Superintendent on Future of Public Schools May 12

Dr. William R. Hite Jr., superintendent of The School District of Philadelphia, will join members of the Young Lawyers Division for a discussion that will touch on issues of interest to Philadelphia's young lawyers that currently have or may soon have school-aged children on Monday, May 12. Dr. Hite will speak about his Action Plan 2.0 and his vision for the future of Philadelphia's public schools, as well as field questions from those in attendance.

The program 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. There is no cost if you wish to bring your own lunch but advance registration is required. Cancellations require 24 hours notice to receive a refund. Click here to register.

X, Y, Zs of Real Estate Program Kick Off May 6

Carol Huff will kick off the the X,Y,Zs of Real Estate Program Series on Tuesday, May 6 with "Learning to Love Your Lease."

Huff will share special hints and tips when it comes to understanding, negotiating and profiting from office building leases. Attendees are encouraged to bring copies of their office leases.

Having spent over 35 years in the commercial real estate business, Huff has saved her clients in the tens of millions of dollars of lease-related billings and prevented major problems from surfacing in the future once a lease is signed.

Huff has created a series of lectures targeted to help lawyers appreciate that there is much more to commercial real estate and office space than they would think. For the next year, Huff is hosting the quarterly X, Y, Zs of Real Estate Program Series as a benefit to Philadelphia Bar Association members. Program topics will vary and some will feature special guest presenters.

The program begins at 12 p.m. in the 11th Floor Conference Center at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market St. There is no cost to attend this program. Lunch is available for $8 for members of the Philadelphia Bar Association and $12 for non-members. Cancellations require 24 hours notice. Click here to register.

Civil Gideon Essay Contest Honors Ken Shear; Entry Deadline May 9

In honor of the retirement of Kenneth Shear, who served as executive director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for 37 years, the "Kenneth Shear Civil Gideon Legal Justice Essay Competition and Scholarship Fund" has been established by the Association and the Philadelphia Bar Foundation to honor Shear's contributions to the Philadelphia legal community.

To raise an endowment to support the Essay Competition and Scholarship Fund, Immediate-Past Chancellor Kathleen D. Wilkinson and Bar Foundation President Deborah Gross are donating seed money to begin the funding of the Essay Competition and the Scholarship Fund in order to award at least one scholarship in 2014. The announcement of the scholarship was made by Wilkinson and Gross at the December Board of Governors meeting.

Full and part-time law students who are in their second or third year of study during the academic year at one of the following six institutions are eligible to enter: Drexel University School of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Rutgers School of Law - Camden, Temple University Beasley School of Law, Villanova University School of Law and Widener University School of Law (Delaware Campus). Candidates must submit a law review quality submission on Civil Gideon.

The winning author will receive a cash award of $1,500 and serve as an intern, within six months of receiving the award, for 40 hours, on a pro bono basis, to assist the Philadelphia Bar Association and the Philadelphia Bar Foundation with its endeavors through the Philadelphia Civil Gideon Task Force, the state-wide Access to Civil Justice Coalition and/or future statewide Access to Civil Justice Commission, or will serve on another pro bono project of the Philadelphia Bar Association and Philadelphia Bar Foundation, such as service to the Public School System of Philadelphia.

The essay must be no longer than 10 pages or 2,500 words, whichever is shorter. The 2,500-word limitation refers to the text of the submission; footnotes may be a maximum of 1,000 words (in addition to the 2,500 word maximum for text). Endnotes are not permitted.

The essay must be in seminar paper or law journal article format only; submissions in the form of a memorandum, brief, judicial opinion or other type of legal document are not acceptable. The essay may not be previously published or currently accepted for publication in any publication other than in connection with this competition. For a complete list of rules please visit philabarfoundation.org. Please direct additional questions to Merril Zebe, Public Interest Coordinator for the Delivery of Legal Services Committee at mzebe@philabar.org. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. by email on Friday, May 9. Please send submission to Cecelia Driscoll at info@philabarfoundation.org.

All contributions to the Fund should be in the name of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation with an indication in the memo field that the donation is for the purposes of the "Kenneth Shear Civil Gideon Legal Justice Essay Competition and Scholarship Fund." Please mail your check to Jessica Hilburn-Holmes, Philadelphia Bar Foundation, 1101 Market St., 11th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107.

Applicants Sought for FJD Judicial Fellowship Program

Philadelphia judges are seeking to host law school graduates as judicial fellows to provide the graduates with substantive legal experience while benefitting the court system with additional legal talent, as part of the First Judicial District's Judicial Fellowship Program. Now entering its fourth year, the Judicial Fellowship Program was created in 2011 to address the difficult hiring climate for lawyers that many recent law graduates were facing.

The Judicial Fellowship Program aims to provide high-caliber law graduates with substantive experience in the law, and to support the Court in carrying out key functions. Fellows volunteer their time, have the same responsibilities as regular paid judicial law clerks, and gain the benefit of training by judges in the Philadelphia courts. Judicial fellows' service helps our high-volume court system maintain its superior quality of service to the Philadelphia community. Judges help judicial fellows by mentoring and providing legal experience that will enhance their competitiveness for paid employment as new lawyers.

Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Lisa M. Rau developed the program with help from Professor Chapin Cimino of the Drexel University School of Law as well as faculty and administrators from career services offices at the University of Pennsylvania's Law School and Temple's Beasley School of Law. The Judicial Fellowship Program quickly expanded and now welcomes graduates from law schools from across the country. The Philadelphia Bar Association is a supporter of the Judicial Fellowship Program.

The application process is streamlined and selective. Prospective judicial fellows apply directly via email to judges with whom they are interest in working. Judges select judicial fellows from those applicants who apply to them directly. The list of judges with available positions for judicial fellows is provided on the Judicial Fellowship Program's website. Each judge and fellow team designs a flexible schedule (minimum of 20 hours per week) that ensures reliable service to the judge but permits the fellow to seek a paid position elsewhere. Judicial fellows do not commit to any length of service enabling them to leave the fellowship with two weeks' notice to their judge upon obtaining paid employment.

During the first three years of the program, more than 50 judges volunteered to host judicial fellows and the Court hosted 149 judicial fellows from 30 different law schools. As of February 2014, the vast majority of judicial fellows (approximately 84 percent) who left their fellowship departed for paid jobs using their legal skills.

For additional information and fellowship application forms, please visit www.courts.phila.gov/jfp

Brown v. Board of Education Anniversary Event May 2

As May marks the 60th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, join members of the Philadelphia Bar Association and The Barristers' Association of Philadelphia as we host a commemorative event in honor of this historic occasion on Friday, May 2 at Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, 419 S. 6th St.

The program will include keynote remarks from Harold Jackson, editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer's editorial page. Additional speakers include Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church Rev. Mark Kelly Tyler, Philadelphia Bar Association Chancellor William P. Fedullo and The Barristers' Association of Philadelphia President Amber Racine.

The event will feature the premiere of a commemorative video created especially for this occasion featuring numerous Philadelphia attorneys and judges who will offer personal reflections and discuss the impact the Brown v. Board of Education decision had on their lives and careers.

The formal program begins at 4 p.m. and will be immediately followed by a reception in the church's historic museum at 5 p.m. Registration cost is $15 and will serve as a contribution toward Mother Bethel A.M.E. Registration is required by Tuesday, April 29. Walk-ins will not be permitted. Click here to register.

Barristers' Association Scholarship Gala May 17

The Barristers’ Association bestows honors named for such luminaries in the profession as J. Austin Norris, A. Leon Higginbotham, and Cecil B. Moore, and provides scholarships to outstanding law students at the Annual Awards and Scholarship Gala, set for Saturday, May 17 at the Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn's Landing.

This year, the J. Austin Norris Award will be presented to Scott W. Reid; the A. Leon Higginbotham Award to Hon. Kathryn Streeter-Lewis; and the Cecil B. Moore Award to Michael Coard. The special guest and master of ceremonies is Benjamin Crump. Individual tickets and table sponsorships may be purchased by clicking here. For questions about the event, contact Shabrei Parker at shabrei.parker@gmail.com.

35th Annual Bar 5K May 18; Register Now

The 35th annual Philadelphia Bar Association 5K Run/Walk will be held Sunday, May 18 with more than 1,000 runners and walkers expected to participate. The 5K benefits the Support Center for Child Advocates. Click here to register.

The 5K begins at Memorial Hall (4231 North Concourse Drive) in Fairmount Park at 8:30 a.m. The 5K Walk begins at 8:35 a.m. The registration fee for Bar Association members is $35. General registration for the 5K Walk is $35. There is no fee to compete in the Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney 200-Yard Kids Dash. Children ages 5 to 10 will love running in this free, non-competitive event. All participants will receive a race give-a-way. Child-friendly activities will be offered all morning. Registration is required for each child. A parent or guardian must be present.

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 Friday, May 9.

Chancellor's Forum with Sam Katz on Documentary May 16

Join civic entrepreneur Sam Katz for a discussion of his newest venture as a documentary filmmaker at a Friday, May 16 Chancellor's Forum. In 2008, Katz realized that Philadelphia was the only large American city that lacked its own historical documentary programming. Since then, Katz has worked to build and expand History Making Productions (HMP), an Emmy-Award winning production studio.

HMP's first ongoing series, "Philadelphia: The Great Experiment," documents Philadelphia's expansive history, and will eventually cover 14 episodes. Katz has recently launched additional documentary ventures, including "The Women of Philadelphia." This six-part series will tell the history of the city through the lens of its women, and will focus on different civic sectors in which women have wielded influence and agency.

Sam will discuss the processes and factors involved in the creation of historical documentaries, and will screen a recent episode from "Philadelphia: The Great Experiment." A wine and cheese reception will follow the formal program.

The program is sponsored by LawPay. The program begins at 4 p.m. at The CLE Conference Center on the 10th Floor of the Wanamaker Building, Market and Juniper streets. The reception follows at 5 p.m. The cost of the event is $15 for members of the Philadelphia Bar Association and $25 for non-members. Click here to register.

Jewish Law Day Celebration May 21

John Q. Barrett, professor of law at St. John's University in New York, will speak on "Justice Jackson, Nuremberg, and the Universality of the Hebrew Bible" at the 32nd annual Jewish Law Day celebration on Wednesday, May 21.

The program, sponsored by the Committee of Judges and Lawyers, The Louis D. Brandeis Law Society, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, and VAAD: The Board of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia, is a free program open to the entire community. The event will be held at the Jewish Community Services Building, at 2100 Arch St. beginning at 5 p.m.

This event is funded entirely through voluntary contributions. A reception will follow the program. Complimentary valet parking is provided. Dietary laws are strictly observed. To register, or to make a voluntary contribution to Jewish Law Day, please visit brandeislawsociety.org.

Chief Judge McKee to Deliver Higginbotham Lecture June 9

Chief Judge Theodore A. McKee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit will deliver the Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. Memorial Public Interest Lecture at the Philadelphia Bar Association's June Quarterly Meeting and Luncheon on Monday, June 9 at 12 p.m. at the Hyatt at The Bellevue, Broad and Walnut streets.

Judge Sandra Mazer Moss (ret.), a longtime jurist on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and now a distinguished neutral with Dispute Resolution Institute, will be presented with the Association's Sandra Day O'Connor Award at the event.

The O'Connor Award is presented to 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.

Judge McKee was sworn in as a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on June 20, 1994, and became chief judge on May 4, 2010. The former Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas judge was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals by President Bill Clinton.

New members of the Association's 50-, 60-, 65- and 70-Year Clubs will also be honored at the event. The Year Clubs recognize attorneys who have been practicing law for 50 years or more. The June Quarterly Meeting is sponsored by PNC Wealth Management. Click here to purchase tickets.

Bar Foundation Golf & Tennis Classic June 16

The Philadelphia Bar Foundation is excited to host the 26th Annual Golf & Tennis Classic on Monday, June 16 at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Sponsorship opportunities, foursomes and individual tickets for golf or tennis are now available. The Bar Foundation is pleased to offer special rates for judges and Young Lawyers Division members, as well as dinner-only tickets.

Golf will take place on both the Wissahickon and Militia Hill courses. The Philadelphia Cricket Club also features grass and clay tennis courts. Please note that Wissahickon is a walking course, and carts will only be available for those over the age of 65 or with a medical note. Carts are available on Militia Hill. Individual golfers and foursomes will be assigned to Wissahickon by lottery if necessary.

Register today and help the Philadelphia Bar Foundation celebrate 50 years of promoting access to justice! Click here to register. For more information, please contact Alexander McDowell at 215-238-6334 or amcdowell@philabar.org.