YLD Seeks Volunteers for Law Week Events, April 27-May 1

Volunteer Philadelphia lawyers are needed to offer free legal advice, welcome new American citizens, visit children in classrooms and accompany inner-city students into the courts Monday, April 27 through Friday, May 1. That's when the Philadelphia Bar Association marks "Law Week 2009" with a host of special events and services reaching out to thousands of citizens.

The week-long fest, sponsored by the 13,000-member Bar Association, is one of the most ambitious public outreach efforts of its type in the nation. The theme for Law Week 2009 is "A Legacy of Liberty: Celebrating Lincoln's Bicentennial."

All of the Law Week activities are under the direction of Association Chancellor-Elect, Scott F. Cooper, and are coordinated by the Association's Young Lawyers Division with the help of scores of lawyer-volunteers. The YLD Law Week co-chairs are Abbie DuFrayne, Kelly Gastley and Carey Chopko.

The following is a schedule of Law Week activities and who to contact if you can volunteer:

Lawyer in the Classroom, Monday, April 27: Monday kicks off a week-long series of visits to Philadelphia school classrooms by volunteer lawyers with the Lawyer in the Classroom program. As part of this program, lawyers will enthusiastically visit different schools throughout the week to address students' concerns about the law and the legal issues that affect them as they enter adulthood, and answer questions about the legal profession. If you are interested in volunteering for the Lawyer in the Classroom program, please contact Josh Ryan.

Legal Advice Live!, Wednesday, April 29: At lunchtime, dozens of Philadelphia attorneys will gather to provide free, in-person legal advice during the Legal Advice Live! program, from 12 to 2 p.m. at the Central (Main) Branch of the Philadelphia Library, located at 1901 Vine Street, and other satellite branch locations throughout the city. 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, real estate law and employment law. If you are interested in volunteering for Legal Advice Live! please contact Kristin McKenna or Chris Guth

Also on Wednesday, April 29, free legal advice will be given to those who call the Legal Line hotline. From 5 to 8 p.m., area residents can call lawyers at (215) 238-6333 and have their legal questions answered confidentially without a fee. The lawyers will staff a phone bank at the headquarters of the Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market Street, 11th Floor. If you are interested in volunteering for Legal Line, please contact Stephanie Mensing.

Juror Appreciation Day, Thursday, May 14: The First Judicial District and Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts will sponsor the 10th Annual Juror Appreciation Day at 8:30 a.m. in the Criminal Justice Center's Jury Assembly Room on the first floor to recognize the crucial public service performed by local citizens who respond to jury duty.

Lawyer for a Day, Friday, May 1: Volunteer attorneys and judges pair with high school students and "show them the ropes" of their jobs by taking them into the courts during the Lawyer for a Day program. Several city courtrooms will be open to allow the participants to observe the proceedings. The students will meet the lawyers and judges and will participate in a concluding lunch, during which the students will recount their experiences and hear from a special guest speaker, Judge Midge Rendell, the first lady of Pennsylvania . If you are interested in volunteering for Lawyer for a Day, please contact Carey Chopko.

Also on Friday, May 1, a Naturalization Ceremony welcoming dozens of new United States citizens will be held at the U.S. Courthouse, 6th and Market Streets in Philadelphia, at 10:30 a.m. The winner of the Edward F. Chacker Essay Contest will also read his or her essay.

Finally on Friday, May 1, volunteer attorneys will use the facts of the well-known fairytales "Goldilocks" and "The Three Little Pigs" as the basis for mock criminal trials during the "Trials of Goldilocks" and the "Big Bad Wolf" program, taking place at six different City Hall courtrooms. Volunteers will act as prosecutors, defense attorneys and witnesses in the criminal trials, which include opening statements, examinations and cross-examinations of witnesses, closing arguments, and instructions of the juries. At the conclusion of each trial the students are instructed on the role of the jury and determine whether the Big Bad Wolf or Goldilocks is guilty of a crime. If you are interested in volunteering for the "Trials of Goldilocks" and the "Big Bad Wolf" program, please contact Heather Herrington or Justin Moriconi.

For additional information and updates, click here

Register Now for YLD Comedy Night, May 9

The YLD will hold its annual Comedy Night on Saturday, May 9 at The Franklin. Gerry Dee of NBC's "Last Comic Standing" will be the headliner. Just signed on to open the event is comedian William Chiang, whose source of comedy comes from the absurdity and silliness of everyday life. His unique views make him a favorite in comedy clubs on the East Coast.

Visit here for more details and here for ticket information. If you are you interested in sponsoring the event, email Brian Chacker. If you are interested in donating silent auction items, email Abbie DuFrayne.

TOMORROW: Workers' Compensation Section - in conjunction with the YLD - Hosting Awards Luncheon, Best-Selling Novelist Lisa Scottoline

The Bar's Workers' Compensation Section - in conjunction with the Young Lawyers Division - is holding a Lifetime Achievement Award Luncheon and Afternoon with Lisa Scottoline tomorrow, April 15, at 12 p.m. at the Wanamaker Building's Crystal Tea Room.

Joseph S. Bekelja, a partner with Margolis Edelstein, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, which the Section presents annually to an attorney who has had an exemplary career in workers' compensation law.

"Mr. Bekelja has been a teacher, leader, mentor and role model not just for workers’ compensation attorneys, but for all attorneys," Workers' Compensation Bureau Judge A. Michael Synder said.

Best-selling novelist and Philadelphia-lawyer Lisa Scottoline - author of the Edgar Award-winning "Final Appeal" and 11 other legal suspense novels - will present the keynote speech at the event. All attendees will receive a copy of Ms. Scottoline's new book, "Look Again," which is being released today.

The event is being sponsored by Summit Pharmacy.

Tickets for the event are $50 for Bar members, $45 for YLD members and $60 for non-members. To purchase tickets, call 215.238.6300 or click here.

Phillies Lose Their Voice and a City Mourns

by Jeff Lyons

The news hit hard, like losing a member of the family. Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas collapsed yesterday in the broadcast booth at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. and died soon after. He was 73.

I've been listening to Harry since he first came to Philadelphia in 1971. I wasn't quite 9 years old but I listened to the games at night with a transistor radio stuffed under my pillow when I was supposed to be asleep. I remember jumping up and down when Rick Wise pitched a no-hitter against the Reds in 1971 and getting yelled at because I was supposed to be asleep.

Harry Kalas was summertime. He was baseball in Philadelphia. Players and managers have come and gone, but Harry was always there. His smooth, soothing voice was a part of my childhood, no matter how terrible the Phillies were. There was a sense of comfort in knowing that Harry would be there to share in your favorite game. I remember the absolute joy he shared with the late Richie Ashburn when the Phillies finally returned to the playoffs in the mid 1970s. I muted my TV last October so I could hear Harry on the radio for the 9th inning of Game 5 of the World Series. When Brad Lidge struck out Eric Hinske to give the Phillies the title, I shared the moment with my wife, son and Harry. Sure, we watched the TV, but Harry provided the sound. The tears flowed that night and they're flowing again now.

There was something special about hearing the first spring training game broadcast from Florida every year. Harry's voice let you know that the doldrums of winter were almost over and it was time to get back to baseball and summertime.

Richie's death in 1997 hit me hard. I never got to see Ashburn play, but he and Harry entertained me for hours on end. They kept me company and let me know how my beloved Phils were getting along. They told stories and joked and became part of the family. But it was OK when Whitey died, because we still had Harry.
But now Harry is gone and sadly, baseball in Philadelphia will never be the same. He kept us company for almost 40 years, sharing our summers and our love for the game. And now he's gone. Hard to believe, Harry.

Jeff Lyons is the Philadelphia Bar Association's Senior Managing Editor. He can be reached at jlyons@philabar.org.

VIP Mortgage Foreclosure Training, May 6

The next mortgage foreclosure training takes place May 6 from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm and is worth a total of 5 free* CLE credits. Included will be training on how to handle a case in the Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Project and on
mortgage foreclosure defense litigation.

From 8:30 to 11 am new, revised training will take place on how to handle a case in the Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Project, the mandatory negotiation program run by the First Judicial District.

From 11:30 am to 3:30 pm (with a lunch break) is a session on mortgage foreclosure defense litigation. (Breakfast is provided but not lunch.) Two free CLE for the AM and three for the PM or five in total. Attendees can come in the AM or PM or both. *The training/CLE is free if the attorney handles two pro bono mortgage foreclosure cases within 6 months of the training date.

Location is GlaxoSmithKline, 16th and Vines Streets. Register at phillyvip@phillyvip.org or by calling 215- 523-9550.

Volunteers Needed to Teach at 2009 People's Law School

The YLD is now accepting applications from young lawyers to teach the following classes at this year's People's Law School (PLS): family law and custody, small claims and landlord/tenant court, consumer credit (including debt collection, identity theft, credit reports, utility issues), real estate (including foreclosures, predatory lending, actions to quiet title), bankruptcy, employment law, workers' compensation, social security and disability, elder law, personal injury, and criminal law.

The PLS is a six-week adult education course, beginning in September, that offers non-lawyers basic information about areas of the law that affect people's daily lives. If you are interested in teaching, please email your resume or information about your practice areas to Stephanie Mensing.

Real Property Section sponsoring lunchtime CLE, "Loan Workouts for Real Estate Lawyers"

The Real Property Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association will be sponsoring a lunchtime CLE seminar, "Loan Workouts for Real Estate Lawyers", on Monday, April 20 from 12-1:00 p.m. at the Bar headquarters, 1101 Market St., 11th Floor.

Current economic conditions make this a troubling time to obtain and retain financing for developers and owners of commercial and large scale residential development. Clients need assistance navigating the complex world of real estate workouts with lenders. Designed primarily to aid real estate attorneys, this program will provide an overview to the world of real estate loan workouts from the perspective of both Borrower and Lender’s counsel.

Course planners are Dina Schlossberg, Blank Rome, LLP and Michael G. Balent, PNC Bank, National Association. Featured Panelists are Samuel H. Becker, Blank Rome, LLP, and Claudia Z. Springer, Reed Smith, LLP.

The following topics will be explored, among others: Development, Maturing mortgages, Retail, How/when to approach communication with lender's counsel and Bankruptcy-Top 5 checklist items for real estate attorneys.

The program has been approved for 1.0 Substantive CLE credit. Participants wishing to receive the CLE credit will be required to pay a fee of $25 for members of the Bar Association admitted for more than five years, and $20 for members of the Bar Association admitted for less than five years. If you wish to register in advance please visit www.pbi.org or call PBI Customer Service at 1-800-932-4637.

Overbrook High School Overrules St. Joe’s Prep in Mock Trial Regional Final

by Jonathan Grode

With the loud bang of a binder purposely dropped against plaintiff's table, student attorney Matt McDonnell dramatically and effectively commenced the 2009 John S. Bradway High School Mock Trial Competition at Temple University on March 14th. The final round of the 29-year-old annual competition pitted St. Joseph's Preparatory School (team pic) against last year's Pennsylvania High School Mock Trial Champions, Overbrook High School (team pic).

This year's case centered on a wrongful death action filed by the parents of a 17-year-old student, who was struck and killed by a drunk driver, against the driver's employer, claiming that the driver was acting within the scope of his employment when the accident occurred. The case material is prepared annually by the Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division for the Commonwealth-wide competition which is one of the largest in the country.

Both teams demonstrated an amazing array of court room skills including persuasive direct examinations, compelling cross examinations and effective objections as well as in depth knowledge of evidentiary rules. However, the afternoon would ultimately belong to the student attorneys from Overbrook High School who shone a poise usually found only in seasoned attorneys. This victory marks Overbrook's fourth Philadelphia Region championship.

Roberta West, Esq., the Director of Temple-LEAP, described this year's championship as, "one of the most engaging I've ever seen. Each year our Philadelphia teams get better and better. Both teams' performances were truly remarkable."

Nearly 50 student teams from the city participated in this year's competition, which is operated by a joint-effort between the Philadelphia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and Temple University Beasley School of Law Education and Participation (LEAP) project, a community outreach arm of the University whose mission is to educate non-lawyers, particularly middle and high school students from Philadelphia area schools about law and citizenship.

Every year over 250 judges, attorneys and students volunteer to assist with judging, scoring and bailiffing the competition. Notable volunteers for this year's competition include Dean Joanne Epps from Temple Law who judged the final round, Sayde Ladov, Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, Judge Bradley Moss from the Philadelphia Municipal Court, Judge Joel Johnson, Jr. of the Court of Common Pleas and Judge Marjorie Rendell from the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals.

Even though Overbrook once again came away with the championship in this hard fought competition, both teams were truly winners as the two squads represented the city in the Pennsylvania state tournament held in Harrisburg at the Dauphin County Court House on March 27th and 28th. St. Joe's finished in 5th place of the tournament, narrowly missing the semi-final round. Overbrook ultimately made it to the final round of the championship, finishing in 2nd place after being defeated by Central High School from Blair County.

Go here for more pictures from the event.