year’s Case Materials.

Bar Academy at "Scottsboro Boys" Jan. 31

From the legendary songwriting team of Kander and Ebb ("Cabaret," "Chicago," "Kiss of the Spider Woman"), "The Scottsboro Boys" is a stirring musical that explores the infamous 1930s "Scottsboro Case" in which a group of African-American men are falsely accused of a terrible crime, ultimately provoking a national outrage that sparked the American civil rights movement. "Scottsboro Boys" is the definition of inspired American musical theater with a gorgeous and melodic score.

The Bar Academy has a very limited number of tickets at the price listed below that are expected to sell out for this performance at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (Broad and Lombard streets). The curtain goes up at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets are $43 for Association members and guests (normally $51). All fees waived.
To take advantage of the group rate go to ticketing.theatrealliance.org and click on Jan. 31 in the calendar, then the Select Seats tab. Click your seats on the theatre map and at checkout enter promo code "philabar" or call the box office at 215-985-0420.

The Philadelphia Bar Association Academy provides Bar members with civic and cultural educational experiences that allow for enhanced business development opportunities. Academy programs provide a unique entry to the city's most vibrant institutions and leaders, offering behind-the-scenes access to these institutions in a manner designed to benefit all participants.

Violence Against Animals/Violence Against Humans CLE, Jan. 27

The FBI clearly sees animal cruelty as a predictor of violence against humans and considers past animal abuse when they profile serial killers. Many animals are also often tortured or killed by abusive spouses to inflict emotional abuse on women or children who love the family pet, in yet another form of manipulation and abuse.

This fascinating public policy program will explore the link between animal abuse and human violence and consider its impact on the criminal justice system and the family courts. For more information and to register click here.

PVLA Volunteer Event, Feb. 3

Apply now to be matched on short- or long-term pro bono cases with artists, start-up creative collectives, and nonprofits.

Current and prospective PVLA volunteers are eligible for a discounted rate at “Arts & Business Go Together Like Wine and Cheese,” on February 3rd at the new Atwater Kent where business and legal volunteers can network and learn about South American wine courtesy of Tria while and listen to internationally recognized Latin American musicians.

Business Law Section Annual Reception Feb. 6

Replansky was a 51-year-old senior partner at Blank Rome Comisky & McCauley LLP when he died in March 1994. He was a former chair of the Business Law Section.

The reception begins at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 for Section members, $60 for non-Section members and $70 for non-members of the Philadelphia Bar Association. Click here to purchase tickets.