Welcome to the Philadelphia Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section's Web Site
Our section has a long-standing tradition of examining issues that arise in the everyday practice of Criminal Law in Philadelphia and surrounding communities. Recently, the section has addressed a number of issues, including raising Court Appointment Fees for practitioners, addressing prison overpopulation in the region, helping launch new website initiatives and ensuring that our members and the general public have access to the latest information affecting the practice of law in the criminal justice field. We have expanded resources on our website and added links to various sites which are critical to the professionals who work in this area.
A Message from the Section Co-Chairs
Welcome to the Philadelphia Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section Website. Part of the purpose of the Criminal Justice Section is to further the achievement of fair, speedy, and effective administration of criminal justice. In promoting that purpose, our Section has a long-standing tradition of carefully examining issues that impact the practice of law in Philadelphia and the criminal-justice system. Because our membership is comprised of a wide range of stakeholders in the criminal-justice system, including judges, prosecutors, public defenders and private practitioners, we are able to speak to criminal-justice issues from a broad and robust perspective.
Some of our recent work and initiatives include trying to preserve the court appointed counsel fee system for those practitioners who represent indigent defendants and further working to increase the fees paid to those practitioners at both the state and federal level, ensuring the retention of experienced and competent court-appointed counsel in the Philadelphia court system, providing eduction and relevant information to our members through our connection with our Criminal Justice Section Blog, and providing high-quality continuing legal education (CLE) Programs with the Section's CLE coordinator and through the Philadelphia Bar Association CLE programs.
You are invited to attend our monthly general section meetings and CLE programs. They are held virtually, usually on the fourth Thursday of each month. At our meetings, you will hear about various topics which often includes appellate updates, prison updates, topical guest speakers from the criminal-justice community as well as opportunities to earn CLE credits. You can find the registration link under the Bar Association’s Events tab.
Co-Chairs
Angela Brennan & Christian Wynne
Executive Committee Meetings
Executive Committee meetings are held virtually on the first Wednesday of each month. All section members are welcome. You can find the registration link under the Bar Association’s Events tab.
Please keep checking the Criminal Justice Section area of the Philadelphia Bar Association website and the |Criminal Justice Section Blog for important news and updates.
The Criminal Justice Section offers prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges the opportunity to meet and collaborate on issues of mutual concern within the criminal justice system. Membership in the section is available not only to lawyers and judges; any person employed within the criminal justice system in Philadelphia, or by the courts, is eligible to become an associate member of the section. In addition to continuing legal education courses developed specifically for criminal law practitioners, the section also sponsors public forums on issues of concern to the broader community.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION CHAIRS
2025 Meredith Zeitzer and Eleni Belisonzi
2024 Meredith Zeitzer and Eleni Belisonzi
2023 Kathryn Cacciamani and Meredith Zeitzer
2022 Marissa Bluestine and Kathryn Cacciamani
2021 Thomas J Innes III and Marissa Bluestine
2020 Lauren Fine and Thomas J Innes III
2019 Leonard S. Deutchman
2018 Benjamin B. Cooper and Susan M. Lin
2017 James F. Berardinelli and Thomas Ivory (Co-Chairs)
2016 Kevin Harden, Jr.
2015 James Funt and Thomas J. Innes, III (Co-Chairs)
2014 Robert W. Muench
2013 Jamie Funt
2012 Kevin Mincey
2011 Brad Shuttleworth
2010 Hon. Denis P. Cohen and Thomas O. Fitzpatrick, Esq. (Co-Chairs)
2009 Peter Berson, Esq.
2008 Troy W. Wilson, Esq.
2007 Donna Woelpper, Esquire
2006 John Ryan, Esquire
2005 Judith Frankel Rubino, Esquire
2004 George H. Newman, Esquire
2003 Matthew Perks, Esquire
2002 Daniel P. Alva, Esquire
2001 Stanley Krakower, Esquire
2000 Isla Fruchter, Esquire
1999 Jack Myers, Esquire
1998 Daniel-Paul Alva, Esquire
1997 Ellen Greenlee, Esquire
1996 Aaron Finestone, Esquire
1995 Denis Cohen, Esquire
1994 Samuel C. Stretton, Esquire
1993 Teresa Carr Deni, Esquire
1992 Steven G. Laver, Esquire
1991 Steven A. Morley, Esquire
1990 Bernard L. Siegel, Esquire
1989 Andrew Gay, Esquire
1988 Stanton M. Lacks, Esquire
1987 George H. Newman, Esquire
1986 Jane C. Greenspan, Esquire
1985 Leon W. Tucker, Esquire
1984 Burton A. Rose, Esquire
1983 Bruce A. Franzel, Esquire
1982 Michael D. Stiles, Esquire
1981 Joel H. Slomsky, Esquire
1980 Louis M. Natale, Esquire
1979 Eugene H. Clarke, Jr., Esquire
1978 William D. Harris, Esquire
1977 Richard D. Atkins, Esquire
1976 Dennis Eisman, Esquire
1975 Howard Gittis, Esquire
1974 Donald J. Goldberg, Esquire
1970 Sarah Duffy, Esquire
1969 Stanford Shmukler, Esquire
1968 Stanford Shmukler, Esquire
1967 Brem Levy, Esquire
1966 Brem Levy, Esquire
Note: Names not available for 1971, 1972, 1973
