Volunteers Needed for Mock Trial Program

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

ABA YLD Seeks Leadership Nominees

The American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division is currently accepting applications for a 2014 - 2015 ABA YLD leadership appointment. The YLD of the Philadelphia Bar Association works closely with the ABA whenever possible in advocating for young attorneys, and encourages those interested in getting involved with the ABA YLD. The deadline to submit an application is Feb. 15. For more information and the online application please visit the ABA's website.

Discounted Tickets for Please Touch Museum, 76ers

Philadelphia Bar Association members can take advantage of specially discounted tickets at two Philadelphia institutions – the Please Touch Museum and the Philadelphia 76ers - for a day out with the family or a night out with friends and colleagues...READ MORE

Women in Law Rainmaker Forum

A four-session forum for women lawyers interested in accessing much-needed resources to develop a prosperous and rewarding practice will be presented during February. Click here for more information.

SABA to Host Evening with Preet Bharara March 4

The South Asian Bar Association of Philadelphia presents "An Evening with Preet Bharara" at the National Constitution Center on Tuesday, March 4. Bharara is the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009...READ MORE



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Marketing Corner: Make 2014 Your Year to Tweak

By Kimberly Alford Rice
Here we are early in the year, optimism is high and you are committed to making 2014 a more prosperous year. Then we ask, "how" and shake our heads. What can we do differently this year than last year and have a better result? Clearly, we do not want to do the same thing as last year and expect a different result…how Freudian would that be?

An area in which I see so many law firm clients struggle is in the analysis and measurement of their development efforts. Are they engaged in high-impact endeavors in the first place which will support their overall development growth goals? First, they rarely have systems in place to assist them in the imperative of measuring what business development exercises have been worthwhile.

How many times have I heard "I've tried publishing articles and even giving talks, and they just don't work for me" and my thoughts go quickly to "did this lawyer leverage the actual business development opportunity appropriately to qualify as a success and, as importantly, how do they measure the "work" part?" The answers are frequently "no" and "they don't."

Many lawyers generally know what they need to do to grow their practice (foster strong business relationships) but they need to tweak the execution and the follow up steps that are imperative to growing a client roster.

Marketing legal services requires planting many seeds. Some germinate, others do not, and the ones that do may take a long time to harvest. The germination period may distort our perception of what works.

How Can You Know? To think with the CEO hat of your practice on, do you know quantitatively the source of your business? Or, have you analyzed your intake reports to know for sure? Does most of your business originate from client referrals, from other lawyers, from conflicts?

These questions can often signal a serious flaw in the business development efforts of many lawyers. Many don’t have a system to measure which activities produce the desired outcomes. Instead, they rely solely on their memories.

Examine What Works for You By analyzing your client list, you may stumble upon some powerful marketing data. If you have ever shared a meal with a client once a matter concluded, you might trace subsequent referrals from the goodwill that was generated by spending a few hours off the clock to reinforce that relationship.

Your analysis may reveal that opposing counsel has referred some of your best clients after a court fight where you parted ways amicably as a result of you reaching out post court fight. Lawyers who know the quality of your work first hand may be (or could be) a powerful source of new business. They may think of you first when a conflict arises. How do you nurture those relationships?

In the next installment, I’ll explore additional action steps and considerations to move you closer to ramping up your business development efforts.

Until next month, take one step each day (regardless of how minor) to grow your network and strengthen your existing contacts.

Kimberly Alford Rice (kimberly@klamarketing.net) is principal of KLA Marketing Associates.

Volunteers Needed for Mock Trial Program

It is once again time for the John S. Bradway High School Mock Trial Competition and we need your help to make this year another success. The Young Lawyers Division and Temple University Beasley School of Law team up each year to host this competition. Each spring students from approximately 40 public, private, and parochial schools are given the opportunity to 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 or Jim Nixon at james.nixon@pacourts.us. Click here for more information.

School Superintendent Hite is March 11 Speaker

Dr. William R. Hite Jr., superintendent of The School District of Philadelphia, will be the keynote speaker at the Association’s Quarterly Meeting and Luncheon, which will be held on Tuesday, March 11.

Dr. Hite's remarks go along with Chancellor William P. Fedullo's focus on public education this year. Fedullo has created an Education Task Force to begin finding more ways that the legal community can help public education in Philadelphia and throughout Pennsylvania. The Chancellor also has plans for a number of programs so Association members can learn about what is needed for a quality education for students.

Also at the event, the Association will present the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Diversity Award. The award publicly acknowledges, recognizes and honors an individual or entity that has demonstrated a strong commitment, and has made substantial contributions to diversity and promoting full and equal participation and inclusion in the legal profession.

Immediate-Past Chancellor Kathleen D. Wilkinson will be honored at the event. She will be presented with a gold box, a 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."

The March 11 Quarterly Meeting and Luncheon begins at 12 p.m. at the Hyatt at The Bellevue, Broad and Walnut streets. Tickets are $65 for Philadelphia Bar Association members and $75 for non-members. Purchase tickets at philadelphiabar.org by Thursday, March 6. Cancellations must be received by March 6 to receive a full refund.

Civil Forfeiture of Real Property CLE Feb. 28

Philadelphia VIP, the hub of pro bono legal services in Philadelphia, invites you to the free CLE training "Civil Forfeiture of Real Property in Philadelphia" on Friday, Feb. 28.

This seminar will focus on Civil Forfeiture practice and procedure in Philadelphia. This CLE will
provide a general overview of Civil Forfeiture law in Pennsylvania, including a discussion of the
forfeiture process for real property and recent court decisions.

This seminar will be taught by Professor Louis S. Rulli, Practice Professor of Law at the University of
Pennsylvania Law School, Matthew D. Lee, Partner at Blank Rome LLP, and Brad V. Shuttleworth of
Alva & Associates.

The program begins at 12 p.m. at Pepper Hamilton LLP, 3000 Two Logan Square, 18th and Arch streets. A special Thank You to Pepper Hamilton LLP for hosting our training and providing lunch. Attorneys receive 2 free CLE credits if they accept a VIP case within 6 months of the training. Click here to reserve your space.

Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Training Program March 14

The Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program needs the investment of many pro bono attorneys to help clients negotiate affordable loan modifications, payment arrangements, or otherwise resolve clients' mortgage foreclosure cases.

Volunteer attorneys are asked to put their negotiation skills to work; litigating the mortgage foreclosure case is not expected of volunteers. Volunteers need NO experience in mortgage foreclosure law to participate. A training will be held Friday, March 14 at Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller One Logan Square, 18th & Cherry streets, 27th Floor.

Volunteers will receive a total of 2.5 free substantive CLE credits in exchange for providing ongoing representation for two different clients in the Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program or for representing three clients as a temporary solution or emergency volunteer. Click here to register.

Discounted Tickets for Please Touch Museum, 76ers

Philadelphia Bar Association members can take advantage of specially discounted tickets at two Philadelphia institutions – the Please Touch Museum and the Philadelphia 76ers - for a day out with the family or a night out with friends and colleagues.

To get in on the fun and excitement, just visit the Bar Association's Member Benefits page to purchase tickets.

Please Touch Museum was named one of the top 10 children's museums in the country by Parents magazine and is the perfect attraction for families with young children. Adults will enjoy our Centennial Tours of Memorial Hall, complete with historical background of the national landmark and 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia.

Purchases are available from one to nine tickets for the 76ers. For groups of 10 tickets or more, contact Danielle Balliet at 215-952-7351 or danielleballiet@sixers.com. There are no service fees for mailing tickets, will call, or print at home. Most games are available.

SABA to Host Evening with Preet Bharara March 4

The South Asian Bar Association of Philadelphia presents "An Evening with Preet Bharara" at the National Constitution Center on Tuesday, March 4. Bharara is the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009.

Since his appointment to the office, Bharara has overseen the investigation and litigation of all criminal and civil cases brought on behalf of the United States in the Southern District of New York. The office's 210 Assistant U.S. Attorneys handle a high volume of cases involving domestic and international terrorism, narcotics and arms trafficking, financial and healthcare fraud, public corruption, gang violence, organized crime, and civil rights violations.

Bharara recently made headlines for indicting the Indian diplomat, Devyani Khobragade, and charging two Bitcoin executives for conspiring to commit money laundering. Bharara will address the topic of business ethics, and the event promises to be a one of-a-kind opportunity to hear about the renewed focus on large-scale, sophisticated financial frauds from the voices on the front line. Introductory remarks will be given by Zane Memeger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. A cocktail reception will begin at 6 p.m. and the first 75 guests will receive a free drink ticket. The program will begin at 7 p.m. following the cocktail reception. Discounted parking will be available at the National Constitution Center. Space will be limited, therefore attendees are encouraged to RSVP early. Click here to RSVP.

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