The Philadelphia Bar Association is celebrating Member Appreciation Week this week, honoring the contributions of all members and giving special recognition to this year’s Bar Stars, an award created in 2019 to honor members who have gone above and beyond at carrying out the Association’s mission of leadership, education and advocacy.
“Our volunteer leaders are the engine that makes our Association run. They plan programs and CLEs, help draft resolutions and policy proposals, mentor their fellow attorneys, and so much more,” Chancellor Wesley R. Payne IV said. “We are excited to take this week to honor and celebrate all that they do to make a difference in our community and in the City.”
The November 15 gathering at City Winery also included honoring Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP as the 2022 recipient of the Association’s Bar Champion Award. Created in 2020, the Champion of the Bar Award is given annually to a law firm, law department, legal services organization or law school in Philadelphia that has fully supported the Association through 100% membership, leadership roles, member engagement and contribution to the community through public service.
“Troutman Pepper has made myriad significant contributions to our Association, dating back several decades,” said Harvey Hurdle, executive director of the Philadelphia Bar Association. “Countless Troutman Pepper attorneys have served in Association leadership roles over the decades, including as the Association’s chancellor and on its Board of Governors. We appreciate the firm’s longstanding support of our Association and are honored to recognize Troutman Pepper as our 2022 Bar Champion.”
“We have a long and valued partnership with the Philadelphia Bar Association,” said Troutman Pepper Managing Partner Tom Cole. “Troutman Pepper is proud to continue our legacy of service with the Association and to help advance its noble mission and work. This recognition is the result of the hard work of the hundreds of attorneys within our firm who are invested in strengthening our profession and our justice system through their service.”
The event also recognized 20 “Bar Stars,” representing each of the Association’s nine Sections and the Young Lawyers Division, and 2022 staff award winners, including “Bar Stars” for Bar Service, Innovation, Publications and Social Media, and the sections and committees with the most CLEs, most non-CLE events, highest CLE attendance and largest growth.
“Dedicated volunteers like our Bar Stars and firms like Troutman Pepper are critical to our Association accomplishing its goals of supporting Philadelphia’s legal community as its premier trade association and advancing our mission of equal access to justice for all,” Hurdle said. “We are happy to take the time each year to recognize those who go above and beyond for our organization, and to celebrate the ongoing contributions of all of our members.”
Winners of the Bar Stars award were:
Business Law Section: Gina Ragone, associate attorney, Fleming Petenko Law, and Adam Yoffie, senior corporate counsel, litigation & government investigations, Bristol Myers Squibb
Criminal Justice Section: Tom Innes, director, prison advocacy, Defender Association of Philadelphia, and Susan Lin, partner, Kairys Rudovsky Messing Feinberg Lin
Family Law Section: Mark Momjian, partner, Momjian Anderer, and Julia Swain, partner, Fox Rothschild
Probate and Trust Law Section: Chloe Mullen-Wilson, associate, Timoney Knox, and Valerie Snow, Independence Foundation Fellow, SeniorLAW Center
Public Interest Section: Judy Berkman, senior counsel, Regional Housing Legal Services, and Chi-Ser Tran, supervising attorney, SSI Unit and Language Access Project, Community Legal Services
Real Property Section: Steve Bertil, associate, Troutman Pepper, and Natalie Klyashtorny, of counsel, Nochumson
State Civil Litigation Section: Denise Mandi, Law Offices of Jerry S. Eisenberg, and Hon. Sandra Moss (Ret.), distinguished neutral, The Dispute Resolution Institute
Tax Section: Jen Karpchuk, SALT practice co-chair, Chamberlain Hrdlicka, and Cheryl Upham, vice chair, tax, Cozen O’Connor
Workers’ Compensation Section: Jenna King, associate, Martin Law, and Katherine Mutschler, staff attorney, AmTrust Financial Services
Young Lawyers’ Division: Sarah Adams, attorney, Amy F. Loperfido and Associates, and Samantha Fitzpatrick, attorney, Flaster Greenberg Attorneys at Law
Winners of the staff awards were:
Most Non-CLE Programming: State Civil Litigation Section and ADR Committee of the Family Law Section
Largest Growth: Family Law Section and Women in the Profession Committee
Most CLE Programs: Workers Compensation Section and Criminal Justice Section
Highest Attendance at a CLE: Federal Courts Committee
Most Innovative CLE Topic: Wellness Committee for "Stress, Sleep & Wellness"
Publications Bar Star: Judy Stouffer, law firm administrator, BKW Family Law
Social Media MVP: Patricia Santelle, partner/chair emeritus, White and Williams
Bar Service Star: David Jones, partner, Dechert
Bar Innovator: Arly Smith-Pearson, attorney, Philadelphia Legal Assistance
