Law Firm Laboratory June 4: Making Private Practice Leap

Interested in learning what it's like to start your own firm? On Wednesday, June 4 in the second session of the Law Firm Laboratory series, a diverse cross-section of panelists will discuss why they decided to go into a private practice and how they got started.

With topics ranging from how they got their first clients to what marketing strategies they have used, this informative and insightful program is one you won't want to miss. Panelists include Steve Harvey, Steve Harvey Law LLC; Kevin V. Mincey, Mincey & Fitzpatrick, LLC; Lee A. Schwartz, Lee A. Schwartz, Attorney at Law; and Rhonda HIll Wilson, Law Offices of Rhonda Hill Wilson, P.C.

Created in 2014 by Chancellor William P. Fedullo, the Law Firm Laboratory is a free program series and ongoing incubator of innovative ideas, strategies and concepts for starting and nurturing new law firms and helping existing law firms of all types serve the changing needs of tomorrow's clients.

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

YLD Diversity Reception June 11

The YLD's Annual Diversity Reception will be Wednesday, June 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Chima Brazilian Steakhouse, 1901 JFK Blvd. U.S. District Court Judge C. Darnell Jones II will be the keynote speaker

Each year, the YLD awards five scholarships to students of diverse backgrounds. The goal of the YLD Diversity Scholarship is to identify and support future leaders in the profession from diverse backgrounds who demonstrate both a desire and commitment to practicing law in the Philadelphia area.

The event co-hosts are Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania, The Barristers' Association of Philadelphia, Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania and South Asian Bar Association of Philadelphia. The YLD Diversity Reception is sponsored by Love Court Reporting, Inc. Admission is free to Philadelphia Bar Association members. Admission for non-members is $15. Click here to register.

Speed Mentoring Program June 25 at Chima

The Business Law Section, in conjunction with the Young Lawyers Division, invites young lawyers and law students to engage candidly and meaningfully with seasoned practitioners and coaches about building a book of business and marketing oneself as a young lawyer at a Wednesday, June 25 speed mentoring program.

Attendees will be divided into small groups which will rotate to discuss focused topics with mentors' seated at individual tables. Developing one's practice is essential to a successful legal career, and starting early can reap significant benefits. Topics will include connecting with clients and referral sources; practical networking pointers and etiquette; work-life insights and advice; and attaining your career goals.

The event will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Chima Brazilian Steakhouse, 1901 JFK Blvd. Registration for this event is required and will include heavy hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Registration is $10 for law student members; $20 for non-member law students (includes automatic membership to the Association for the remainder of the year, which is a discount off the standard fee); $20 for Philadelphia Bar Association members; and $30 for non-members. The event will be limited to the first 50 people to register. Click here to register.

The Business Law Section would like to thank its Annual Sponsor, Thomson Reuters.

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.

Apple Tech Academy Series Begins June 4

Join the Philadelphia Bar Association's Bar Academy for the new Apple Tech Academy Series. This five-part series will be hosted weekly to help members learn and better understand technology that can be of use to them whether it's in the courtroom or their law practice. The series is exclusively for Philadelphia Bar Association members and space is limited, so interested attendees are encouraged to register early.

The programs will be held from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the Apple Store, 1607 Walnut St. The series includes: June 4 - Introduction and setting up your iPad; June 11 - Creating and editing documents; June 18 - Reviewing and annotating existing documents; June 25 - Presentation software in the courtroom; and July 2 - Case management and case research.

In lieu of a registration fee for this educational series, attendees are encouraged to contribute $15 for all five sessions (members only), which will be donated to Chancellor William P. Fedullo's Support Our Schools Campaign. Attend as many or as few sessions as you like. Click here to register.

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.

Federal Bench-Bar Conference June 13

A State of the Courts presentation and Keynote Remarks by Witold "Vic" Walczak, legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, are among the highlights of the Federal Courts Committee's Federal Bench-Bar Conference on Friday, June 13.

The Federal Bench-Bar Conference is a half-day educational event that is attended by federal court practitioners and judges. Attendees will spend the morning hearing panel presentations by both judges and practitioners on topics of current interest in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The conference will begin with opening remarks by Danielle Banks, chair of the Federal Courts Committee, followed by an introduction of the program by Bruce P. Merenstein, course planner and vice chair of the Federal Courts Committee. Registration begins at 8:15 a.m. at The Rittenhouse Hotel, 210 W. Rittenhouse Square. To register for the Federal-Bench Bar Conference, visit pbi.org.

The first panel discussion, "Expert Witnesses in Federal Court: What Works and What Doesn't," features U.S. District Court Judges Mitchell S. Goldberg, Cynthia M. Rufe and Juan R. Sanchez and moderator Nina M. Gussack.

On the next panel, U.S. District Court Judge Legrome D. Davis and attorneys Catherine M. Recker, Robert A. Zauzmer and moderator David Rudovsky will discuss "The Use of Social Media to Investigate, Prosecute, and Defend Criminal Charges."

Following a short break, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Petrese B. Tucker, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Chief Judge Eric L. Frank and Clerk of Court Michael E. Kunz will present a report on the State of the Courts.

The last panel discussion, "Ethical Issues During Depositions: Hypothetical Scenarios," features U.S. District Court Judges Paul S. Diamond and Gerald A. McHugh Jr., along with former Chancellor Abraham C. Reich and moderator Dennis R. Suplee.

The program concludes with Walczak's Keynote Remarks. He will address why it is important that federal courts be receptive to litigation brought on behalf of "unpopular" people and causes. Click here to register for the Federal Bench-Bar Conference.

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

LGBT Summer Intern Reception June 26

Join the LGBT Rights Committee in welcoming up-and-coming members of the profession, summer associates, to the Philadelphia legal community on Thursday, June 26.

Graciously hosted by Ballard Spahr LLP, this event will provide opportunities for summer associates to network with established professionals, as well as begin to build their peer professional community. This event will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Ballard Spahr LLP, 1735 Market St., 48th Floor. There is no cost to attend however registration is required by June 19. Please RSVP to Claire L. Volpe at VolpeC@ballardspahr.com.

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.

Law Society Quizzo Championship June 17

The Annual Philadelphia Law Society Quizzo Championship will be Tuesday, June 17 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Field House, 1150 Filbert St. Quizzo starts at 6 p.m.

Come out to compete against other affinity bar associations, watch/mock your friends and take advantage of food and drink specials. The winners receive a gift basket with organizational paraphernalia, a trophy and most importantly, bragging rights. Admission is free. The event features YLD Chair Ed Beitz as Quizzo Master of Ceremonies.

Participating affinity bar associations/organizations include Asian Pacific American Bar Association of PA, Louis D. Brandeis Law Society, Barristers Association of Philadelphia, Brehon Law Society, Hispanic Bar Association of PA, The Justinian Society, and the South Asian Bar Association of Philadelphia. Please watch for email and RSVP information from your respective group(s). Membership in any of the competing organizations is not necessary - although you will be asked to compete as part of a team representing one of the above groups!

Probate and Trust Law Section Quarterly Meeting June 3

The Probate and Trust Law Section Quarterly Meeting and CLE "Protecting Your Nest Egg: Using Domestic and Foreign Asset Protection Trusts to Safeguard Assets" will be held Tuesday, June 3 at The CLE Conference Center on the 10th Floor of the Wanamaker Building, Market and Juniper streets.

"Asset protection" has become part of the common lexicon of asset management, financial planning and estate planning. Increasingly, clients are seeking strategies to help them preserve and protect the wealth they have accumulated in the face of risk. As a result, more and more individuals are creating asset protection trusts, both domestically and abroad, in order to shield a grantor-beneficiary's assets from the reach of creditors. This course will help advisors better understand the frequently asked questions of when to use, where to situs, and how to administer an asset protection trust to safeguard an individual's assets.

Registration begins at 11:45 a.m. Two substantive CLE credits are available. Click here for more information.

2014 Technology Institute June 11

Revolutionize your practice at PBI's new Tech Institute on Wednesday, June 11. From the way we research to the way we communicate, technology is reshaping society at large. Make sure your practice keeps pace and takes advantage of the newest technologies.

Embrace your inner technophile. Cyber junkie or technophobe, PBI's nationally renowned faculty can help you explore the issues critical to your performance as an attorney. From confidentiality to storytelling, information scouting to intellectual property protection, the Technology Institute will be an asset for you. The program begins at 9 a.m. at The CLE Conference Center on the 10th Floor of the Wanamaker Building, Market and Juniper streets. Click here to register.