YLD to Elect 7 to Executive Committee Dec. 9

Ten candidates are running for seven seats on the Young Lawyers Division Executive Committee in the Tuesday, Dec. 9 election.

The candidates are Ryan Briskin, Mario D'Adamo III, Caitlin M. Donnelly, Melanie J. Foreman, Dana Gittleman, Lindsay H. Schoonmaker, Ashley K. Shea, Franklin R. Strokoff, Thomas J. Szymanski and Anna B. Will. Executive Committee members serve three-year terms.

Balloting for members of the Young Lawyers Division Executive Committee will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Ballroom Level of the Hyatt at The Bellevue, Broad and Walnut streets. Ballots were mailed on Thursday, Nov. 20 and must be returned to the Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market St., 11th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107-2955 by Thursday, Dec. 4 at 10 a.m.

Note: Only members in good standing of the Association's Young Lawyers Division may cast votes in this election. Attorneys are members of the Division if (1) they have not yet reached the age of 37, or (2) they have not yet reached the third anniversary of their first admission to the bar of any state.

Chancellor-Elect Albert S. Dandridge III, a partner with Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP, will outline his plans for 2015 at the Association's Annual Meeting Luncheon on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Click here to purchase tickets.

Mark A. Aronchick, a shareholder in Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller and former Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, will be presented with the PNC Achievement Award at the Annual Meeting Luncheon, which begins at 12 p.m. at the Hyatt at The Bellevue, Broad and Walnut streets. Also at the event, the Justice William J. Brennan Jr. Distinguished Jurist Award will be presented to Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Benjamin Lerner. The Bar Association will also honor the winner of the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg "Pursuit of Justice" Legal Writing Competition.

YLD Holiday Party Dec. 16 at Four Seasons

The Young Lawyers Division Annual Holiday Party, Award Ceremony and Gift Drive will be Tuesday, Dec. 16 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at The Four Seasons Philadelphia, 1 Logan Square.

The Craig M. Perry Service Award will be presented to Kimberly Takacs of ACE Group. The F. Sean Peretta Service Award will be presented to Stephany Gordon of Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law. The Vision Award will be presented to The Legal Intelligencer.

Attendees are asked to help support Project HOME and Cradles to Crayons and bring an unwrapped toy or gift or make a monetary donation. The event is sponsored by Kaplan Leaman & Wolfe Court Reporting & Litigation Support.

Admission is $45 for YLD members, $55 for Bar Association members, $75 for non-members, $35 for YLD public interest or government attorney members and $25 for law student members. Admission includes open bar, passed hors d'oeuvres, burger and lobster roll sliders and Italian Market pasta station. Please note there will be a $10 increase for walk-ins at the door. Full refunds require 24 hour cancellation notice. Tickets will not be distributed for this event. Click here to register by Friday, Dec. 12.

YLD Update: Bar Association Service Worth the Sacrifice

By Edward F. Beitz

Although I do not hand over the reins of the YLD until Dec. 16, which will occur at the YLD Holiday Party at the Four Seasons (don’t miss it!), this is my final YLD Update. I have been incredibly touched by the amount of positive feedback I have received from these articles, and amused by the occasional ribbing from old law school friends. I do hope for future opportunities to write for the Bar Association's publications, and that this is not a "goodbye," but more of a "see you later."

I am more than grateful for having this opportunity to serve the legal profession, and young lawyers in particular, as the YLD chair. In a year that included getting married and becoming a father for the first time, 2014 was certainly busy. With the support of my wife and help from our family, I was able to embrace this experience and accomplish the key goals I had in mind this time last year. It probably goes without saying that I learned a thing or two about time management and navigating the world on a few hours sleep (thanks to Baby Beitz).

Although all of the YLD's philanthropic efforts accomplish a great deal of good, from our clothing drive to Legal Advice Live, I am most proud this year of the collective efforts that led to the Law Star Game. The final numbers are in, and the YLD and The Legal Intelligencer raised roughly $29,000 for the Philadelphia Bar Foundation. This project would not have been possible without Don Chalphin and The Legal Intelligencer, the Bar Association staff and the YLD Executive Committee and Cabinet.

Like any volunteer committee, especially one made up of busy professionals, it is not always easy to staff the YLD's numerous events and projects throughout the year. As prior YLD chairs can attest, coordinating the YLD programs would not be possible without standout folks on the Executive Committee and Cabinet and the Bar staff. If I tried to name them individually I would inevitably forget someone, so I'll refrain. I am proud to call these committee members my friends, many of whom I would not have met outside YLD service.

Bar Association service, especially in a leadership role, is a sacrifice, and it may never seem like the "right" time to get involved. Whatever you have going on, volunteering is a sacrifice. It comes with the territory. Yet, I step aside as YLD chair with no doubt that I would do it all over again. Whether it was speaking at a naturalization ceremony or taking part in a year-long commemoration of Brown v. Board of Education, the sacrifice of time energy was rewarded with privileges and life experiences that I will treasure. To any young lawyers on the fence about getting more involved with the Bar Association, as I once was, please never hesitate to contact me.

The Young Lawyers Division will be in good hands next year with Maria Bermudez as chair. I just hope that she lets me help out from time to time, because I will surely miss this job. With that, I bid you a fond "see you later," and hope that later gets here soon.

Edward F. Beitz (beitze@whiteandwilliams.com), an associate with White and Williams LLP, is chair of the Young Lawyers Division.

Law Firm Laboratory - Making the Leap into Private Practice Part 2 Dec. 3

Wondering what happens after deciding to start your own firm? In the second installment of the sold-out "Making the Leap into Private Practice" panel and the final session of the Law Firm Laboratory series, a diverse cross-section of panelists will discuss what they did to build their newly-started practices into successful, established practices on Wednesday, Dec. 3.

Panelists will discuss what happens after branching out on your own, how to find and retain clients, how to distinguish yourself from other practices, and what it takes to grow. 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 are 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.

There is no cost to attend the program, which 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 and $12 for nonmembers. Cancellations require 24 hours notice. Click here to register.

"The Practice" Author Tannebaum on Becoming a Better Lawyer

Brian Tannebaum's "The Practice: Brutal Truths About Lawyers and Lawyering" is written in the author's slightly snarky-but always honest-signature style. Whether the reader agrees with him or not, they can't deny his opinions are provocative and provide plenty of food for thought and maybe a laugh or two along the way.

Just published by the American Bar Association, this compelling book is an assortment of posts from "Above the Law" and "My Law License," two of the most acclaimed law blogs for which Tannebaum has written.

In "The Practice," Tannebaum riffs on everything from asking yourself what type of lawyer you want to be, to the most effective way to network and market yourself in an industry where lawyers increasingly over-rely on social media to prove their relevance. It also discusses other important topics, including the proper way to handle referrals, rainmaking, reinventing yourself as a lawyer, personal branding, and much more.

Join Tannebaum on Monday, Dec. 8 for a luncheon and gain his take on what you need to do to become a better lawyer. Whether you've been in practice 10 minutes or 10 years, you still have plenty to learn.

This Young Lawyers Division 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 and $12 for nonmembers. Cancellations require 24 hours notice. Click here to register for lunch.

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 in 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 Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law as well as faculty and administrators from career services offices at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Temple University 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 has been a constant 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 interested 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.

As of September 2014, more than 61 judges have volunteered to host judicial fellows and the court has hosted 175 judicial fellows from 36 different law schools. The vast majority of judicial fellows who have 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

Summary of President's Immigration Order Dec. 11

Whether you represent individuals, employers, employees or a mixture of both, you should know and understand the potential impact of the president's Executive Order and the more settled impact of the extremely useful U.S. immigration "U" visa status.

Set aside for victims of certain qualifying crimes who have suffered substantial mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation, or prosecution of criminal activity (such as murder, manslaughter abduction, abusive sexual abduction, abusive sexual contact, blackmail, domestic violence, extortion, etc.) the U visa is now being utilized in workplace violation situations.

The program will be presented by the Immigration Law Committee and is co-sponsored by the ACE Committee, Civil Rights Committee, Corporate In-House Counsel Committee, Criminal Justice Section, Delivery of Legal Services Committee, LGBT Rights Committee and Women's Rights Committee.

The program will be held Thursday, Dec. 11 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 and $12 for non-members. Cancellations require 24 hour notice to receive a refund. Click here to register.