Berry to Speak June 26; Dalton to Receive O'Connor Award

Dr. Mary Frances Berry, former chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, will deliver the Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. Memorial Public Interest Lecture at the Tuesday, June 26 Quarterly Meeting and Luncheon. Click here to purchase tickets.

Jane Leslie Dalton, who has served as Chancellor, chair of the Board of Governors and co-chair of the Women in the Profession Committee, will be presented with the Association's Sandra Day O'Connor Award at the event, set for 12 p.m. at the Hyatt at The Bellevue, Broad and Walnut streets. 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.

Dr. Berry is currently the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania. She has written numerous books including "Power in Words: The Stories behind Barack Obama's Speeches, from the State House to the White House."

New members of the Association's 50-, 60-, 65- and 75-Year Clubs will also be honored at the event, set for 12 p.m. at the Hyatt at The Bellevue, Broad and Walnut streets. The Year Clubs recognize attorneys who have been practicing law for 50 years or more. Click here to purchase tickets.

Bar Foundation Golf/Tennis Classic June 25 at Green Valley CC

The Philadelphia Bar Foundation Golf Classic will be held Monday, June 25 at Green Valley Country Club. We are excited to announce that Wilkie Lexus of Cherry Hill has chosen the Philadelphia Bar Foundation as a participant in the Lexus Champions for Charity golf tournament. Thanks to the generosity of Wilkie Lexus, our auction will feature a spot on the roster for the three-day Lexus Champions for Charity tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any golf enthusiast.

If you are not a golfer, but want to be part of the fun, please join us in the afternoon for a round-robin tennis tournament. The day will be capped off with an open bar surf-and-turf reception and auction on the beautiful lawns of Green Valley Country Club. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP is a presenting sponsor of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation Golf Classic.

Why support the Philadelphia Bar Foundation? The mission of the Bar Foundation is to provide equal access to justice for all. As a practical matter, access to justice only exists when education, representation and advocacy combine to allow people to take full advantage of their legal rights. In a position to look at the legal services community as a whole, the Bar Foundation is a key provider of both resources and solutions with the greatest impact on this ambitious goal.

Through the awarding of annual grants, the Bar Foundation provides much needed operational funding for more than 30 public interest law groups. Each grantee has a distinct mission: advocating for the homeless, protecting children in crisis, working with distressed homeowners to prevent foreclosure, protecting elders from abuse, preventing discrimination – the issues are countless. What these distinct groups have in common is the fight for access to justice. The Bar Foundation exists to support this common goal.

The annual Golf Classic raises substantial funds to meet our mission. The money raised at the Golf Classic goes directly into funding our 35 legal service grantees. Please join us in our mission. Click here for more information or to register.

Register Now for Bench-Bar at Revel in October

Register now for the Philadelphia Bar Association’s 2012 Bench-Bar & Annual Conference, featuring 21 CLE seminars, at the new beachfront Revel resort in Atlantic City, N.J., on Oct. 5 and 6.

The Bench-Bar & Annual Conference provides attendees with the opportunity to earn CLE credit while networking with colleagues and members of the bench. Hundreds of attorneys and judges are expected to attend. A total of 6 CLE credits are available. Enjoy special early-bird savings on the full conference when you register by Sept. 14.

In addition to a brand-new venue, this year's event will also offer an insider's view of the 2012 presidential election, as we welcome ABC News White House Correspondent Ann Compton as our Opening Plenary speaker. Additionally, at our Saturday breakfast, we'll hear from The Philadelphia Inquirer's national political columnist Dick Polman, offering his own special brand of election insights.

Maria A. Feeley, a partner at Pepper Hamilton LLP, is chair of the Bench-Bar & Annual Conference. Molly Peckman, director of professional development at Dechert LLP, is programming chair of the Bench-Bar & Annual Conference. Jeffrey S. Gross, a principal with Batt & Gross, is serving as sponsorship chair and Jennifer Segal Coatsworth, an associate with Margolis Edelstein, is sponsorship vice chair. Regina Foley of Raynes McCarty is chair of the scholarship subcommittee.

Sponsors for the 2012 Bench-Bar & Annual Conference include USI Affinity, First Judicial District, Love Court Reporting, Strategic Legal Solutions, JAMS, M. Burr Keim Company, Robson Forensic, US Claims Inc., Applied Discovery, Beau*Co. Custom Clothing, Iron Mountain, LawCash, LexisNexis, Lien Negotiation Counsel, O'Neill Consulting Corporation, Special Counsel, The MCS Group, Thomson Reuters Expert Witness Service and The Legal Intelligencer. Special acknowledgement - Family Law Section, Real Property Section and Workers' Compensation Section. For sponsorship information, please contact Tracey McCloskey at 215-238-6360 or via email at tmccloskey@philabar.org. Learn more at benchbar.philadelphiabar.org.

NBA Jazz in June Scholarship Brunch June 24

The Philadelphia Chapter of the National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division will hold its annual scholarship event on Sunday, June 24 at Bala Golf Club from 1 to 4 p.m.

The event features a silent auction with items including hotel and travel, restaurant and dining, sports and entertainment, fashion, body, health and art. All proceeds from the Silent Auction will go directly to the WLD Scholarship Fund. Every year, the WLD Foundation gives a $5,000 tuition scholarship and $500 book scholarships to deserving women of color from Philadelphia area law schools.

Guests will be treated to a wonderful brunch served buffet style. Music will be provided by local jazz musicians from the Clef Club. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.