Legal Advice Live! Volunteers Needed at Library Branches

Legal Advice Live! provides free, in-person confidential legal advice for the public. Open-door sessions will be held at various branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia in September and October.

Attorneys will provide answers to legal questions on a broad range of topics including personal injury, medical malpractice, landlord/tenant law, divorce and child custody matters, wills and estate planning and employment law.

Volunteer attorneys are needed on the following dates:

• Wednesday, Sept. 16: Ramonita de Rodriguez branch, 600 W. Girard Ave., from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
• Thursday, Sept. 17: Thomas F. Donatucci Sr. branch, 1935 Shunk St., from 5-7 p.m.
• Wednesday, Sept. 30: Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library, from 5-7 p.m.
• Thursday, Oct. 1: Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine St., from 5-7 p.m.

Contact Maria E. Bermudez, chair, Young Lawyers Division, at mbermudezesq@gmail.com to volunteer to provide free legal advice and information to library patrons.

Sixty-Fifth Barristers' Association Installation Sept. 9

Join the The Barristers' Association of Philadelphia for its annual Installation of Officers Ceremony on Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m. Members of the incoming executive and advisory boards will be sworn in alongside Shabrei M. Parker, Barristers' incoming president and associate at Mincey & Fitzpatrick, LLC. The ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be followed by a networking reception.

The ceremony and reception will be held at the Pyramid Club, 1735 Market St., Philadelphia. Registration begins at 6 p.m. Guests are required to RSVP via email to Phillybarristers@gmail.com.

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.

Participate in an interactive panel with digital marketing 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.

2015 Bench-Bar & Annual Conference Scholarship Opportunity

Scholarships to the 2015 Bench-Bar & Annual Conference, Oct. 16-17 at Borgata in Atlantic City, are available by lottery to Philadelphia Bar Association members who are public interest or government service attorneys. Each scholarship will include hotel accommodations for one night on Oct. 16 at Borgata as well as all conference fees which include CLE programming and all sponsored meals and events.

To enter the lottery, please submit your name and organization to Dawn Petit, meetings coordinator for the Philadelphia Bar Association, at dpetit@philabar.org by 3 p.m. on Sept. 16. If you enter the lottery, please DO NOT register for the conference or make a hotel reservation. If your name is not selected for one of the scholarships, you will be able to register and receive the early-bird discount until Sept. 18.

The winners will be announced on Sept. 17 via email.

When Bad Things Happen to Good IP: Managing Infringement, Usurpation and Other Transgressions of Your Intellectual Property Sept. 17

A recent spate of initial public offerings, high-profile mergers and acquisitions and litigation has thrust intellectual property (IP) into a critical position in domestic and global economics. Preserving the value of IP is an increasingly complex process, and the risk and expense of IP disputes continues to increase. In this CLE, a panel of attorneys will review optimal methods to maintain and enforce IP rights, as well as avoid claims of infringement.

This 1 substantive credit program will be held on Thursday, Sept. 17 at PBI Conference Center in the Wanamaker Building, Market and Juniper streets, 12:30-1:30 p.m.; check-in begins at 12 p.m. For additional information or to register, click here.

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.

Save the Date: 26th HBAPA-LEF Scholarship Dinner Oct. 8

The Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania Legal Education Fund will be holding its annual Scholarship Dinner on Oct. 8 at 5:30 p.m. The 2015 honoree is Arlene Rivera Finkelstein, executive director of the Toll Public Interest Center at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. A keynote address will be given by Alba E. Martinez, principal of the Retail Investor Group at The Vanguard Group.

The dinner will be held at the National Society of Colonial Dames, 1630 Latimer St., Philadelphia. For tickets or sponsorship information, visit www.hbapa.net or call Lorena E. Ahumada at (215) 496-7227.

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®.

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.