We'd like to welcome Senior Law Center and Public Interest Law Center as our two newest public interest institutional members! 

In recent years, there has been an alarming surge in threats against public officials. During Congressional testimony in February, officials with the U.S. Marshal Service, which is tasked with protecting more than 2,700 federal judges, said threats against that group have more than doubled in the past three years.

Thanks for attending our Member Appreciation Reception and Awards Ceremony last week! We hope you enjoyed networking with your colleagues and celebrating the outstanding members of the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Congratulations to the following Bar Stars:

• Bar Champion: Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock Dodig LLP
• Business Law Section: Nicole Aiken-Shaban and Jourdan Garvey
• Criminal Justice Section: Aaron Marcus and Meredith Zeitzer
• Family Law Section: Anne Armistead and Sydney Groll
• Probate and Trust Law Section: Devin Fox and Jenna Millman
• Public Interest Section: Krystal Kane and Brian R. Kisielewski
• Real Property Section: Judy Berkman and Natalie Klyashtorny
• State Civil Litigation Section: Hon. Richard B. Klein (ret.) and Hon. Stella Tsai
• Tax Section: Thu N. Lam and Ilya Lipin
• Workers' Compensation Section: Eric Pearson and Christina M. Zern
• Young Lawyers Division: Alexandria Bondy and Leah George
• Highest Attendance at a CLE: Federal Courts Committee
• Most CLEs: Criminal Justice Section
• Board Engagement: James (JP) Faunes
• Communications Champion: Workers’ Compensation Section
• Institutional Membership Champion: Keisha Hudson

Congratulations to the following raffle winners:

• Aaron Marcus
• Ezra Wohlgelernter
• Danielle Pell
• Melanie Foreman
• Samuel Mukiibi
• Jane Iheukwumere
• Francois Dutchie
• Gregory Weyer

Thank you to our sponsor: Esquire Deposition Solutions, LLC

Thank You to Our Member Appreciation Giveaway Participants:

• Bank & Bourbon
• Garces
• Tapster
• Scoop DeVille
• 37 Chocolates
• Craft Concepts Group
• Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
• City Winery
• ALM/Law.com

Thank you to our Annual Partners:

• My Benefit Advisor, LLC
• USI Affinity
• bit-x-bit, LLC
• ProfitSolv
• Wealth Enhancement Group
• Alevistar Legal Search

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.  

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.

Join your colleagues and friends at any of these upcoming Section holiday parties! 

Criminal Justice Section Annual Reception – REGISTER NOW
Tue, December 17, 2024
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

State Civil Litigation Section Annual Reception & Holiday Party – REGISTER NOW
Wed, December 18, 2024
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

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.

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

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.

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.

My dad instilled in me the importance of giving back to and investing in your community. He left his home country of Haiti in the 1980s, but even with thousands of miles of distance, he made sure he continued to be a resource for those who remained. This was exemplified in ways such as providing advice or even a place to stay to someone newly adjusting to their life in America or sending clothing and money back to Haiti. When I was a teenager, he taught me a valuable lesson about the importance of giving back.

This summer, the United States Supreme Court issued its opinion in Grants Pass v. Johnson, which upheld laws in the city of Grants Pass, Oregon, that prohibit people from sleeping outside on public property even when there are no available shelter beds. This disappointing and harmful decision allows cities to enforce civil and criminal penalties against individuals who have no choice but to sleep outside, despite the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. As Justice Sotomayor wrote in her dissent, the Court’s ruling abandoned “its role in safeguarding constitutional liberties for the most vulnerable among us” by allowing the enforcement of laws that criminalize the status of being homeless.   

The Annual Amber Racine Turkey Drive is happening on Saturday, November 23, 2024. The Barristers Association of Philadelphia has hosted its Annual Turkey Drive for several decades, providing nutritious Thanksgiving meals to families across the Philadelphia region. Last year, they provided 750 families with Thanksgiving meals! Volunteer to make a difference this holiday season.

The award-winning Board Observer Program (BOP) serves a unique role for young lawyers and local nonprofit organizations in the Philadelphia region. This program provides young lawyers with the opportunity to volunteer and serve as an Observer on a nonprofit board of directors. Board Observers learn about local legal services organizations and other nonprofits. They also gain leadership skills and strengthen their professional networks in ways that help them succeed in their future careers.

Participating nonprofits benefit from the energy and new ideas of these young lawyers and the broader nonprofit community is strengthened.

BOP is a partnership between the Philadelphia Bar Foundation, the Delivery of Legal Services Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association (DLSC), and the Young Lawyers Division of the Philadelphia Bar Association (YLD). Young lawyers experience first-hand the value of legal aid and other social services for people in need.

After completing their BOP year, many Board Observers continue serving in nonprofit board and leadership roles. Board Observers have often initiated innovative fundraising and program ideas for nonprofits in the Philadelphia region.

The Board Observer Program received the 2014 LexisNexis "Partnerships For Success" Award of the National Conference of Bar Foundations. The Award honors innovative and successful bar foundation / bar association partnerships.

2025 application is now open! Please submit your form by November 18, 2024.

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.

As companies are increasingly requiring their employees to return to the office, company leaders and human resource department personnel are hearing their workers and future talent prospects ask for programs and services that go beyond traditional benefits. Specifically, individuals are looking for those with a greater focus on benefits that will allow them to maintain and enhance their personal health and well-being.

Wed, November 20, 2024
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Zoom Meeting

Join your colleagues and meet the candidates who are running for the Philadelphia Bar Association's line offices, Board of Governors.  The forum will be focused around the contested YLD Executive Committee. You will get to hear from each of the YLD why they are running and what they will bring as leaders to move the Association forward.  

Nearly two years since the change in the venue rule, Hon. Dan Anders and Hon. Susan Schulman will discuss several important updates to the First Judicial District's medical malpractice case management program including:

• Increased filings of medical malpractice cases in Philadelphia
• Expected trial dates in 2025
• Pre-Trial conferences – expectations and requirements
• Settlement conferences – expectations and requirements
• Expert report deadlines and the filing of certificates of compliance

The Court encourages all attorneys with active medical malpractice cases in Philadelphia to attend so they are aware of important changes to the medical malpractice program and the Court's expectations of counsel. In-house counsel, client representatives, claims handlers/adjusters, risk managers, insurance executives, and other non-lawyers involved in the handling of medical malpractice claims are also welcome to attend.
 
If you have any problems with registration, please email steven.wulko@courts.phila.gov.

There is no fee to register for the webinar. Lawyers, client representatives, claims handlers/adjusters, risk managers, and other non-lawyers are welcome to attend. Advanced registration is required by 5 p.m. Monday, November 18, 2024.

Join us for a roundtable about avoiding the pitfalls of AI!

Join the Mid-Size Firm Management Committee on Thursday, November 21 for an hour of discussion about the perils of AI followed by a complimentary happy hour! The roundtable discussion will be led by Veda Shamsid-Deen, Esquire,  Co-Founder, COO - ARConnex Inc. and Founder-T3 Creators Collective, LLC., who specialized in innovation, and emerging technology. Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to revolutionize the legal industry, offering unprecedented tools to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of law firm operations. However, without a proper roadmap, AI adoption can lead to significant challenges, particularly for midsize law firms.

Please join us at the Kline Institute of Trial Advocacy from 5:00 to 8:00pm on Tuesday, December. Enjoy drinks, food & camaraderie with your colleagues in the Public Interest Section as we honor our 2024 award recipients.

Thanks to our sponsors:

• Rutgers Law School
• Faegre Drinker
• Raynes & Lawn
• Troutman Pepper
• Morgan Lewis
• Duane Morris
• Catherine Carr
• Maureen Olives

Wed. December 4
7:00pm - 9:00pm

Are you concerned about how to protect your family under the incoming administration? Philadelphia Family Pride board member and attorney Becca Nayak will host a legal webinar along with Nesta Johnson from NCLR and Thomas Ude from Mazzoni. Come with your questions and concerns.

RSVP to sandra@philllyfamilypride.org for the link.