Final Week: Summer-Long School Supply Drive

As part of Chancellor Albert S. Dandridge III's Boots on the Ground Community Initiative, the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) is continuing the school supply drive launched at the June 9 Quarterly Meeting and Luncheon. Donations will benefit Turning Points for Children, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting families in raising safe, healthy, educated and strong children.

Members are encouraged to donate new school supplies at donation drop-off points at the following firms up until Aug. 13:

• Fox Rothschild LLP - 2000 Market St., 20th Floor
• Margolis Edelstein - The Curtis Center, 170 S. Independence Mall W., Suite 400E
• Mincey & Fitzpatrick, LLC - Two Penn Center, 1500 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Suite 1525
• Rawle & Henderson, LLP - The Widener Building, 1339 Chestnut St., 16th Floor

Supplies most needed:

• Books
• Brain Games
• Calculators
• Construction Paper
• Highlighters
• Lunch Boxes/Bags
• Marble Notebooks
• Markers
• Math Activities
• Pens in Blue/Black and Red Ink
• Planners or Agendas
• Protractors
• Sharpened Pencils, Erasers and Rulers
• Small Ruler and Pencil Cases

The summer-long school supply drive will culminate at the YLD happy hour at Tavern on Broad, 200 S. Broad St., Philadelphia on Aug. 13 at 5:30 p.m.

YLD Happy Hour Benefiting Summer-Long School Supply Drive Aug. 13

The Philadelphia Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division will host its monthly happy hour in partnership with Community Legal Services on Aug. 13 at 5:30 p.m. It will serve as the culmination of the Philadelphia Bar Association's summer-long school supply drive benefiting Turning Points for Children.

The happy hour will be held at Tavern on Broad, 200 S. Broad St., Philadelphia. The first 60 people to arrive will receive one free drink ticket and all attendees will enjoy complimentary appetizers as well as a 50 percent discount on all mixed drinks, beer and wine. The happy hour is sponsored by ELITE Litigation Solutions.

All attendees are encouraged to bring a donation. Registration is not required.

Advanced Issues in Civil Practice and Procedure in Pennsylvania Courts Aug. 14

From asserting and resisting waiver arguments to determining standing, jurisdiction and selecting the proper form of action, this program examines advanced concepts impacting your Pennsylvania practice. Providing you with an overview of litigation procedures as well as tips and tricks to ensure your case gets heard, you will receive practical advice on difficult concepts and procedures from a panel of experienced practitioners.

This 3 substantive, 1 ethics CLE credit program will be held in Philadelphia, on Friday, Aug. 14, at PBI Conference Center in the Wanamaker Building, Market and Juniper streets, 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.; check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. For additional information or to register, click here.

Taking Control of Your Online Identity Sept. 10

Members of the legal community are only too aware of how social media and digital gossip can negatively impact or even ruin an otherwise stellar reputation if not managed properly. Join the Young Lawyers Division for a Live, Lunch and Learn program in partnership with GillespieHall PR focusing on taking control of your online identity on Sept. 10 at 12 p.m. in the 11th Floor Conference Center.

Participate in an interactive panel with digital marketing and social media professionals who will answer questions about the importance of online identities; what an online identity says to clients, colleagues, and competitors; and how to effectively manage and control an online identity.

For more information and to register, click here.

Habitat for Humanity Build Day Sept. 16

Strap on your construction boots or sneakers, and join the Real Property Section in helping Habitat for Humanity build a home in Philadelphia on Sept. 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This will be the fifth year that the Real Property Section has hosted a build day to help construct a home for someone in need.

The location of the site will be announced a few weeks ahead of the build day. All abilities are welcome and Habitat will supply tools and safety gear. For more information and to reserve a spot, please email Alex Barth at abarth@cohenseglias.com.

Early-Bird Registration for Bench-Bar at Borgata Closes Sept. 18

The Philadelphia Bar Association will hold its Bench-Bar & Annual Conference on Friday, Oct. 16 and Saturday, Oct. 17 at Borgata in Atlantic City. Save $70 with early-bird registration by Sept. 18.

Attracting hundreds of attorneys and judges, the annual conference provides attorneys with an opportunity to earn CLE credits while getting a chance to network and socialize with colleagues and members of the judiciary. Twenty-three seminars and up to 8.5 CLE credits will be available.

Registration is available at benchbar.philadelphiabar.org. Sponsors for the 2015 Bench-Bar & Annual Conference include First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, USI Affinity, Veritext, BPU Investments, JAMS The Resolution Experts, LawCash, Robson Forensic, State Civil Litigation Section, Family Law Section, Friedman LLP, Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman, RIMKUS, Widener University Delaware Law School, Bellia Print & Design, The Legal Intelligencer and Sb1 Federal Credit Union®.

Application Period Open for 2016 Board Observer Program

The Board Observer Program (BOP) is a partnership between the Philadelphia Bar Foundation, the Delivery of Legal Services Committee and the Young Lawyers Division. The BOP gives young attorneys practicing in Philadelphia County the opportunity to learn more about local legal services organizations and other nonprofits, and to gain the leadership skills necessary to serve on the boards of such organizations as well as succeed in their future careers.

The application period is open for young attorneys to apply to be board observers for 2016. Applications are due by Sept. 25, 2015. For more information and to download the application, click here.

Message From the Chancellor: Clemency Project 2014 Seeks Volunteers

As Philadelphia lawyers, the Philadelphia Bar Association asks for your assistance with Clemency Project 2014. Clemency Project 2014 is a working group made up of the American Bar Association, The American Civil Liberties Union, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, Federal Public and Community Defenders and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Fortunately, in recent years there have been changes in the law and charging policies that have relaxed some of the harshest sentencing practices. However, many of these changes are not available to those who were sentenced prior to recent reforms. And that is where the Obama administration's clemency initiative comes into play. The President's clemency initiative presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to reverse the ravages of harsh sentencing policies that have ruined the lives of thousands of non-violent offenders and their families. Through the efforts of Clemency Project 2014, the participating organizations are identifying petitioners who appear to meet the criteria outlined by the Department of Justice and recruiting and training volunteers to assist them in securing clemency. There are countless inmates who can benefit from this program, but they need lawyers to help. And they need lawyers now.

For more information on volunteering, click here.

Pro Bono Opportunity: Represent Refugee Families in Berks County

The Immigration Law Committee is looking for attorneys to volunteer with the Berks Pro Bono Collaborative to represent families and children detained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at Berks County Residential Center (BCRC).

Ninety-three individuals are currently detained at BCRC, and the center is likely to double in size in the coming weeks. Most families at BCRC have either a viable asylum or withholding of removal claim based on fear of returning to their countries. Training in immigration law, interpreters and mentoring are available to volunteer attorneys.

The Berks Pro Bono Collaborative is a project of the AILA Pro Bono Committee, Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center and HIAS Pennsylvania.

For more information on this pro bono opportunity, please contact Katelyn Hufe at katelyn@gthpc.com or at (215) 437-0392.

Philadelphia Bar Career Center Now Open

The Philadelphia Bar Association's new Career Center, the career hub for the legal community, is now open for business at careercenter.philadelphiabar.org.

The Career Center is geared toward both job seekers and employers. Job seekers can search and apply to more legal-related jobs than other job banks. They can upload an anonymous resume and allow employers to contact them through the Career Center's messaging system. Job seekers can also set up Job Alerts specifying skills, interests and preferred location(s) to receive email notifications when a job is posted that matches their criteria.

Employers can post job openings in front of the most qualified group of legal professionals. Employers can promote jobs directly to Philadelphia Bar Association members via the exclusive Jobs Flash email as well as search the resume database to find qualified candidates.

Employers can post jobs for $250 for 30 days at careercenter.philadelphiabar.org.