What to Know about Serving on a Board of Directors

Fernando Chang-Muy, the Thomas O'Boyle Lecturer in Law at University of Pennsylvania Law School, will be the featured speaker at the YLD Live, Lunch and Learn CLE Program "What Every Lawyer Should Know About Serving on a Board of Directors" on Thursday, March 21.

This lunchtime CLE program focuses on what every attorney acting as a board member needs to understand about his or her fiduciary duties and how to effectively advance the organization's goals and mission. Join us to learn the special issues facing lawyers who serve as board members, as well as the best ways to improve board performance and productivity. Particular emphasis will be on the role of lawyer, the subcommittees of the board, including governance and human resources, and how to effectively integrate the work of the committees into advancing the organization's goals.

The program has been approved for 1 substantive CLE credit. Participants wishing to receive the CLE credit will be required to pay a fee of $25 for members of the Philadelphia Bar Association admitted for more than five years and $20 for members of the Philadelphia Bar Association admitted for less than five years. Click here to register for CLE credit.

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

YLD Comedy Night with Adam Ferrara May 9 at Helium

The Young Lawyers Division will present an Evening of Comedy that Cares on Thursday, May 9 at Helium Comedy Club with comedian Adam Ferrara, star of hit TV shows including "Top Gear" and "Rescue Me."

Ferrara is an acclaimed comedian, who starred on the Emmy-nominated hit FX show "Rescue Me" and appeared opposite Kevin James in the theatrical feature "Paul Blart: Mall Cop." A regular comedian on various hit talk shows including "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Late Show with David Letterman" and "The View and Rachael Ray," Ferrara has been dubbed "hilarious" by "Entertainment Weekly" and is a two-time nominee for best male stand-up by the American Comedy Awards.

The event includes open bar and a buffet dinner. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m. Helium Comedy Club is located at 2031 Sansom St. The early bird deadline to purchase tickets is Thursday, April 25. The last day to purchase tickets is Tuesday, May 7. The event will benefit the Philadelphia Bar Foundation. Click here to purchase tickets.

Sponsors include Partnership Gift - Krasno, Krasno & Onwudinjo; Friendship Gift - Scarab Consulting; Fellowship Gift - Gay Chacker & Mittin, P.C.; and Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association. For sponsorship information, contact Tracey McCloskey at 215-238-6360 or tmccloskey@philabar.org.

Ginsburg Essay Contest Entries Due May 8

Entries are now being accepted for the Philadelphia Bar Association's 2013 Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Pursuit of Justice Legal Writing Competition.

Candidates may submit a law review quality submission on any topic relating to rights, privileges and responsibilities under federal law. The Bar Association recognizes the importance of excellence in legal analysis and writing skills, and seeks to award a student enrolled in an American Bar Association-approved or provisionally approved Philadelphia-area law school for authoring a top-quality competition submission. Entries must be received by Wednesday, May 8 at 4 p.m.

This competition is open to full- and part-time law students who are in their second or third year of study during the 2012-13 academic year at one of the following six institutions: Drexel University Earle Mack School of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Rutgers University School of Law - Camden, Temple University Beasley School of Law, Villanova University School of Law and Widener University School of Law (Delaware Campus). Part-time law students in their third or later year of study are also eligible. Students must be in good standing at their institutions.

The submission may not have been published previously, although it may have been prepared in connection with a law school course or for a law journal. The submission also may not have been submitted for any other competition during the time when it is under consideration for this competition, until after the time when awards are announced. The submission must be the work of one author alone (joint submissions will not be considered), and the author must certify that the submission has been prepared without substantial editing from others.
The chair of the competition is Bar Association Chancellor Kathleen D. Wilkinson, a partner at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker.

The author of the winning submission will receive a cash award of $2,500, and have the essay published in The Philadelphia Lawyer magazine, on the Bar Association's website and/or in an appropriate Bar Association publication. The winner will be invited to a Quarterly Meeting of the Bar Association, at which time the award will be presented.

Submit entries to Dawn Petit, c/o Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market St., 11th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107. For more information, call 215-238-6367 or email dpetit@philabar.org.

34th Annual Bar Association 5K Run/Walk May 19

More than 1,000 runners and walkers are expected to take part in the 34th Annual Philadelphia Bar Association 5K Run/Walk on Sunday, May 19 along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

This is one of the oldest and most respected events of its kind in Philadelphia. The Run/Walk format provides the opportunity for athletes of all levels to participate in this charity event to benefit the Support Center for Child Advocates.

Many different competition divisions are available, including open run, individual run, Bar Association, legal team, corporate team, male and female and age groups. Law firms and companies may enter 5K Run teams. For an application contact Michael Berkowitz at mjberkowitz@crbcp.com or 215-567-2010 (ext 132). Deadline for team registration is May 11.

Awards will be presented to the top finishers in each age group and the overall male and female winners. A $300 prize will be awarded to any Philadelphia Bar Association runner who can defeat 13-time defending champion Neill W. Clark. The prize is sponsored by Neill's friends at Philadelphia Runner. All participants who complete the Run or Walk will receive a short-sleeve T-shirt. Children between the ages of 5 and 10 are encouraged to join in the Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Kids’ Dash, a 200-yard non competitive dash.

Online registration is available at active.com. For more information, visit phillybarcharityrun.com.

SABA April Speaker Event April 3

SABA Philadelphia is proud to announce its April Speaker Series Event featuring Kiran Ahuja and Nina Ahmad. The event will be on Wednesday, April 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Fox Rothschild LLP, 2000 Market St. Appetizers and drinks will be served.

Kiran Ahuja is the Executive Director of the White House Initiative of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). Ahuja is responsible for directing the efforts of the White House Initiative and the Presidential Advisory Commission on AAPIs to advise the federal agency leadership on the implementation and coordination of federal programs as they relate to AAPIs across executive departments and agencies. The White House Initiative on AAPIs works with these entities to improve the quality of life and opportunities for AAPIs through increased access to, and participation in, federal programs in which they may be underserved. Ahuja will be speaking about the issues that directly affect AAPIs from the national perspective. In addition to identifying key issues that affect AAPIs, Ahuja will discuss what the federal government's plans on addressing these issues.

Nina Ahmad is the chair of the Mayor's Commission for Asian American Affairs. She is a founding member of APA for Progress, a grassroots, Internet-empowerd, national network of Asian Pacific Americans and friends for Progressive Action. Ahmad is also a board member of the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition, Asian Mosaic Fund Giving Circle, and serves on the Diversity Committee of Willian Penn Charter School. Ahmad will be speaking about the issues that directly affect Asian Americans from a local perspective and discuss the activities that the Mayor's Commission for Asian American Affairs is involved with.

Please RSVP to ashah@foxrothschild.com by March 31.

Work, Life, Leadership: Conversation with Kathleen, Tom Wilkinson April 2

Please join us for "Work, Life, Leadership: A Conversation with Philadelphia Bar Association Chancellor Kathleen D. Wilkinson and Pennsylvania Bar President Thomas G. Wilkinson" on Tuesday, April 2.

This program, presented by Ms. JD, the Philadelphia Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association, is geared toward young lawyers and law students. The program will begin promptly at 5 pm and will be immediately followed by a networking session at the Field House. There is no fee to attend however space is limited and registration is required by March 28. Click here to register.

The program will be held in the 11th floor Conference Center at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market St. For more information about Ms. JD please visit ms-jd.org.