News
POTENTIAL JUDICIAL CANDIDATES FOR 2021: Fill Out Our Evaluation Questionnaire
An informed electorate is more important than ever. That's why we ask all potential judicial candidates to complete a questionnaire for the Philadelphia Bar Association's Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention.
The Judicial Commission's work has been cited as an authoritative source for information on judicial candidates, providing unbiased and fair ratings about candidates' abilities to serve on the bench. In the 2019 primary elections, three "Highly Recommended" candidates and four "Recommended" candidates won positions on the ballots for judicial races. Read more.
Philadelphia Bar Association Congratulates Rep. Joanna McClinton on Being Elected Pennsylvania's First Female House Minority Leader
Rep. McClinton, D-Philadelphia, is the first Black woman to lead a caucus in either chamber of the General Assembly.
The Philadelphia Bar Association congratulates Rep. Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, on being elected Pennsylvania's first female house minority leader and the first Black woman to lead a caucus in either chamber of the state General Assembly.
McClinton has served in the state House of Representatives since 2015. She previously worked for seven years as a public defender before becoming chief counsel to state Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, D-Philadelphia, in 2013.
Rep. McClinton is an active Philadelphia Bar Association member who has made significant contributions, lending her expertise to our education and advocacy efforts,
says Hon. A. Michael Snyder (ret.), Chancellor. We are excited to see her talents and expertise recognized by her colleagues in the General Assembly, and look forward to working with her in her new role.
Join Us for Public Interest Law Day on Thursday, December 3
The Philadelphia Bar Association is bringing Philadelphia's vibrant public interest community together virtually this year for the annual Public Interest Law Day. Read more.
Free CLEs For Members in Good Standing in December
Sponsored by LawPay This 2-hour CLE program, FREE to Philadelphia Bar Association members in good standing, provides exceptional guidance and practical advice for attorneys preparing for trial. Detailed examples offer insights on how to prepare efficiently and effectively argue in a compelling manner. Featured speaker, Claude Ducloux, will address the topics below to help you develop the elements of proof, the message, and organize your case for trial. Then he will examine various ethical situations involving trial procedure, pleadings, motions, and discovery; as well as examine the related responsibilities of lawyers during proceedings, the rules guiding the advocate's conduct, and will look at the results of a survey of both state and federal judges' opinions when such conduct occurs in their courtrooms, including advice and discussion.
Register today for available dates:
Friday, December 4
Monday, December 14
Wednesday, December 30 – VIDEO ENCORE
Latest Updates
- November 17, 2020 – Phila. Court of Common Pleas Criminal Division Supervising Judge Tucker has announced that due to new city restrictions, all criminal jury trials are suspended effective immediately, and that bench trials will proceed as scheduled.
- November 16, 2020 – Municipal Court Civil Division issues Notice of Right to Appear in Person, via Zoom or Telephonically. The Notice sets protocols and provides instructions for parties participating in Zoom and telephonic court proceedings.
Re-Opening Task Force
Re-Opening Task Force has been created to provide a set of resources and best practices as law offices re-open their doors and work places after the shutdowns mandated by the pandemic. … Read More
Events
Entrepreneurial Incubator: You've Been Audited! Now What?
Tuesday, November 24 at 4 p.m. For many entrepreneurs one of their greatest challenges can be related to dealing with administrative issues that may arise in the running of their businesses and one of the issues that can cause the most problems is taxes. Our informative seminar will be led by Len Getz, CPA an almost 40-year employee of the IRS who will give entrepreneurs effective strategies on how to handle an IRS audit. Register Here.
Meetings
Real Property Section Annual Meeting
Tuesday, November 24 at 12 p.m. Featuring the Presentations of the Harris Ominsky Award to Eileen B. Quigley, Esq. of Ballard Spahr LLP, and the Good Deed Award to Rebuilding Together Philadelphia. We hope that you’ll be able to attend our Annual Meeting to honor our award recipients and to vote on our new Executive Committee members. Register Here.
Wellness Wednesday
Wednesday, November 25 at 8 a.m. The Wellness Committee brings you: Wellness Wednesday. Join us for short, guided mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. The session will be led by Courtney Schulnick, Esquire, who has completed both the Mindfulness Based Stress-Reduction (MBSR) teaching practicum and internship at Jefferson University’s Mindfulness Institute. Guided meditation will be followed by optional group sharing and processing. Feel free to bring your morning coffee, tea, or breakfast. Register Here
Announcements
Discounts for Members
Our colleagues, clients, and referral sources are now facing unprecedented disruption to their work and home lives. Philadelphia Bar Association benefits provide unique discounts and offers on products and services that you can use to help maintain business continuity in this challenging climate.
Get Published in The Philadelphia Lawyer
The Editorial Board welcomes submissions from attorneys and other professionals, who are members of the Philadelphia Bar Association, who wish to share their expertise on law-related topics.
Accepting manuscripts in multiple genres: law-related articles & features, general interest, fiction, practice areas, essays or humor, and book reviews.
Articles must be original and previously unpublished.
As policy, we do not compensate our writers.
For more information, email Brittany Robertson at brobertson@philabar.org
Philadelphia Bar Foundation: Coronavirus Response
The Philadelphia Bar Foundation has been an anchor institution for civil legal aid for more than 50 years. We extend our thoughts and best wishes to colleagues, friends, and families who are being negatively affected by the virus and the current crisis. The disruption to business operations in the U.S. and the economic downturn created by the COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant and damaging impact on the Foundation's fundraising activities. We have taken immediate action in response to budget concerns, but we need your help. Please donate today to help us continue providing unrestricted funds and technical support to legal aid agencies on the frontlines of this crisis.
CLEs
Upcoming Philadelphia Bar Association CLE Courses
All CLE programming, until further notice, will be offered via webcast
. For course offerings, dates, and times, please visit:
Philadelphia Bar Association Calendar List
Then, type "CLE" in the search box and hit "Go."
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued an order temporarily modifying Rule 108 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Continuing Legal Education to eliminate the six credit cap on CLE credits earned through distance learning with respect to credits needed to satisfy all 2020 compliance deadlines.
Full course calendar here.
Public Interest Events
Support Center for Child Advocates Toy Drive
Support Center for Child Advocates is holding its 2020 Toy Drive in a new format. In recognition of their concerns for client, volunteer, and staff safety, they have decided to make the 2020 Toy Drive a campaign to collect and distribute gift cards for their clients and every child living in their homes. Their goal this year is to provide each child with $50 in gift cards. The deadline to receive gift cards at Child Advocates’ office (1617 JFK Boulevard, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103) is December 2, 2020. Gift cards can also be sent virtually to event@SCCALaw.org.
With a significant portion of the current U.S. workforce having shifted to a remote environment, many businesses, law firms included, are finding that their employees may not return to the "actual office." This disruption has opened the doors for Cyber Criminals to do what they do best - mayhem. From phishing scams to social engineering scams - the remote environment makes business more vulnerable to these types of events and law firms have been a prime target. …Read More 