The Electoral Count Act (ECA) governs the casting and counting of electoral votes for president and vice president every four years. The statute sets the timeline for states to appoint presidential electors in November and for electors to cast their votes in December and describes the process that Congress should follow when it counts the states’ electoral votes in January. In late December 2022, Congress passed the Electoral Count Reform Act (S.4573 1) as part of omnibus appropriations legislation. The bill updates the ECA, providing much-needed clarity on the process of casting and counting electoral votes, striking a better balance between the roles of state and federal actors in that process, and eliminating many of the most concerning potential weaknesses in the law.

This CLE program will assess the improvements, gaps and prospects of the new 2022 law, and explore how the Electoral Count Reform Act (ECRA) would govern specific scenarios of dueling slates of electors, a state that fails to certify its presidential votes and a 12th Amendment contested election process.

Join us for a discussion on defending democracy by examining the Electoral Count Reform Act.

If you’ve never volunteered as a poll worker or election judge, or stepped forward in other ways to help with the election process in Philadelphia or the suburbs, this is the year to get involved! Our Association is partnering with the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Committee of Seventy and Troutman Pepper's Pepper Center for Public Service in an effort to recruit poll workers for all 67 counties this November.

If you’re interested in becoming a poll worker, sign up using the form below today!

The Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention of the Philadelphia Bar Association evaluates the qualifications of persons seeking election or appointment to the Philadelphia Common Pleas and Municipal Courts, and to Pennsylvania Appellate Courts when the candidate has a principal office or chambers in Philadelphia. 

Individuals who are considering filing for the 2025 primary election as judicial candidates or who wish to be considered for appointment, should visit the Judicial Commission page on the Philadelphia Bar Association website to obtain a Judicial Evaluation Questionnaire, the Commission’s Guidelines for Evaluation of Attorney and Judge Candidates, and the Bylaws of the Philadelphia Bar Association. 

In order to ensure that each candidate receives a full and fair evaluation, the completed and signed questionnaire with writing samples should be returned by TOMORROW to the Judicial Commission at judicialcomm@philabar.org 

Under the Commission’s Guidelines, any candidates who do not participate in the Commission’s evaluation process will receive “Not Recommended” ratings if they continue to pursue either appointment or election.

The Philadelphia Bar Association Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention is in need of attorney volunteers to serve as part of its investigative division for the 2025 judicial election cycle. Volunteers are needed beginning this fall and winter, and volunteer opportunities would continue to be available through early-to-mid 2025.  

Mark your calendars and plan to join us for our 2024 Annual Meeting starting at 4:30 p.m. at the Crystal Tea Room in the historic Wanamaker Building! We will welcome 2025 Chancellor Katayun Jaffari, celebrate the Association's accomplishments this year, and honor the recipients of the 2024 Justice Sonia Sotomayor Award, the Achievement Award and the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg "Pursuit of Justice" Legal Writing Competition. We will also recognize the 2024 inductees to the 50, 60 and 70-Year Clubs. 

Are you a pickleball fanatic or just interested in learning more about the game in a collegial setting? Mentorship and Professional Development Committee Co-Chair Jordan Strokovsky is organizing a Saturday pickleball outing for Bar Association members at Ballers in Fishtown.

Anyone interested in taking part should email Membership Coordinator Sam Lyons at slyons@philabar.org. Once a date is chosen, additional details will be posted on the Bar Association website.

Celebrate individuals and groups making a positive impact on our community!

Achievement Award 
To be presented at the 2025 Annual Meeting on December 10, 2025
Description: The Award recognizes significant accomplishments in improving the administration of justice (preferably in Philadelphia.)
Deadline: Friday, November 7, 2025

A roundup of the latest activity taking place in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. 

We want to hear from you! Do you have a legal analysis article idea or a story to share about a memorable case, social issues, travel or even pop culture, fiction or poetry? Share your submission with us to be featured in a future issue of The Philadelphia Lawyer magazine!

Email communications@philabar.org with the subject line: Magazine submission

Our Summer 2024 edition includes tributes to Steve LaCheen, a longtime editorial board member of The Philadelphia Lawyer who died in May, from previous and current board members. This issue also includes side hustles and second careers submitted by members of the Association.

Members have access to HeinOnline archive collection of Philadelphia Bar Association publications. To access the archive, you must be a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to those who successfully passed the hazing exercise known as the bar exam, please make the most of the services and benefits provided by the Philadelphia Bar Association. For those who did not you are in some good and prestigious company including presidents, congresspersons, and even famous celebrities. If you need help, please reach out to mentors, friends, colleagues, or whatever support system to ensure your continued success. Many of you have worked harder than imagined and can overcome a temporary setback.  

Location: Virtual - Registration link below

Date and Time: Oct 22, 2024 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

On Tuesday, October 22, 2024 at 7:00pm, the Committee of Seventy, along with Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, the Forum of Executive Women, League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Bar Association, and Philadelphia Bar Association, is hosting a virtual forum for Pennsylvania attorney general candidates. The conversation will be moderated by Ernest Owens, President of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. 

Here are the candidates who have confirmed their participation in the event:

• Robert Cowburn  
• Eugene DePasquale 
• Justin Magill 
• Eric Settle  
• Richard Weiss 

Once registered, you will receive a confirmation with Zoom details.

Time to celebrate! On Saturday, November 9, the Philadelphia Bar Foundation will celebrate its 60th anniversary and honor four of the community’s fiercest advocates. Please join us as one city and one region, working together to help Philadelphia’s civil legal aid organizations and pro bono attorneys reach more people and expand access to justice.

By sponsoring the Philly Justice Ball, you’ll help the Philadelphia Bar Foundation raise much-needed funds to sustain unrestricted annual grants to our nonprofit partners, as well as support other initiatives that strengthen civil legal aid services. This is a major celebration and fundraising event that will direct more resources to help Philadelphians access whatever civil legal information, resources, and services they need, regardless of background, income, or zip code. For Justice Everywhere!

Learn more about the Philly Justice Ball and sponsorship opportunities below.

Our Annual Partners and other benefit providers give Bar Association members access to discounts from local and national retailers, for legal and professional services and more!

DISCOUNTS INCLUDE:

• Wireless and data services discounts from Verizon, including 22% off your monthly bill for eligible members
• Travel discounts and planning services from Mondee
• Up to 35% PC computers and printers from HP
• Up to 20% off on gifts from 1-800-FLOWERS, Harry & David, and Cheryl’s Cookies
• Additional discounts on products and services, including performances at the Kimmel Cultural Campus, rental cars through Avis and Budget, and more

Decisis is a fast, reliable legal research tool powered by LexisNexis - free for Philadelphia Bar Association members - a $1788 value! Search all courts and jurisdictions (Need a case outside Pennsylvania? Find it with Decisis™.)

To access the benefit login with your member account.

Are your clients’ (digital) “ducks in a row?” The age-old phrase “keeping your ducks in a row” is an adage that attorneys in today’s digital aid should heed. In the litigation context, keeping your ducks in a row means understanding how to (1) identify the sources of your client’s electronically storied information (“ESI”), (2) defensibly preserve and collect potentially relevant ESI, and (3) leverage technology to identify ESI responsive to litigation or investigative demands. Knowledge of these elements will help clients avoid spoliation claims, save money, and meet legal obligations. While understanding data may appear to be beyond the scope of any attorney’s duties, it really should be at the forefront. Creating data maps, then understanding the basics of data processing and review, will empower attorneys to provide more strategic, holistic guidance. bit-x-bit’s team of attorneys and forensic experts can help you along this journey.

This timely CLE program will address a few of the more challenging issues you may face and provide training on de-escalation strategies and techniques to ensure a safe and peaceful voting environment. This program offers an opportunity to hear answers from an experienced election official on your last-minute questions before serving as a poll worker.

Attend this program to hear guidance to be better prepared to perform poll worker duties on Election Day and best serve the voters. 

Join us for a happy hour and Pro Bono Story Slam, part of the National Celebration of Pro Bono, on October 23^rd from 5:30 – 7:00 pm! Mingle with judges, attorneys, and non-attorneys across the Philadelphia legal community, and hear inspiring stories of working with pro bono clients.

Interested in sharing your pro bono story? You’ll have an opportunity to share it at the event. Stories should be your own personal pro bono experience, shared without notes, and no more than 5 minutes in length.

Please RSVP below by October 21 if you plan to attend; names are needed for security check-in. There is no cost to attend.  The event will be held at Ballard Spahr LLP, BNY Mellon Building, 1735 Market Street, 48^th Floor.

Additional events happening during the week:

• Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts

  • 10/21 PMC in the Community – Role of Courts in Elections – 1:00pm Rydal Park (In-Person) 

  • 10/22 – Attorney Generals Forum – C70 & PMC - 7:00-8:30 pm (virtual) 

  • 10/23   PMC in the Community – Roles of the Judiciary in Elections – People’s Light Theater – 6:00pm (In-person)

• Philadelphia VIP
  • Philadelphia VIP’s New Volunteer Open House Wednesday, October 23 | Anytime from 8:30–10:00 am
    1500 John F. Kennedy Blvd, Ste 1850
    RSVP here
    
    VIP volunteers assist our low-income neighbors with various civil issues ranging “from Adoption to Zoning.” Stop by our office to meet our legal team and learn about our probono projects. This event is open to lawyers and paralegals and will be catered by the Monkey and the Elephant, a nonprofit coffee shop that secured its current location with help from a team of VIP volunteer lawyers.

Join the Wellness Committee and colleagues from the Montgomery County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations for this year's Wellness Walk through Wissahickon Valley Park!

Join the Philadelphia Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division along with the South Asian Bar Association and the Asian Pacific American Bar Association for a happy hour on Thursday, November 14 at 6:00pm. 

*Advanced registration is required prior to Monday, November 11*