When you are the junior member of a team, it can be difficult to see a clear path to the moment when you will be “first chair” – whether that means leading a trial or stepping into a senior role at your firm, organization, or public office. 

Many of our members remember that stage of their careers well. As someone who has traveled that path and watched many others do the same, I can say there is no single route to professional growth in our profession. But there is a guiding principle that applies at every stage: continually ask yourself a simple question – “How can I make myself valuable?” 

Brian Levinson founded Alevistar Legal Search (an official partner of the Philadelphia Bar Association) in 2003 and serves as its managing partner. For more than two decades, Brian has worked with many of the top law firms and corporations throughout the Philadelphia area, helping them attract exceptional legal talent. He also partners closely with attorneys, paralegals, and legal support professionals to guide them toward their next career opportunity. 

A new chapter of service begins with our 99th Chancellor, Ezra Wohlgelernter. Catch a glimpse into the leadership shaping the future of our legal community.

In July, the Public Interest Law Center and Stapleton Segal Cochran LLC, a Philadelphia- and Marlton-based litigation boutique, combined in a pro bono effort as amicus curiae to block efforts by the Department of Justice to prematurely end a federal consent decree involving alleged housing discrimination.  Under the 2023 consent decree, a private bank, ESSA Bank & Trust (“ESSA”), had agreed to take several steps over five years to remedy its alleged geographic and financial discrimination against communities in the Philadelphia region.  

Lawyers often take on many diverse roles, and one of the most unique roles is that of a third-party neutral mediator. Unlike traditional legal representation, mediation requires lawyers to step away from their advocacy role and act as impartial facilitators, helping parties resolve disputes collaboratively. This shift in responsibility brings with it a unique set of ethical obligations, which are outlined in the American Bar Association’s Formal Opinion 518, “A Lawyer’s Duties to Avoid Misleading Communications When Acting as a Third-Party Neutral Mediator,” issued on October 15, 2025 by the Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility. This column summarizes the Opinion. 

This past fall I used this mantra to help me decide whether I could/would go to Spain and Portugal by myself. There is a wanderlust piece to me, but I have never been sure if it is real or imagined. It certainly existed within a certain structure, but this trip would be different and might let me know which version of me was the truth. 

On December 10, 2024, 21 days before my term as Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association began on January 1, 2025, I spoke at our Annual Meeting about the importance of our role as lawyers in our society.  As I said then, “we are the voices, the advocates, the champions of those who need us – whether they are businesses striving to keep this great capitalist experiment alive or individuals who are struggling with the injustices of the world…. We have a duty as lawyers to stand for democracy and to protect the rule of law – without it, all we have is chaos.” 

Our Summer issue included part of a conversation among colleagues, each American-born with one or both parents who had emigrated to the United States. Katayun (Kathy) Jaffari, Kristine Calalang, and Vikram (Vik) Patel joined me to share family stories and first-generation American experiences and perspectives. We all knew each other, I knew that their backgrounds aligned with my interview concept, but otherwise I used no “methodology” in assembling the group. I was very hopeful the dynamic would encourage discussion. The group’s candor, warmth, energy, trust, and mutual kindness went beyond my hopes. Thank you, Kathy, Kristine, and Vik. The dynamic also resulted in a very long transcript, which albeit having been divided into two edited and condensed parts, the second of which follows, captures the heart of a heartfelt discussion. 

The Philadelphia Bar Association Professional Guidance Committee has issued Formal Opinion 2025-1 to address the ethical concerns surrounding attorneys questioning or invoking the immigration status of individuals in legal proceedings. This opinion provides clarity on the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct, which prohibit such actions when they are intended to intimidate, coerce, or obstruct someone from participating in the legal system. The Committee emphasizes that these practices undermine the rights of individuals, interfere with the administration of justice, and violate several ethical rules governing attorneys.  

A week before Labor Day, my 32-year-old lawyer son and his 73-year-old lawyer mother went to the Philadelphia Zoo. The first of many zoo trips that I can remember was about 69 years ago, when I was four. It was my mother, my 14-year-old aunt, and me. Family legend has it that when my mother pointed out an anteater, I jumped in front of my aunt, pushed her away and said, "He ain’t gonna eat my aunt."  My aunt recently verified the truth of this story. I observed no anteaters on this visit. If there were any, they probably hid in fear, just in case. Happily, my grammar has improved.