Justice Nigro to Re c e i v e Bar’s B o a r d Distinguished Jurist … · by Jeff Lyons The Board of Governors has unani-mously approved 23 resolutions from a set of more than 60

by Jeff Lyons

The Board of Governors has unani-mously approved 23 resolutions from aset of more than 60 recommendationsoffered by the Association’s Pro BonoTask Force.

“This is truly a document thisAssociation can be proud of,”Chancellor Allan H. Gordon told theBoard after its vote at the Sept. 26meeting. “I want to thank and comple-ment (Chancellor-Elect) Audrey Talleyand her committee for the enormousamount of work they did. I also wantto thank Sy Kurland, Aretha DelightDavis and Lou Rulli for their effortswith the task force.”

The Board received the Task Force’srecommendations in June. At that time,Gordon created a committee, led byTalley, to examine the Task Force’sreport and come back with a list of rec-ommendations.

The resolutions included the follow-ing recommendations:

by Jeff Lyons

Pennsylvania Supreme CourtJustice Russell M. Nigro will receivethe Association’s William J. BrennanJr. Distinguished Jurist Award at theAssociation’s Quarterly Meeting andLuncheon on Tuesday, Oct. 15.

Justice Nigro is a Philadelphianative and a graduate of SouthPhiladelphia High School and TempleUniversity. He received his J.D. fromRutgers University Law School in1973.

Immediately after graduation fromRutgers, Justice Nigro opened aneighborhood practice in the com-munity in which he was raised. After14 years of private practice, he wasappointed to the Philadelphia Courtof Common Pleas by Gov. Robert P.Casey. In 1987, Justice Nigro was elect-ed to a full 10-year term.

Justice Nigro’s tenure in CommonPleas Court was spent in both theCriminal and Civil trial divisions.While on that court, he institutednumerous programs that helpedimprove the efficiency of the courtsystem. He served as chairman of thestaffing committee and designed andimplemented the Arbitration AppealsProgram, disposing of nearly 5,300cases. He was elected to thePennsylvania Supreme Court inNovember 1995.

Justice Nigro has been a frequentlecturer on civil law for thePennsylvania Bar Institute. He hasparticipated in ethics seminars spon-sored by the Pennsylvania Defense

Institute and the Pennsylvania TrialLawyers Association. He has alsotaken part as a jurist in many region-al moot court competitions.

Additionally, he has been a lectur-

er at Temple University James E.Beasley School of Law, teaching intro-duction to trial advocacy.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice William

The Monthly Newspaper of the Philadelphia Bar Association October 2002 Vol. 31, No. 10

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Justice Nigro to Re c e i ve Bar’sDistinguished Jurist Aw a r d

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Russell M. Nigro will receive the Association’sWilliam J. Brennan Jr. Distinguished Jurist Award at the Association’s Quarterly Meetingand Luncheon on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue.

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by Allan H. Gordon

I don’t have to remind you thatelection time is near.

You read the newspapers, watch thenews and hear and see all the politicalads on radio and TV. But most of all,you know that Election Day is nearbecause you’re solicited for contribu-tions from the political parties and thecandidates.

Well, be thankful for small favors.At least there are no judicial con-

tests this year. That will come next year.Once again, Pennsylvania will go

about the business of electing judges.Candidates will convene fund-raisers,run ads, send out mailings and evendistribute Election Day cash in thehopes of gaining a seat on the bench.

And once again, mostPennsylvanians will opt out of thewhole process.

The simple fact of the matter is thatmost people in Pennsylvania do noteven know that we elect all of our

judges in primary and general elec-tions. Nor do they realize that we areone of only a handful of states that stillelects judges.

Not too long ago, Philadelphia’sCommittee of Seventy conducted asurvey that found that amongPennsylvania’s 14 largest counties, onlyabout 13 percent of the voters hadvoted in at least three of the previousfour judicial elections. Even when tak-ing into account today’s generally dis-appointing level of voter participation

overall, that’s still an abysmally smallpercentage. What’s more, two focusgroups of actual judicial voters wereinterviewed and it was found that“none of them could remember thename of the last person who receivedtheir vote for a judgeship.” Their lack ofknowledge was best expressed by oneparticipant who said, “I have too muchgoing on in my life to remember ajudge.”

I do not relate this in a critical orjudgmental way. Most people are goodcitizens. Most people are fairly well-informed. Most people want democra-cy to work. Most people are concernedand they want to be involved in theissues of the day. They really do feel astake and a sense of ownership - asense of responsibility.

But issues are complex. Candidatesare numerous. And Philadelphia’s bed-sheet ballot is daunting.

Before he left office, Gov. TomRidge threw his support behind a newnon-elective, merit selection system of

choosing appellate judges and askedthe state Legislature to act on a consti-tutional amendment that would set thewheels in motion to change the system.Now, thanks in part to the fine work ofPennsylvanians for Modern Courts,both major party gubernatorial candi-dates have come out in favor meritselection as well. If the GeneralAssembly eventually approves a con-stitutional amendment in two succes-sive sessions, it will then go on the bal-lot and the voters will be able to say“yes” to appointing the state appellatejudges based on merit.

As Gov. Ridge said before he leftoffice, “The federal government and 27states have shown that appointingjudges works.” For more than 40 yearsthe Philadelphia Bar Association hasfavored this change. We believe inmerit selection.

But we recognize that this is not aquest for the short-winded. We may besomewhat closer to getting the changesthat we seek but they aren’t about toactually happen anytime soon. Therewill be a new governor next January

Law firm marketing doesn’t have tobe complicated.

That’s the message of a new self-help video available from the Phila-delphia Bar Association. The newvideo, featuring law firm marketingdirector Pamela McCarthy of Klehr,Harrison, Harvey, Branzburg & EllersLLP, contains effective, proven market-ing tips for use by solo and small firmsas well as larger firms. The 85-minuteprogram, produced with the help of a

grant from the American BarAssociation, reveals valuable marketingsecrets, such as:

• How to maintain a quick andeasy-to-use contact list.

• Where to network for best market-ing results.

• How to take maximum advantageof everyday marketing vehicles youmay be overlooking.

• Why you need to build your mar-keting base with assets you already

have. • How you can turn your own

accomplishments into an advertise-ment for your firm.

• Why you need to make clientreferrals pay off in more ways thanone.

• Where you will encounter thestumbling blocks that will lead to mar-keting failure and how you can avoidthem.

• How to minimize the time youspend on marketing efforts and maxi-mize results.

• What “value added” really meansand how to make it work for you.

• How to develop a marketing planand keep it viable as circumstanceschange.

• Why certain direct mail efforts and“cold” contacts are often a waste oftime.

According to Richard F. Furia andJoseph A. Prim, co-chairs of theAssociation’s Solo and Small FirmManagement Committee, the video is a“bread-and-butter, practical roadmapto marketing that contains good ideasfor law firms of all sizes.”

Furia and Prim noted that throughthe efforts of the ABA the Association isnow able to make the video availableto members “virtually at cost” for$14.95 including shipping and han-dling. To obtain a copy of the video,send a check for $14.95 payable to thePhiladelphia Bar Association to “Mark-eting Video”, c/o Philadelphia Bar Ass-ociation, 1101 Market St., 11th floor,Philadelphia, Pa., 19107-2911.

Editor-in-ChiefBruce H. Bikin, Esq.

Associate EditorsGlenn F. Rosenblum, Esq.

Molly Peckman, Esq.Sunah Park, Esq.

Nina Wright-Padilla, Esq.

Contributing EditorRichard Max Bockol, Esq.

Advisory EditorsMerih O. Erhan, Esq.Marc Reuben, Esq.

Director of Publications and New MediaMark A. Tarasiewicz

Managing EditorJeff Lyons

Copy EditorKate Maxwell

Associate Executive Directorfor Communications and Public Affairs

Daniel A. Cirucci

Executive DirectorKenneth Shear

The Philadelphia Bar Report e r (ISSN 0145-3491) ispublished monthly and available by subscription for$45 per year by the Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101Market St., 11th fl., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107-2911.Periodicals postage paid at Philadelphia, Pa. POST-M A S T E R : Send address changes to Philadelphia BarR e p o rt e r, c/o Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101Market St., 11 fl., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107-2911.Telephone: (215) 238-6300. Association Web site:w w w. p h i l a d e l p h i a b a r. o rg. Newspaper e-mail addre s s :re p o rt e r @ p h i l a b a r. o rg. The editorial and other viewsexpressed in the Philadelphia Bar Reporter are not nec-essarily those of the Association, its officers, or itsmembers. Advertising rates and information are avail-able from American Lawyer Media, 1617 JFK Blvd.,Suite 1750, Philadelphia, Pa. 19103-9655. Telephone:(215) 557-2300.

2 OCTOBER 2002 / BAR REPORTER

F R O N T L I N E

It’s Time to Change Judicial Elections

Video Offers Practical Tips on Marketing continued on page 6

OCT PBR 10/10/02 10:58 AM Page 2

BAR REPORTER / OCTOBER 2002 3

Quarterly Meeting Celebrates Women as Leadersby Jeff Lyons

The Philadelphia Bar Associationwill celebrate women as leaders at theOctober 15 Quarterly Meeting andLuncheon with the presentation of theSandra Day O’Connor Award to Ellen T.Greenlee, chief defender of theDefender Association of Philadelphia.

Judith M. von Seldeneck, chair ofthe Greater Philadelphia Chamber ofCommerce and chief executive officerof The Diversified Search Companies,will deliver the keynote address at theluncheon, which begins at noon at thePark Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue,Broad and Walnut streets.

Named in honor of the first womanto serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, the

O’Connor Award ispresented annuallyto an outstandingwoman attorney inthe Philadelphiaarea by theAssociation’sWomen in theProfessionCommittee.

Tickets to the Quarterly Meetingand Luncheon are $40 for BarAssociation members and $45 for non-members.

You can register for the event byfaxing the ticket order form below toBar Association headquarters, or youcan order your tickets online with acredit card at the Association’s Web

site, www.philadel-phiabar.org.

Greenlee is alifelong resident ofPhiladelphia, edu-cated in itsparochial schoolsand a graduate ofChestnut HillCollege. There she

was selected as a Fulbright scholar forstudy in France.

She taught French, Spanish andEnglish for five years in the CliftonHeights, Delaware County, school dis-trict. Thereafter she worked as a publicrelations assistant in the InternationalDivision of Smith Kline Laboratories inPhiladelphia.

In 1970 she entered Villanova LawSchool, graduating in 1973. She hasworked at the Defender Association ofPhiladelphia as a staff attorney, super-visor, first assistant defender and, fornearly 12 years, as the chief defender.

Greenlee has held several positionswithin the Bar Association. She was amember of the Board of Governors in1998. She has been on the ExecutiveCommittee of the Criminal JusticeSection since 1990, serving as Sectionchair in 1997. She has also been amember of the Judicial Commissionsince 1990.

She served as president of theNational Legal Aid and DefenderAssociation from 1994 to 1997 and was

Greenlee von Seldeneck

Please make reservations for the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Quarterly Meetingand Luncheon. Tickets are $40 for members and $45 for non-members. Checks should bemade payable to the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Name:

Firm/Employer:

Address:

Phone: Fax:

E-Mail:

Philadelphia Bar Association Quarterly Meeting and LuncheonTuesday, October 15 at Noon at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue

• Featuring Keynote Speaker Judith M. von Seldeneck• Presentation of the 2002 Sandra Day O’Connor Award to Ellen T. Greenlee

• Presentation of the 2002 William J. Brennan Jr. Distinguished Jurist Award to Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Russell M. Nigro

C redit card payments should be faxed to Bar Headquarters at (215) 238-1267.

Credit Cardholder:

Visa MasterCard American Express

Card number:

Expiration date:

Signature:

R e t u rn to:Quarterly MeetingPhiladelphia Bar Association1101 Market St., 11th fl.Philadelphia, Pa. 19107-2911

continued on page 4

Representation, Consultationand Expert Testimony in

Matters Involving Ethical Issues and/or the Rules of Professional Conduct

Schwartzman & Associates, P.C.1760 Market St., 12th Floor

Phila., PA 19103(215) 563-2233

Former Chairman, DisciplinaryBoard of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; Former Chairman

Continuing Legal Education Board of the Supreme Court

of Pennsylvania; Former

OCT PBR 10/10/02 10:58 AM Page 3

by Jeff Lyons

The Business Law Section has devel-oped a program to expand pro bonoopportunities for transactional lawyersand business. The program, Philadel-phia LawWorks, is expected to beginoperations in November, offering legalassistance to small nonprofit groupsand small businesses.

“There’s very little of this kind ofpro bono work in this city,” saidWilliam J. Woodward Jr., a TempleUniversity James E. Beasley School ofLaw professor who helped put the pro-gram together.

“There are a lot of things that busi-ness lawyers can do as volunteers andthere’s a lot of need for business lawlegal services in our community. Thereare many nonprofits that could do amuch better job if they had businesslawyers helping them out,” he said.

One of the keys will be promotingthe availability of the program to thosein need. Philadelphia LawWorks hasdesigned an application form that willbe distributed to many of the region’slegal services agencies. Woodward saidthat when clients come looking forlegal help that a given agency cannotprovide, a completed application formwill be forwarded to Philadelphia VIP,which will then work to match anattorney with the client. “The systemwill have multiple intake centers, and ifthe paper flows the way that it should,it should work out pretty well.”

Woodward said there are scores ofsmall enterprises and not-for-profitsthat need legal advice. “They want toincorporate, hire people, comply withenvironmental restrictions, minimizetheir tax liability, borrow money, buyproperty or lease space, and so on.These are traditional areas of business

lawyer expertise and, by offering soundlegal advice and counseling, businesslawyers can help these entities betterserve their own constituencies.”

The program has not officiallybegun soliciting lawyers to take cases,but Woodward expects many attorneysto sign up. “We’ve heard from some ofthe city’s law firms that there are manylawyers that want to be a part of some-thing like this. We may well initiallyhave more lawyers than we know whatto do with. But the odds are prettygood that, as the availability of theseservices becomes more widely known,a larger client base will develop.”

Woodward is a member of theAmerican Bar Association Business LawSection Pro Bono Committee and notedthat other cities have had programslike this in place for 10 years. ThePhiladelphia Bar Association’s BusinessLaw Section found the idea worthwhile

and its sponsorship has helped bringthe idea to fruition.

“While the program will begin witha modest number of cases, the numberof cases the program eventually willhandle is unknown. New York City hasprograms like this and it handles manyhundreds of cases a year.” Philadelphiais smaller but, with its long tradition ofstrong public service from the Bar,there may be no upper limit to thenumber of cases we can take,Woodward said.

The program will kick off inNovember with an open reception forthose interested in business law probono work.

the group’s vice president from 1992 to1994. She also belonged to theAssociation’s Defender Committee from1989 to 1994. Greenlee is also a mem-ber of both the Pennsylvania andNational Association of CriminalDefense Lawyers.

In addition to volunteer activitiesinvolving the law, she serves on boardsdealing with problems of homelessnessand prison conditions. She is a found-ing member of the Board of NewDirections for Women. She’s also beeninvolved with People’s EmergencyCenter and the Community Women’sEducation Project.

Prior to starting Diversified Search,von Seldeneck was executive assistantto Vice President Walter F. Mondale for

10 years in Washington, D.C., andattended law school in the evening atAmerican University College of Law.

Von Seldeneck was chosen as one ofthe top 10 executive search recruitersin North America and has received anumber of awards, including the 2000Civic Leadership Award by the Leagueof Women Voters of Pennsylvania, theEleanor Raynolds Award for excellencein executive search presented by theAssociation of Executive Search Con-sultants (AESC), and the Greater Phila-delphia Chamber of Commerce’s Para-digm Award for the top woman inbusiness and leadership in the com-munity.

She also received the NationalWomen’s Economic Alliance andDirectors Resource Council for theDirectors Choice Award for her serviceon public company boards and was

named woman of outstanding achieve-ment by the Philadelphia Women’sNetwork.

Von Seldeneck has been active formany years on boards of directors ofboth corporate and not-for-profit enti-ties. Some of these include CitizensBank of Pennsylvania, The Hyde School(current chair of the Board), The TastyBaking Company, InternationalWomen’s Forum and The CaronFoundation. Her previous Board mem-berships include The First UnionRegional Foundation Board, TheCoreStates Financial Corporation,Meridian Bancorp, The ZoologicalSociety, WHYY Television, The PrivateIndustry Council, The Greater Philadel-phia First, Philadelphia EconomicDevelopment Council, FellowshipCommission, BLOCS, the Urban AffairsPartnership, The Glaucoma Foundation,

Association of Executive SearchConsultants (AESC), AAA Mid-Atlantic,and The Committee of 200.

Von Seldeneck was also founder ofthe Forum of Executive Women morethan 20 years ago, which today is thelargest association of women businessleaders in the Delaware Valley.Throughout her career, von Seldeneckhas served on task forces for variousPhiladelphia mayors, including theMayor’s Small Business AdvisoryCouncil. She has also been a trustee ofher alma mater, the University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill.

She was born in High Point, N.C.,attended St. Mary’s College in Raleigh,and graduated with a B.A. in politicalscience from the University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill. She lives inChestnut Hill with her husband, Clay,and two sons, Rodman and Kevin.

QUARTERLYcontinued from page 3


Business Law Section

Pro Bono Plan Targets Transactional At t o r n e y s

• The pursuit of all avenues thatensure pro bono service becomes afundamental and integral aspect ofbeing a member of the PhiladelphiaBar Association.

• The adoption of a 50-hour aspira-tional standard for pro bono participa-tion.

• The further study of mandatoryreporting of pro bono hours.

• Initiation of discussions with thePennsylvania Supreme Court and theContinuing Legal Education Board toaward CLE credit for pro bono repre-sentation in new areas.

• Request the implementation of abylaw that requires members of theBoard of Governors to handle one pro

bono matter per year, unless there arerestrictions based on their employ-ment, in which case they would berequired to demonstrate alternativesupport.

• Fully embrace PhiladelphiaVolunteers for the Indigent Programand approve the funding of VIP basedon its needs and other relevant criteria.

• Encourage large and mid-sizedlaw firms to support pro bono.

• Coordinate the development of amechanism for the annual reporting ofpro bono participation by law firms.

• The Board of Governors willannually devote a meeting to discussthe state of pro bono in Philadelphia.

• Ask the chair of the SurveyCommittee to develop questions onfuture surveys regarding the pro bonodelivery of legal services designed to

assess the response of the legal com-munity to unmet needs of the poorand disadvantaged.

• Develop opportunities in whichlegal assistants, paralegals and legalsecretaries can be involved in the probono delivery of legal services andpropose other mechanisms by whichother organizations can engage para-professionals in pro bono participation.

• Recognize and publicly honorarea law students who have providedmore than 100 hours of uncompensat-ed and non-credited legal services tothe needy.

• Support of the leadership of thePhiladelphia Bar Foundation.

• Support of the leadership ofPhiladelphia VIP.

• Strengthen and encourage jointinitiatives by the Philadelphia Bar

Association and the Philadelphia BarFoundation.

• Increase the leadership role ofPhiladelphia’s large and mid-sizedfirms in pro bono participation.

• Increase the participation of soloand small firm practitioners.

• Urge the increased participation ofcorporate legal departments.

• Participation of the judiciary inencouraging pro bono participation.

• Increase the leadership role of thelegal service agencies.

• Increase law school participationin pro bono services.

• Streamline the public’s access topro bono legal services.

• The Board will receive a statusreport within six months on theprogress of the implementation of therecommendations.

BOARDcontinued from page 1

For more information• Contact William J. Woodward Jr. at (215)204-8984 or Roberta Desio at (215) 751-2006 to learn more.

OCT PBR 10/10/02 10:58 AM Page 4

by Jeff Lyons

The Board of Governors unani-mously approved at its Sept. 26 meet-ing a resolution calling for fair hourlyrate compensation of court appointedcounsel in dependency proceedingsand a resolution opposing a stateSenate bill that would require voters toproduce photo identification in orderto cast ballots.

The dependency compensation res-olution was sponsored by the FamilyLaw Section with support from thePublic Interest Section. Family LawSection chair Margaret Klaw told theBoard dependency hearings are “veryserious, very complex cases. They ofteninvolve the physical, sexual and emo-tional abuse of children.”

“These cases are very time consum-ing. There are many, many hearingsand lots of field work involved,” Klawsaid, adding the average dependencycase lasts 3.9 years while some can goon for 10 years or more.

In July, Klaw said the First JudicialDistrict proposed an increased in feesfor court-appointed counsel. Attorneyswould receive $600 for the first year ofrepresentation and $300 for the secondyear. From the third year on, counselwould receive $60 per hearing, with amaximum of two hearings per year.

“This is still a terribly inadequateway to compensate counsel,” Klaw said.“Counsel need to be paid hourly. Thisis the norm in Pennsylvania. Fifty-fourcounties in Pennsylvania pay theircourt-appointed counsel by the hour.Paying a flat fee doesn’t do anyone jus-tice.”

Board member Robert W. Meekpointed out that the First Judicial Dis-trict is bound by the amount of fund-ing given by the city administration.

“The city administration and citycouncil need to be lobbied. The FirstJudicial District is on our side withthis,” Meek said.

In a letter to Board Chair Jeffrey M.Lindy, Common Pleas Court PresidentJudge Frederica A. Massiah-Jacksonexplained how funds for court-appointed counsel were dispersed. Shepointed out that the city’s allocationfor fees for court-appointed counselwas to increase to nearly $9.2 millionfor fiscal year 2003-2004, an increasefrom the $7.7 million budgeted in fiscalyear 2002-2003.

The resolution calls for compensa-tion of attorneys at fair and reasonablehourly rates, at an appropriate rate thatallows counsel to provide adequateand effective assistance to children andfamilies. The resolution also directs theChancellor to meet with the cityadministration to seek implementationof a new compensation program.

The voter identification resolution

was proposed as a result of stateSenate Bill 824. Tsiwen Law, chair of thePublic Interest Section and sponsor ofthe resolution, said the proposal cre-ates an additional barrier in the rightto vote.

Law held up his voter registrationcard before the board and read what

was printed on it. “It says right here,‘not proof of right to vote.’ “

Law said younger, elderly, indigent,homeless and disabled voters are lesslikely to have a valid drivers licenseissued by the Department ofTransportation.

Jonathan M. Stein, an attorney with

Community Legal Services, called thelegislation a “noxious, heavy-handedbill. It’s a poll tax for many people.”

“This will heavily impact the elderlyand the disabled. These are the peoplewho can least afford this extra expenseof getting a photo I.D.,” Law told theBoard.


C o m pensation OK’d, Photo IDs Opposed by Board

OCT PBR 10/10/02 10:58 AM Page 5

by Bruce H. Bikin

We recently commemorated theone-year anniversary of the Sept. 11attacks that included network televi-sion coverage of the events, their after-math and the future. Throughout eachbroadcast, I had the nagging sense thatI could not quite get a handle on whatthey were commemorating. The Alamo,Gettysburg, Pearl Harbor and D-Dayare all remembered for the bravery ofthe warriors, their self-sacrifice for thegreater good and the benefits thataccrued to the nation for their sacri-fices. But we also celebrate the freedomfrom tyranny that resulted from whatcame after the massacre at the Alamojust as surely as we celebrate the brav-ery of the defenders.

I do not think that the tragic loss ofso much innocent life, the bravery,heroism and self-sacrifice displayed byso many or the almost incomprehensi-ble magnitude of the attacks are whatleft me with such an ache in my heart.I understand and applaud all of thosereasons for remembering. Still, some-how, it feels like there is more tounderstand about this historic occur-rence. We all lost something on Sept.11. What did we gain?

Does anyone remember the date ofthe Oklahoma City bombing? Theyear? How many were killed? In itsown way, wasn’t that bombing, whichincluded children and toddlers in a day

care center in the Murrah FederalBuilding as victims, just as heinous?Weren’t the victims just as innocent?Weren’t the rescuers who were killedjust as noble and heroic? And yet it didnot ever seem to hold the nation in athrall nearly as firmly as the 9-11attacks. It never did. (By the way: April19, 1995; 168 killed.)

There is even a hierarchy of 9-11events in which somehow the attackon the Pentagon gets short shrift. ThePentagon! The very heart of our mili-tary preparedness and leadership; ourmilitary nerve center. Yet “GroundZero” is still in New York City at thesite of the Twin Towers.

In a way, I think the discountingthat the Pentagon suffers offers the bestinsight into how these attacks impactedour collective psyche. There was com-paratively very little in the way of

news coverage about the attack on thePentagon. No video clips of planes div-ing into buildings like guided missiles;no flames, no smoking collapse; no onejumping to their death. We did notwitness the Pentagon attack nearly aspersonally as we did the World TradeCenter attacks. The same can be said ofthe Oklahoma City bombing. We sawonly the aftermath, not the actualevents.

This vicarious observation of theactual attack and destruction of theTwin Towers and the video accountsand photographs of the incrediblebravery of the police and firefightersgave us all a personal emotional stakein what happened in New York City.For that moment, we were all NewYorkers, just as we were all Americans.We were one people because the 9-11attacks happened to all of us morethan any other event in our history. Wewere personally there. We watched. Wesaw the people trapped by the flames,choosing nobly to jump to their deathsrather than be passively consumed bya hellfire so hot that it melted thestructural beams that held up the tow-ers. We saw the collapse of first onestupendous monolithic tower and thenthe next. We were there. We becameone.

The question, I think, becomes whatdo we do with this unity?

In the whirlwind of human eventsfollowing the attacks, events in the

Middle East, the spawning ground forthese attacks and the religious fervorthat drove them, are more troublingthan ever. We bombed Afghanistanfrom the Stone Age into the dustmoteage and routed the Taliban, but whoknows what happened to bin Laden?Palestinians danced in the streets whenthey heard the news of the attacks.Suicide bombers routinely walk intocrowded Israeli markets and explodethemselves. There is talk of war withIraq, which none of our “allies” inEurope or the Middle East seeminclined to support.

Do we proceed alone, the solitarysuperpower, meting out our own brandof justice and imposing our economicand social values on the rest of theworld? Or do we rethink our place inthe world, allowing that perhaps noteveryone shares our sometimes self-congratulatory view of ourselves as thesaviors of the free world?

My hope is that we take the morereflective path and that we use ourremembrance of Sept. 11, 2001 to makeourselves, our nation and our world abetter place. The same way those whosacrificed at the Alamo, Gettysburg,Pearl Harbor and D-Day made theworld a better place for their familiesand their country.

Bruce H. Bikin, a partner at Montgomery, McCrack e n ,Walker & Rhoads, LLP, is Editor-In-Chief of thePhiladelphia Bar Reporter.


The Philadelphia Bar Reporterwel-comes law-related submissions forpublication. Articles relating to a spe-cific practice area, commentary, bookreviews, and letters to the editors arewelcome. Letters must be signed toverify authorship, but names will be

withheld upon request. All submis-sions will be promptly considered bythe Bar ReporterEditorial Board. Edit-ors reserve the right to condense forclarity, style and space considerations.

Articles and/or requests for publi-cation may be mailed, faxed or e-

mailed and should be directed to: JeffLyons, Managing Editor, PhiladelphiaBar Reporter, Philadelphia BarAssociation, 1101 Market St., 11thfloor, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107-2911.Phone: (215) 238-6345. Fax: (215) 238-1267. E-mail: [email protected].

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Use 9-11 Memories to Make World a Better Place

and he will have many priorities.For now, it seems to me that something must be

done about the huge amounts of money that arebeing spent on judicial campaigns. It has gotten tothe point where nearly $3 million is routinely spenton a Supreme Court race in this state. And this per-meates the elective system - right on down to thelocal level.

In Philadelphia’s 2001 primary election, ThePhiladelphia Inquirerreported that on the average, the11 Common Pleas Court candidates who won theDemocratic nomination spent about $123,000 each.Where does the money go? One expense is “streetmoney” paid out to ward leaders, consultants andfreelance vote producers. In the 2001 primary electionalone, $500,000 was spent by Philadelphia judicialcandidates in ways that required no accounting tothe public. And even where ward leaders are requiredto report expenses, some handed out nearly $100,000in primary day cash to unnamed recipients, according

to the Inquirer.And all this happened despite a scathing grand

jury report and the later arrest of three ward leaderswho were charged with violating election laws by notfilling out proper disclosure forms. It’s just an awfulsystem - a system that virtually requires local judicialcandidates to pay the party $35,000 if they’re runningfor Common Pleas Court and $30,000 for MunicipalCourt. That’s the baseline.

This is the way campaigns are run. This is the waythe electoral system works. But some controls on themoney have to be put in place. As my predecessorCarl Primavera said during last year’s judicial cam-paigns, “Any time you link money to a judicial posi-tion, you’re running the risk of losing confidence inthe entire justice system.”

That’s a chance we simply cannot afford to take. Atthe very least, we’re committed to reforming the sys-tem. We want to clean it up. And eventually, we wantto change it altogether. We’re in this for the long haul.

Allan H. Gordon, a partner at Ko l s b y, Gordon, Robin, Shore &B e z a r, isChancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association. His e-mail address is ch a n c e l-l o r @ p h i l a ba r. o r g .

FRONTLINEcontinued from page 2

Workers’ CompSection SeekingAward Nominees

The Association’s Workers’ Compensation Sectionis soliciting nominations for the annual MarthaHampton Award. The award commemorates theservice, dignity, professionalism and dedication ex-emplified by Hampton during her years of practice.

Nominations are open to workers’ compensationjudges, defense attorneys and claimants attorneyswho practice in Philadelphia or the surroundingcounties. Nominations must be received byThursday, Oct. 31. Please send your nominations,along with a brief explanation of the nominee’s cre-dentials, to Marc Jacobs, 1818 Market St., Suite 2300,Philadelphia, Pa. 19103.

OCT PBR 10/10/02 10:58 AM Page 6


Go Online and Stay in Touch

Subscribe toBar Reporter Onlineand get the latest

Bar Association newsin your e-mail every Monday

To sign up for this free service,visit www.philadelphiabar.org

and click on “Publications”

Bar Foundation Previews 2002 Hamilton Ball by Heather Bendit

The Philadelphia Bar Foundationofficially kicked off its 2002 AndrewHamilton Ball fund-raising campaignwith a cocktail reception. The eventfeatured a single malt scotch tastinghosted by the Jenkins Law Library onSept. 12.

Many prominent members ofPhiladelphia’s legal community attend-ed the reception, including Bar Assoc-iation Chancellor Allan H. Gordon;Philadelphia Common Pleas CourtAdministrative Judge James J. Fitzger-ald III; United States Attorney for theEastern District of Pennsylvania PatrickL. Meehan; Jeffrey M. Lindy, chair ofthe Board of Governors; HaroldKramer, president of Jenkins LawLibrary, and many members of theBoard of Governors and Board ofTrustees of the Philadelphia BarFoundation.

Hosted by Abraham C. Reich andhis wife, Sherri, the Andrew HamiltonBall will be held on Saturday, Nov. 16in the Crystal Tea Room of theWanamaker Building, beginning at 7p.m. This year, the Ball will commem-orate the 200th anniversary of thePhiladelphia Bar Association, the oldestchartered metropolitan bar association

in the country. The Louis D. Apothaker Award,

given annually by the Philadelphia BarFoundation to an individual or organi-zation embodying the former Found-ation president’s commitment to publicservice, will be presented at a ceremo-ny immediately preceding the Ball.

Proceeds from the Andrew

Hamilton Ball and Souvenir Programgo directly to support the PhiladelphiaBar Foundation’s annual grants pro-gram.

Since 1964, the Philadelphia BarFoundation has served as the charita-ble arm of the Philadelphia BarAssociation, promoting access to justicefor all members of the community. The

Philadelphia Bar Foundation is one ofthe few sources of operating supportfor legal services. Through the gener-ous support of businesses, law firmsand members of the community shar-ing its commitment to access to justice,the Philadelphia Bar Foundation hasgranted millions of dollars to agencies

Among the attendees at the Sept. 12 Andrew Hamilton Ball Kickoff Reception were (from left) Chancellor Allan H. Gordon, Sharon Gordon,Ball co-chairs Sherri Reich and Abraham C. Reich, Gerri Kramer and Jenkins Law Library president Harold Kramer.

continued on page 8

With the 2003 Pennsylvania Judicial Directory and County Courthouse Guide, you’llget a privileged view of every judge in the Commonwealth - to help you betterunderstand the judge you will appear before. You’ll find detailed biographical pro-files and current statistical information on all federal, state and county courtjudges, district justices, magistrates and administrative law judges.

You’ll know the civic organizations, government services, and memberships inwhich each judge is active or was involved. You’ll learn about their educationalbackground and law firm background.

OCT PBR 10/10/02 10:59 AM Page 7

by Gerald A. McHugh

Almost every day, the averageAmerican household can expect toreceive multiple pleas from charities.Unmet needs are limitless, and thenumber of worthy causes that havebeen established to address thoseneeds are just as broad. How does onechoose between fighting homelessness,illness, poverty, and discrimination? Dowe support the arts or save the envi-ronment? Several years ago, one com-mentator expressed concern that therelentlessness of charitable solicitationran the risk of dulling our sensibilities,and coined the phrase “compassionfatigue,” to describe the urge to throwup one’s hands and tune out all suchpleas.

As professionals, we are doublychallenged, because all of us canexpect to receive a separate wave ofentreaties in our offices. Against thisbackdrop, how can one argue that sup-port for legal services should be a pri-ority? I am not certain how to makethat case to the public at large, but I dothink there are reasons why as attor-neys we should prioritize support forlegal services and public interest orga-nizations. The first and most important

is that we are uniquely situated tounderstand the importance of repre-sentation of the poor and the disad-vantaged. Being trained in law, weunderstand the value of our civil insti-tutions. Because we are firsthand par-ticipants in the adversary system, weknow better than anyone else theimportance of effective representationand advocacy. Beginning my career asa federal law clerk, I would observecases in which pro selitigants wouldstruggle in their attempt to presentwhat appeared to be a valid claim, allthe time thinking how their situationwould be different with effective advo-cacy. Even in our own practices, thereare unquestionably times when wewatch a fellow lawyer taking a case

lightly, and cannot help but think howthe client’s position would be so muchbetter served with a lawyer truly advo-cating their client’s cause. In the finalanalysis, it takes a lawyer to under-stand just how important a lawyer canbe.

As lawyers, we also understand thatsome degree of heat and friction willoften be a by-product of the legalprocess. Every lawyer must from timeto time take difficult or unpopularstands. Lawyers representing the poorand disadvantaged are no different,and, if anything, are more likely tohandle cases that give rise to contro-versy. It is easy for someone outsidethe legal system to criticize suchlawyers for being agitators, when infact they represent our profession at itsbest. Supporting public interest prac-tice demonstrates our appreciation ofthe virtues of zealous advocacy.

As lawyers, we also understand theimportance of public belief in the fair-ness of the justice system. In the finalanalysis, the legitimacy of our courtsdepends upon the faith of average citi-zens that justice occurs there. Thebroader the degree of access there is tothe justice system, through quality rep-resentation, the greater stake peoplewill have to participate as jurors, wit-nesses and citizens to allow disputes tobe fairly resolved. The late Pa. SupremeCourt Justice Louis L. Manderino onceremarked that through the court sys-tem, American society resolves many

differences that would, in another cul-ture, be resolved by violence.Supporting legal services makes theideal of equal justice more than just aplatitude.

Finally, to the extent that the legalprofession asks government and thepublic at large to fund representationfor the poor, the question is fairlyasked: What is the legal professionitself doing to support that goal? In anutshell, the importance of equalaccess to justice is an issue that lawyersare uniquely able to appreciate and, forthat reason, as we perform triage onthe many demands upon ourresources, only we can be countedupon to make support for legal ser-vices a priority.

One of the easiest ways in which tosupport the ideal of equal justice isthrough this year’s United Way cam-paign and its donor option. Contrib-utors to United Way can designate theBar Foundation as the preferred recipi-ent of their contribution, by specifyingCode 1578. You can also support mostof our grantee agencies in the sameway. This year, when you make charita-ble contributions, whether throughUnited Way or on your own, pleasetake time to think about our obliga-tions as attorneys and the example wecan set by making the cause of equaljustice a priority in giving.

Gerald A. McHugh, a partner at Litvin, Blumberg,Matusow & Young, is president of the Philadelphia BarFo u n d a t i o n .


Charitable Priorities: The Case for Legal ServicesB A R F O U N D A T I O N

Looking for a special wayto remember someone?

Through the Special Way to Remember program, youcan honor a colleague or loved one with a contributionto the Philadelphia Bar Foundation. Since 1964 the BarFoundation has distributed millions of dollars in attorneygifts and other funds to public interest groups that pro-vide counsel and assistance to the poor, disabled, elderlyand children in our community. Your gift will help servethe needs of Philadelphians who have nowhere else toturn for legal services.

If you would like to make a gift to the Foundation as ameaningful expression of respect, please call (215) 238-6334.

Births • Deaths • Marriages • Anniversaries •Making Partner • Passing the Bar

providing free legal services to mem-bers of the community struggling withpoverty, abuse and discrimination.

Philadelphia’s legal and businesscommunities have rallied strong sup-port for the Philadelphia BarFoundation this year. The following isa list of commitments as of Sept. 24:

Premium ($4,000): Blank RomeComisky & McCauley LLP; CitizensBank; Fox, Rothschild, O’Brien &Frankel, LLP; Gay Chacker & Mittin;Kolsby, Gordon, Robin, Shore & Bezar;Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP; PepperHamilton LLP; and Wolf, Block, Schorrand Solis-Cohen LLP.

Gold ($3,200): Dechert; DrinkerBiddle & Reath LLP; Duane Morris;David G. Faw, CPA; Independence BlueCross; Montgomery, McCracken, Walker& Rhoads, LLP; and White andWilliams LLP.

Silver ($2,200): Stradley RononStevens & Young, LLP.

Copper ($1,500): Lenard A.Cohen; Conrad O’Brien Gellman &Rohn, P.C.; Feldman, Shepherd, Wohl-gelernter & Tanner; Hoyle, Morris &Kerr LLP; The Justinian Society;Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP;Eisenberg, Rothweiler, Schleifer,Weinstein & Winkler, P.C.; RegentInvestor Services; and Saltz,Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky.

Black & White ($1,000): ADR

Options, Inc.; Agins Haaz & Seidel, LLP;Brigham and Trevor, P.C.; Dashevsky,Horwitz, DiSandro, Kuhn, Dempsey &Novello, P.C.; Delivery of Legal ServicesCommittee members; Fannie Mae;Federal Bar Association; Fineman &Bach, P.C.; Kessler Cohen & Roth, P.C.;Kleinbard, Bell & Brecker LLP; RonaldKovler; David Ladov; M. Burr Keim;Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox, LLP;Mattioni, Ltd.; McEldrew & Fullam, P.C.;Parente Randolph; Philadelphia TrialLawyers Association; PNC Advisors;PricewaterhouseCoop-ers; ReliableCopy Service; Republic First Bank; JohnE. Savoth; Tau Epsilon Rho; and Weir &Partners LLP.

Other supporters: CozenO’Connor; Hecker Brown Sherry andJohnson LLP; and Peterson Consulting.

Foundation supporters($10,000+): American Lawyer Media;Hangley Aronchick Segal & Pudlin;LexisNexis; Litvin, Blumberg, Matusow& Young; Saul Ewing LLP; and USIColburn Insurance Service.

For more information about sup-porting the Bar Foundation’s grantsprogram through the Andrew Hamil-ton Ball Souvenir Program, contactMelissa Engler at (215) 238-6347. Formore information about attending theAndrew Hamilton Ball on Nov. 16, con-tact Stephanie Krzywanski at the Phil-adelphia Bar Association at (215) 238-6360 or visit www.philadelphiabar.org.

Heather Bendit is executive director of the PhiladelphiaBar Fo u n d a t i o n .

HAMILTON BALLcontinued from page 7

OCT PBR 10/10/02 10:59 AM Page 8


A s s ociation Helps Mark Citizenship Day

Chancellor Allan H. Gordon (left) addresses new American citizens at anaturalization ceremony held on Citizenship Day, Sept. 17, outside the siteof the National Constitution Center. The ceremony included Ian Rose’s por -trayal of Alexander Hamilton (above), a boys choir performing the nationalanthem (below) and a fife-and-drum escort from the U.S. Courthouse to thesite of the ceremony. U.S. District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick (bottomphoto, at left) p resided over the cer e m o n y, where 45 people from 21nations took the oath of citizenship.

OCT PBR 10/10/02 10:59 AM Page 9


Chancellor’s Forum

One-Man Darrow Show Wows Bar Members

Actor Paul Morella (above,left) meets with ChancellorAllan H. G o rdon prior to thep e rf o rmance of his one-manshow “A Passion for Justice:The Clarence Darrow Stor y ”b e f o re an audience of morethan 100 Association mem-bers on Sept. 25 at the PBI-P B E C E d u c a t i o n C e n t e r. Thep e rf o rmance chronicles thecourtroom and personal lega -cy of legendary attor n e yC l a rence Darr o w. The pefor-mance was presented free ofc h a rge as part of theA s s o c i a t i o n ’ s 200th anniver-sary celebration.

The Detained Children’sAdvocacy Project hasreceived one of six $10,000grants from the AmericanBar Association Commissionon Immigration Policy,Practice and Pro Bono toprovide legal services toimmigrant and refugee chil-dren.

Sponsored by thePhiladelphia Bar Foundationand the Pennsylvania

Immigration ResourceCenter, the DetainedChildren’s Advocacy Projectaims to meet the legal needsof detained, unaccompaniedminors in Pennsylvania andaddress conditions of con-finement.

Unaccompanied immi-grant children who enter theUnited States are put inImmigration and Naturaliza-tion Service custody and

placed in various sheltersthroughout the country.

The Detained Children’sAdvocacy Project will usethe grant to raise awarenessin the legal communityabout INS detainees inPennsylvania via trainingsessions with the Philadel-phia Bar Foundation forlawyers representing immi-grants in detention, localmedia and bar association

sponsored events, and devel-opment of a pro bono repre-sentation project based onan ABA model.

The INS detains morethan 5,000 children annuallynationwide. The six grantsare part of a nationwideeffort to encourage compre-hensive pro bono represen-tation programs for childrenwho may be detained formonths, even years, during

complex immigration pro-ceedings.

The ABA has providedmore than $1 million ingrants to more than 80 stateand local bar associations forpro bono representation ofimmigrants, refugees andnewcomers to the UnitedStates. This year’s awardswere announced at the ABAAnnual Meeting in Washing-ton, D.C., in August.

Detained Children’s Advocacy Project Gets ABA Grant

OCT PBR 10/10/02 10:59 AM Page 10


by Marla A. Joseph

Hundreds of years ago whenShakespeare sought comic relief in hisnotorious “Henry IV,” his character,Dick the Butcher (a mobster for thatera), eagerly planned for our murderswith his infamous line, “the first thingwe, let’s kill all the lawyers.” Regretfully,the times have not changed. In fact,one could easily envision an episode of“The Sopranos” where Tony Sopranoand his cohorts plot humorous ways tomurder the U.S. attorneys who are ontheir trail. In fact, this disdain oflawyers is not limited to popular cul-ture. This past August, when thousandsof lawyers convened in Washington,D.C., for the ABA convention, PresidentBush fled for Texas. Despite theincreasing contempt for lawyers, peo-ple continue to enter the profession inleaps and bounds. How do we manageto stand proud in this perpetual cli-mate of hate?

First, I think it is crucial to considerthe source of these negative images oflawyers. Ironically, those who protestthe loudest are often the first to comerunning to an attorney’s office to fighttheir own crusade. For example, it israre for a morning to pass withoutHoward Stern expressing his hate forthe legal profession. Yet often in thesame breath, Stern will be preachingabout the FCC infringing on his FirstAmendment rights – rights created bythe first lawyers in our country. And

we are all too familiar with the lobby-ing efforts of the insurance industryand the medical profession in the areaof tort reform. Yet these powerfulindustries need lawyers to defend theirinterests in courts. At its best, our jus-tice system allows for each party toadvocate his or her view so that ulti-mately justice will prevail. The earliestaccounts of human civilization demon-strate a legal system that was in placeto create order in society. Lawyers willalways be needed to some degree topromote the rule of law and create asystem of checks and balances that isnecessary to protect the interests ofthose who might not otherwise have avoice in society.

On a more personal note, in addi-tion to ensuring that due process isserved and individual rights are pro-tected, lawyers have a sense of jobsecurity that is lacking in other fields. I

remember graduating law school in1994 and feeling quite depressed aboutmy economic prospects because of thegreat supply and diminished demandfor lawyers. Although I was raised tobelieve that hard work paid off, in the“dot-com” era of the ’90s, many of mycontemporaries managed to strike itrich right out of college without evenpursuing a graduate degree. Now, onlya select few have maintained theirpositions in their respective dot-comorganizations, and a growing numberof people are returning to law schoolsin light of the downturn in the econo-my. My point is that when you becomea lawyer, you are entering into a pro-fession that will always be needed inour society. And while there willinvariably be a yin and yang in prac-tice areas, such as bankruptcy andmergers and acquisitions, we havebeen taught the crucial analytical skillsthat enable us to learn new practiceareas in order to maintain our mar-ketability.

Another advantage of being alawyer is the flexibility that it offers aswe go through the cycle of life. Manyareas of legal practice enable us to beproductive members of society whilesimultaneously allowing for more timewith our families. Working parents andlawyers who want to spend more timeat home have the luxury of practicinglaw in very creative ways. In fact, as Iam writing this article, I am working athome while periodically checking my

e-mails, with my cell phone, faxmachine and pager by my side. Wealso have the added bonus of the re-cent ABA resolution in support ofmulti-jurisdictional practice (which isexpected to ultimately be followed inmany states), that allows lawyers totemporarily set up shop in other states,whether they are working while onvacation, or they are deposing a wit-ness in another jurisdiction across thecountry. So whether you are on a des-erted island, the comfort of your home,or a boardroom across the county, youare still able to use your knowledgeand skills to perform your trade.

Finally, and perhaps most impor-tantly, we are one of the few profes-sions where age and experience con-tinue to payoff. In a wide range offields, from acting and modeling tomarketing and advertising, by the timeyou hit 40 you are sadly consideredover the hill. These industries arealways looking for new and fresh ideas,making it difficult to sustain a careerfor the long haul. But lawyers, muchlike a fine wine, command greaterrespect and admiration over time. Inother words, gray hairs and wrinklescan actually increase your valuebecause you have gained the wisdomand experience that is respected byyour clients and colleagues.

Marla A. Joseph, chair of the Young Lawyers Division, ismanaging attorney in the Workers’ Compensa t i o ndepartment at Sacks, Weston, Smolinsky & Albert. Her e-mail address is mjoseph@sa ck s l a w. n e t .

Y L D U P D A T E

It’s Not Just a Job, It’s a Career for a Lifetime

United States Attorney Patrick L. Meehan and Cyberspace & E-Commerce CommitteeChair Sandra A. Jeskie meet during the committee’s reception on the rooftop terrace atthe offices of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.

Patrick L. Meehan, United StatesAttorney for the Eastern District ofPennsylvania, was the guest speaker at awine-and-cheese reception co-sponsoredby the Business Law Section’sCyberspace & E-Commerce Committeeand Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. Thereception was held Sept. 18 on therooftop terrace at Morgan Lewis. Meehanaddressed the committee, sharing histhoughts on the complex issues facingthe U.S. Attorney’s Office in dealing withcomputer and Internet crimes.

Meehan also discussed the initiativeslaunched by the U.S. Attorney’s Office toprosecute high-tech crimes, as well asthe FBI initiative “InfraGard.” InfraGard isa cooperative effort between governmentand industry to counter cyber-threats byexchanging information about illegalintrusions, disruptions and vulnerabilityof systems and physical structures.

For more information about theCyberspace & E-Commerce Committee,contact committee chair Sandra A. Jeskieat (215) 979-1395 or [email protected].

Meehan Meets With Cyberspace Committee Save Oct. 13for YLD’sBoo at the Zoo

The Young Lawyers Division willhost the inaugural “Boo at the Zoo”party to benefit the Philadelphia BarFoundation on Sunday, Oct. 13, from 3to 6 p.m. at the Philadelphia Zoo.

The party will feature food anddrink, music and dancing, animals, facepainting and a silent auction and raffle.All members of the YLD, their friends,families and colleagues, as well as allmembers of the Philadelphia legalcommunity, are cordially invited toattend.

Admission is $25 for adults, $17 forchildren ages 2 to 11 and free for chil-dren under 2. Zoo members get a $5discount on their admission. Ticketscan only be purchased through the BarAssociation and will not be available atthe zoo. All reservations must be madeby Monday, Oct. 7.

All checks should be made payableto the Philadelphia Bar Foundation.

OCT PBR 10/10/02 10:59 AM Page 11

by Mary Ellen O’Laughlin

Nearly 400 attorneys haveregistered to use the newelectronic filing system inplace in U.S. District Court,officials of the Eastern Districtof Pennsylvania told theFederal Courts Committee atits Sept. 18 meeting.

U.S. District Court JudgesLowell A. Reed Jr. and Anita B.Brody attended theCommittee meeting, askingthose in attendance to com-ment on the use of the newelectronic filing system andthe new electronic court-rooms. Judges Reed andBrody were joined byMarlene Anderson and SusanMatlack of the court clerk’soffice. So far, there have beenno reports of problems fromusers of the new electronicsystem.

Matlack said there havebeen 216 filings in the casemanagement/electronic casefiling system since it beganoperation in May. The courtoffers free training on theCM/ECF system, and trainingclasses are available for indi-vidual law firms, if requested.

The court is encouragingall attorneys to use the

CM/ECF filing system or tosend documents filed with thecourt in a PDF format so thedocuments can be convertedfor use in the electronic sys-tem.

There are currently fivecourtrooms equipped withelectronic capabilities, JudgeReed said, adding that threemore courtrooms will comeonline in October. A court-room with electronic capabili-ties can be requested and itwas suggested that thisrequest be made early in thecase. At this time the attorneymust bring his or her ownlaptop to the courtroom foruse with the electronic equip-ment.

Judge Reed also suggestedthat the presiding judge beinformed as early as possiblein the case that there is a like-lihood that data will be pre-sented in an electronic man-ner so that discovery can bemanaged with that in mind toensure that each party getsproper training in the use ofthe equipment. Judge Reedsaid that he ordered a partywho had electronic equip-ment and intended to use it attrial to train the other side inits use so that the jury is not

confused, or prejudiced, bythe difference in the mannerof presentation of data. Healso stated that in his opinion,it borders on malpractice toignore electronic capabilitiesin the presentation of infor-mation if the case requires itand encouraged everyone toget training in the use of theelectronic equipment in thecourtrooms.

Judge Brody and JudgeReed agreed that anyoneintending to use an electroniccourtroom should review theequipment sufficiently inadvance of the start of trial sothat any failure in the equip-ment, or dispute concerningits use, can be brought to thecourt’s attention and resolved.Judge Brody emphasized theimportance of having a dryrun with the equipment andstated that opposing counselshould be shown what equip-ment will be used and how itis to be used. She said she hasheld pre-trial hearings on thepresentation of electronicmethodology and has ruledon whether it is being usedfairly.

Judge Brody asked if any-one had used an electroniccourtroom, and a discussion

ensued concerning experi-ences with the use of the elec-tronic courtrooms, the costissues involved in electronicdiscovery and the possibilityof the court’s establishing aprotocol for the use of elec-tronic discovery. Neither

Judge Reed nor Judge Brodythought it was likely therewould be a local rule con-cerning electronic discoveryin the near future.

Mary Ellen O’Laughlin, of counsel at Kl e h r,H a rrison, Harvey, Branzburg & Ellers LLP,is secretary of the Federal Courts Committee.

by Jeff Lyons

Dan Giancaterino last spoke to theSolo and Small Firm Committee 10Internet years ago. Actually, it was May2001. But a lot has changed in theonline world since then.

Giancaterino, the Internet librarianat the Jenkins Law Library, showedCommittee members the best way tofind information for free on theInternet at the Committee’s Sept. 10meeting.

“Information is not always free onthe Internet, but there is a lot of usefulinformation available out there that isfree,” Giancaterino said.

The best way to find information onthe Internet is still with the Googlesearch engine (www.google.com),he said. “It’s still the best all-purposesearch engine around. It has doubledin size since the last time I was here,”Giancaterino said. Google currently has

an index of more than 2.4 billion Webpages.

But when using Google and othersearch engines, Giancaterino recom-mends using advanced searches.Advanced searches are generally foundon the search engine’s main page andcan be accessed by simply clicking onthe words “advanced search.”

When using advanced searches,topics can be made very specific,reducing the number of Web pagesthat have to be looked at. “Don’t justgo with the main pages. All the goodstuff is going on in the advancedpages,” he said.

Google searches can also be used tosearch just for images or comments inUsenet discussion forums. Google canalso break down searches by directo-ries.

“Google Groups has more than 700million messages in its Usenet archive,which can be very helpful in medical

and quality-of-life searches,” he said. Search results can also be saved to a

user’s own computer. Giancaterino saidby right-clicking your mouse button,you can download documents, PDFfiles, images, Power Point presentationsand even spreadsheets to your owncomputer.

“If an image you’ve found in aGoogle search is relevant to your case,chances are the text will be relevant,too,” he said.

“When it comes to search engines,Google is the 800-pound gorilla.They’re the search engine for AmericaOnline. They’re the engine that all theothers are trying to overtake,”Giancaterino said.

Alltheweb (www.alltheweb.-com) is the second-best search engineout there, according to Giancaterino.

Alltheweb allows users to customizetheir searches even more than Google.Giancaterino said Alltheweb lets you

find out how many people link to yourWeb site and what they’re saying aboutit.

Firstgov (www.firstgov.gov) is aU.S. government portal site thatincludes 51 million pages in its index.It was redesigned this year and usesAlltheweb as its search engine.


Solo and Small Firm Committee

Expert Reveals Life Beyond Google

Dan Giancaterino, the Internet librarian atJenkins Law Library, is an advocate ofadvanced searches when it comes to look -ing for information on the Internet.

Federal Courts Committee

Electronic Courtroom Catching On

U.S. District Court Judge Lowell A. Reed Jr.

continued on page 16

OCT PBR 10/10/02 10:59 AM Page 12


The Philadelphia Bar Association’sYoung Lawyers Division is seekinginterested attorneys to sign up to bementors or protégés as part of the YLDMentoring Program. The program isco-chaired by YLD ExecutiveCommittee members Kim R. Jessumand MaryJo Wlazlo Bellew.

The YLD Mentoring Program willmatch all of the protégés with moreexperienced attorneys, or mentors, to

provide an opportunity for the pro-tégés to receive advice and guidance invarious areas of their careers. Thosewho participated last year are welcometo participate again this year if youhave lost touch with your mentors/protégés or would like another men-tor/protégé.

Interested individuals are encour-aged to complete and return the ques-tionnaire below.

For more information about theprogram, please contact Kim Jessum [email protected] or (215)963-4753, or MaryJo Wlazlo Bellew [email protected] or (215) 972-7144.

The completed questionnairesshould be returned to the PhiladelphiaBar Association by Oct. 11 to ensurethat respondents are invited to a wel-coming reception to meet their respec-tive mentors and/or protégés.

YLD Mentoring Program Seeks VolunteersStatement of Ownership, Managementand Circulation (Required by 39 USC 3685).1. Publication title: Philadelphia Bar Report e r. 2.Publication No.: 710-610. 3. Filing date: October2002. 4. Issue Frequency: Monthly. 5. Number ofissues published annually: 12. 6. Annual subscriptionprice: $45. 7. Complete mailing address of knowno ffice of publication: Philadelphia Bar Association,1101 Market St., 11th floor, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107-2911. Contact person: Mark Tarasiewicz. Telephone:(215) 238-6346. 8. Complete mailing address ofheadquarters or general business office of publisher:Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market St., 11thf l o o r, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107-2911. 9. Full namesand complete mailing addresses of publisher, editor,and managing editor: Publisher: Philadelphia BarAssociation, 1101 Market St., 11th floor, Phila-delphia, Pa. 19107-2911. Editor: Bruce H. Bikin, Esq.,Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market St., 11thf l o o r, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107-2911. Managing edi-tor: Jeff Lyons, Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101Market St., 11th floor, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107-2911.10. Owner: Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101Market St., 11th floor, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107-2911.11. Known bondholders, mortgagees, and othersecurity holders owning or holding 1 percent or moreof total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other secu-rities: none. 12. Tax status (for completion by non-p rofit organizations authorized to mail at specialrates): The purpose, function and nonprofit status ofthis organization and the exempt status for federalincome tax purposes has not changed during the pre-ceding 12 months. 13. Publication Title: PhiladelphiaBar Report e r. 14. Issue date for circulation databelow: October 2002. 15. Extent and nature of circu-lation: A. Total number of copies (net press ru n ) :Average number of copies each issue during preced-ing 12 months: 12,500. Number of copies of singleissue published nearest to filing date: 12,500. B. Paidand/or requested circulation: 1. Paid/requested out-side-county mail subscriptions stated on Form 3541(Include advert i s e r’s proof and exchange copies):Average number of copies each issue during preced-ing 12 months: 3,859. Number of copies of singleissue published nearest to filing date: 4,016. 2. Paidin-county subscriptions stated on Form 3541(Include advertiser’s proof and exchange copies):Average number of copies each issue during preced-ing 12 months: 8,125. Number of copies of singleissue published nearest to filing date: 7,984. 3. Salesthrough dealers and carriers, street vendors, countersales and other non-USPS paid distribution: Averagenumber of copies each issue during preceding 12months: 0. Number of copies of single issue pub-lished nearest to filing date: 0. 4. Other classesmailed through the USPS: Average number of copieseach issue during preceding 12 months: 0. Numberof copies of single issue published nearest to filingdate: 0. C. Total paid and/or requested circ u l a t i o n(sum of 15B1, 15B2, 15B3 and 15B4): Average num-ber of copies each issue during preceding 12months: 11,984. Number of copies of single issuepublished nearest to filing date: 12,000. D. Free dis-tribution by mail (samples, complimentary and otherf ree copies): Average number of copies each issueduring preceding 12 months: 100. Outside-county asstated on Form 3541: 0. 2. In-county as stated onForm 3541: 0. 3. Other classes mailed through theUSPS: 0. Number of copies of single issue publishednearest to filing date: 12,500. Outside-county as stat-ed on Form 3541: 0. 2. In-county as stated on Form3541: 0. 3. Other classes mailed through the USPS:0. E. Free distribution outside the mail (carriers orother means): Average number of copies each issueduring preceding 12 months: 0. Number of copies ofsingle issue published nearest to filing date: 0. F.Total free distribution (sum of 15D and 15E): Averagenumber of copies each issue during preceding 12months: 100. Number of copies of single issue pub-lished nearest to filing date: 100. G. Total distribution(sum of 15C and 15F): Average number of copieseach issue during preceding 12 months: 12,084.Number of copies of single issue published nearestto filing date: 12,100. H. Copies not distributed:Average number of copies each issue during preced-ing 12 months: 416. Number of copies of single issuepublished nearest to filing date: 400. I. Total (sum of15G and 15H): Average number of copies each issueduring preceding 12 months: 12,500. Number ofcopies of single issue published nearest to filing date:12,500. J. Percent paid and/or requested circulation(15C ÷ 15G x 100): Average number of copies eachissue during preceding 12 months: 99.17 perc e n t .Number of copies of single issue published nearestto filing date: 99.17 percent. Signed, Kenneth Shear,Executive Director, Sept. 27, 2002. I certify that thestatements made by me are correct and complete. Iunderstand that anyone who furnishes false or mis-leading information or who omits material or infor-mation requested may be subject to criminal sanc-tions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civilsanctions (including multiple damages and civilpenalties).

OCT PBR 10/10/02 10:59 AM Page 13

by Jeff Lyons

Dr. Elijah Anderson is an observer.He likes to go to different places in thecity and watch people and see howthey interact with each other.

“I’ll go to Rittenhouse Square or sitat restaurants and just watch people,”Anderson told members of theAssociation’s Diversity and Minority inthe Profession Committees at a jointmeeting on Sept. 24.

Anderson is an expert on the soci-ology of black America and he is theauthor of the widely regarded socio-logical work, A Place on the Corner: A Studyof Black Street Corner Men(1978). He hasalso written numerous articles on theblack experience, including “The Codeof the Streets,” which was the coverstory in the May 1994 issue of TheAtlantic Monthly.The expanded versionof the Atlanticpiece, “The Code of theStreet: Decency, Violence, and theMoral Life of the Inner City” was pub-lished in 1999. He is the Charles andWilliam L. Day Professor of the SocialSciences at the University ofPennsylvania.

Anderson said he’s working on anew book about race relations. “I’mtrying to understand where we areracially in this country right now.”

Anderson was born in the deepsouth and said his parents wereinvolved in sharecropping, which wasnot too far removed from slavery. Hisfamily moved to South Bend, Ind.,when he was very young.

While he was attending IndianaUniversity in the 1960s, Anderson saidthe nation was involved in greatupheaval.

“John F. Kennedy raised the hopesof black people. He cared very much

about civil rights. President Johnsoncontinued JFK’s efforts after his assassi-nation and promised we could over-come. It culminated in riots and civildisorders,” Anderson said.

“It began with the riots in Watts inLos Angeles, and spread to Seattle, SanFrancisco and Chicago. Detroit burned.There were 43 people killed in thoseriots,” he said.

“In 1964, race relations were very,very tense. The whole system had aproblem with what to do about it. InPhiladelphia at that time, it was veryclear there were two systems. Oneblack, one white,” Anderson said. “Theboard rooms of the companies in this

city were lily white and male.”He recalled a 1968 editorial in the

ABA Journalthat favored incorporation,set asides and affirmative action. “Thesewere the issues that carried the day.”

But he said resistance to these poli-cies has grown in recent years. “Therewas a time when it was hard to argueagainst inclusion. Diversity became thepolitical price affirmative action had topay in order to exist.

“There are all kinds of reasons forhope. We’ve come a long way sincethose times in the 1960s. Today, wehave the biggest black middle classever.”

He said the nation is going through

a profound economic change frommanufacturing to service and hightechnology jobs. Companies are send-ing manufacturing jobs overseas, awayfrom cities like Philadelphia. “Thisdeindustrialization is affecting the peo-ple in places like North Philadelphiaand other poor parts of the city,” hesaid.

Anderson said he’s noticed a splitbetween the new black middle classand the group of blacks being buffetedby deindustrialization. “There’s a senseof disenfranchisement and profoundalienation there. It’s not just from thepoor. It’s emerging from the black mid-dle class.”

“A lot of black middle class peopledon’t feel welcome at places like thesymphony or certain restaurants intown. It’s a hard thing to overcome,feeling unwelcome,” he said.

Anderson said he’s noticed twokinds of black people in the city – TypeA and Type B. “The Type A blacks areracially particular. Everything is black.Their friends, spouses. Everything. TypeBs are more cosmopolitan in their ori-entation. They’ll have white friends,Asian friends, Jewish friends, Irishfriends.” He said Type A is the majority,but Type B is growing.

There are some parts of the citywhere blacks and whites live side byside in harmony, he said.

“In Grays Ferry, there’s a sectionover by the refineries called ForgottenBottom. Working class families, blackand white, live and work togetherthere. And in Mount Airy and ChestnutHill, there’s profound tolerance there,”Anderson said.

“One day we’ll come to be the soci-ety we want to be.”


J. Brennan Jr. was the first recipient ofthe award, which was created in 1995to recognize an individual who adheresto the highest ideals of judicial service.The award, which is now named inhonor of Justice Brennan, was subse-quently awarded to PhiladelphiaCommon Pleas Court President JudgeAlex Bonavitacola (1996); PennsylvaniaSuperior Court Judge Phyllis W. Beck(1997); Chief Judge Edward R. Becker ofthe U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rdCircuit (1998); Senior Judge Louis C.Bechtle of the U.S. District Court for theEastern District of Pennsylvania (1999);and Chief Judge James T. Giles of theU.S. District Court for the EasternDistrict of Pennsylvania (2000). Theaward was not presented last year.

BRENNAN AWARDcontinued from page 1

Diversity Committee/Minorities in the Profession Committee

Anderson Discusses Racial Issues in City

Dr. Elijah Anderson

List Serves Help You Stay in TouchLooking for a quick and convenient

way to communicate with other mem-bers of your Bar Association section,committee or the Young LawyersDivision? Join a Bar list serve!

Bar Association e-mail discussionlists, or “list serves,” are a valuable -and powerful - tool for section, com-mittee and YLD members to share andreceive information on programs,events and developments in their areaof the law. Here’s how to enroll:

Log onto the Association’s home-page at www.philadelphiabar.org .Click on the “list serves” option, andcomplete the online subscription form.You will receive an e-mail confirmationupon approval.

In your confirmation, you will be

provided with a special e-mail addressto use whenever you want to send amessage to all members of your chosenlist.

Similarly, you can respond to mes-sages posted by other members of thelist. Keep in mind, however, that reply-ing to the message means that every-one on the list will receive a copy ofyour reply. If you don’t want yourresponse to be seen by everyone onthe list, you should reply to the origi-nal sender only.

For example, if you receive a mes-sage inviting you to a Bar networkingevent, you should not send yourR.S.V.P. back to the entire list. Instead,contact the sender directly, either by e-mail or telephone, for information.

A hyperlink appears at the bottomof every list serve message posted,allowing the recipient to update orcancel their list serve subscription.

Subscriptions to list serves are free.The following list serves requireSection membership: Business Law;Criminal Justice; Family Law; Probateand Trust; Real Property; Tax; andWorkers’ Compensation.

Public Interest Section, committeeand Young Lawyers Division list servesare open to all members of theAssociation.

For more information about the useof Bar Association list serves, contactthe Association’s list serve administra-tor, Andrea Morris, at [email protected], or (215) 238-6313.

OCT PBR 10/10/02 10:59 AM Page 14


Republican Mike Fisher answers a question as Lynn Marks, executive director of Pennsylvanians for Moder nCourts, looks on. More than 150 people attended the Sept. 4 forum at the PBI-PBEC Education Center. Democrat Ed Rendell appeared at the forum on videotape.

Candidates Share Views on Judicial Se l e c t i o nby Linda L. Kazmerski

In all but six states, a merit selectionsystem is in place for judicial selection.Currently, Pennsylvania is one of thesix states not using the merit selectionsystem. Rather, the Commonwealthuses a system where judges are electedby the general public in a statewideelection. This typically results in judgesbeing elected along party lines. Undera merit selection system, a broad-basedcommission is appointed to engage inthe task of recommending a list of can-didates for judge to the governor. Thegovernor then nominates a candidatefrom the list who would be subject toconfirmation by the state Senate. Afterserving a short term, the judge wouldbe required to stand for a nonpartisanelection for the purposes of retentionfor a full 10-year term as judge.

On Sept. 4, Ed Rendell and AttorneyGeneral Mike Fisher, two of Pennsyl-vania’s gubernatorial candidates, weregiven an opportunity to discuss thejudicial selection system currently usedin Pennsylvania at a forum sponsoredby Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts,a statewide, nonprofit, nonpartisan

organization founded in 1987 to pro-mote the reform of Pennsylvania’sjudicial system.

Although Rendell was not presentdue to a schedule conflict, he did pre-pare a videotaped opinion on theissue. Rendell expressed his support fora statewide merit selection system.Rendell claims that he has supportedsuch a system since 1978, and plans tomake this matter a priority of hisadministration because he has not seenany progress over the years. Rendellbelieves the merit system is long over-due.

Rendell pointed out several prob-lems with the current system todemonstrate why the merit selectionsystem would be a better system forPennsylvania. First, he pointed out thata candidate for judge is faced with a lotof pressure to raise funds to cover theexpenses associated with running in ageneral election. For example, it cancost more than $1 million for a candi-date to run for the position of appel-late judge. Many times, qualified can-didates simply cannot raise the fundsbecause they are not from a large met-ropolitan area with a large political

base. This geographic limitation canhinder a candidate’s fund-raising abili-ties. Furthermore, those candidateswho can raise the funds typically do soby receiving donations from otherattorneys or parties who tend to be lit-igants. From this comes a taint thatpolitical contributions sway judicialopinion once the candidate is on thebench.

Rendell also brought up the prob-lem with voters not being able to rec-ognize the names of candidates or notbeing able to really get to know candi-dates because of the nature of thestatewide election system. This oftenresults in candidates being elected notbased on qualifications, but ratheralong party lines or even based onnationality.

Fisher also expressed concern aboutthe current judicial selection systemand supports a merit selection systemin Pennsylvania. Fisher proposed twoplans to assist with the implementationof a statewide merit selection systemthat are specifically geared to the Cityof Philadelphia. The first plan is to

implement a Philadelphia “businessfriendly” plan designed to encouragebusinesses to remain in the city and toattract new businesses. Under this plan,a chancery court would be set up asthe forum for the determination of dis-putes involving Philadelphia business-es. The selection of the judges wouldbe based on a merit selection system.Secondly, Fisher proposed a plan tohelp control “runaway” jury verdicts inmedical malpractice litigation by creat-ing a system similar to the chancerycourt plan. Fisher believes that such aplan could demonstrate Philadelphia’scommitment to improving the systemand how it is run from top to bottom.Fisher stated that he is willing to putthe weight of office behind the move-ment. He believes that Philadelphia canset an example.

The merit selection issue shouldattract more attention in 2003, whenthere will be an election for a SupremeCourt justice in Pennsylvania.

Linda L. Kazmerski is an associate with Fox, Rothsch i l d ,O ’ B rien & Frankel LLP.

Visit Pro Bono Cornerof Association’s Web Site

The Delivery of Legal ServicesCommittee and the Philadelphia BarFoundation have created a “ProBono Corner” on the Bar Associa-tion’s Web site. Visit www.philadel-phiabar.org, click on “Pro BonoCorner” on the home page and thenclick on “volunteer opportunities.”

There you will find informationabout pro bono law agencies inPhiladelphia and the cases for which

they need volunteers, along withtraining opportunities as well asgeneral information about volun-teering.

“We hope that these online ser-vices will make volunteering inPhiladelphia easier,” said Philadel-phia Bar Foundation Executive Dir-ector Heather M. Bendit, adding thatcomments and suggestions are wel-come.

The Commission on JudicialSelection and Retention of thePhiladelphia Bar Association evaluatesthe qualifications of persons wishing tojoin the judiciary.

Individuals who wish to be consid-ered for appointment to thePhiladelphia Common Pleas orMunicipal Courts OR who are consid-ering filing for the 2003 primary elec-tion as judicial candidates should con-tact the Commission on JudicialSelection and Retention c/o Areetha M.Carter, the Bar Association’s staff coun-sel, to obtain a copy of the JudicialEvaluation Questionnaire and a copy ofthe Commission’s guidelines andbylaws.

In order to ensure that each candi-

date receives a full and fair evaluation,the completed questionnaire must bereturned by Oct. 15 to “Judicial Comm-ission” at 1101 Market St., 11th Floor,Philadelphia, Pa. 19107-2911. Also, can-didates who have previously beenevaluated by the Commission are invit-ed to contact the Association to deter-mine whether their ratings are currentby calling Carter at (215) 238-6351.

Individuals are reminded that underthe Commission’s Guidelines, any can-didates who do not participate in theCommission’s evaluation process willreceive “Not Recommended” ratings.

A. Harold Datz, EsquireChair, Commission on JudicialSelection and Retention

Notice to Potential Judicial Candidates

OCT PBR 10/10/02 10:59 AM Page 15


British attorney and actor NigelPascoe QC will perform his one-actdrama “In the Trial of William Pennand William Mead” on Thursday, Oct.17 at 7 p.m. at the Arch Street FriendsMeeting House, 320 Arch St.

Proceeds from the performance willbenefit the Support Center for ChildAdvocates.

In September 1670, Penn and Mead,

both Quakers, stood trial at the OldBailey in London on the charge of“preaching to an unlawful, seditiousand riotous assembly.” Forbidden tomeet in their Friends’ House, they werearrested after a meeting in GracechurchStreet in London. The trial eventuallyresulted in a decision determining inEnglish law the absolute right of jurorsto return a true verdict on the evidence

in accordance with their oaths andconsciences without dictation from thejudiciary.

In this theatrical production, Pascoeportrays the intimidation from thebench, together with Penn’s dramaticspeeches under attack.

General admission tickets are $10and are available at the door. Studentadmission is $5.

Oct. 17 Show to Benefit Support Center

Another popular Web search site isTeoma (www.teoma.com), createdat Rutgers University in 2001. He saidTeoma “tries to think for you. Theydon’t even have an advanced page.”After typing in a query at Teoma, youare given several different categories tochoose from: results, which lists rele-vant Web pages; suggestions to narrowyour search; resources, which are col-lections of links from experts andenthusiasts; and sponsored results,which are shown because the ownersof those Web sites have paid to havethem appear on the search.

“Teoma is good for a general, broadsearch that can be narrowed. They’retrying to out-think Google,”Giancaterino said.

SearchSystems (www.searchsys-tems.net) was voted to Yahoo’s list of50 most incredibly useful Web sites.Giancaterino says SearchSystems is likean Internet version of a Swiss Armyknife. “SearchSystems is the best indexto searchable public databases on theWeb,” Giancaterino said.

SearchSystems has an index to morethan 8,000 public records databasesand added an additional 3,000 sourcesso far this year. SearchSystems hasaccess to corporate records, profession-al licensing, unclaimed property as wellas inmate locators.

Palawlibrary.com (www.palawli-brary.com) is a subscription sitedeveloped by Jenkins Law Library andAmerican Lawyer Media. It specializesin county resources, including casesand court rules.

GOOGLEcontinued from page 12

VIP’s Nightof Music Setfor Oct. 18

Philadelphia Volunteers forthe Indigent Program presentsbest-selling author JamesMcBride (The Color of WaterandMiracle at Saint Anna) and his bandfor an evening of music andinsights on Friday, Oct. 18 at theUniversity of the Arts on SouthBroad Street.

The traditional Silent Auctionwill also take place with manyunusual and interesting donateditems and services up for bids.

Philadelphia VIP promoteslegal access to the justice systemby providing free volunteer legalprofessionals for people living onthe margins. For more informa-tion, contact VIP at (215) 523-9550.

OCT PBR 10/10/02 10:59 AM Page 16


S h yamalan’s ‘Signs’ Is Eerily Fa m i l i a rby Marc Reuben

As I sat watching M. NightShyamalan’s wonderful suspenser“Signs,” I couldn’t help but think of oldVaudeville audiences who used tocome to see Smith and Dale (or someother favored act), year after year, andlaugh at the same routines no matterhow familiar they were. Here was anew film that did not have very muchin the way of original ideas, and yet itwas fun. Just like watching an old rou-tine you knew by heart.

This movie is about alien invaders.It stars Mel Gibson, who has convincedme that his charm is effortless, whilehis acting is not. He is a step short ofbeing another Cary Grant, although Ihave never seen him that I did notenjoy his performance. There is justsomething that tells any viewer nottaken by Gibson’s good looks that thisis a man who is acting. He does whathe does very well indeed, and it seemsungracious to complain. But one wish-es he would let go for just a momentso that we could see if the fellow underthe charm and brash delivery was ascharming as the one we see on screen.

Gibson’s co-star for the film, thewonderful Joaquin Phoenix, is one ofthose actors who inhabits every parthe plays and does so convincingly. I’veseen this fellow in numerous films,some big budget and some small, andhe is always splendid. I can only imag-ine Phoenix is a genius or totallyinsane – or perhaps a bit of both – tomake himself such a superb portraitartist on the screen each time he showsup for work. The remainder of the cast,especially Rory Culkin, were likewisesplendid. This is, no doubt, due to thedirector’s deft craftsmanship.

The film itself, as entertaining as itis, is a combination of bits and piecesfrom the great suspense movies of thepast. Seamless as Shyamalan’s workcan be, this movie shows its pedigree.“Signs” most resembles the 1963Hitchcock thriller “The Birds” in themanner of presentation. But the movie

owes much to the 1942 thriller “The CatPeople,” as well as other early thrillers“The Old Dark House” (1932), “The Catand the Canary” (1943), “The Night ofthe Living Dead” (the 1968 GeorgeRomero film), “The War of the Worlds”(1953) and a plethora of 1950s “B”movies that time forgot. The mostwonderful thing about this new film isthat I got the feeling, early on, that Iwas seeing something recycled andenjoyed (from underneath my seat) thewhole thing. In the end, a movieshould give you just that pleasure.

The most striking thing about“Signs” was the fact that the viewer sawso little of the horrible. I almost wishthere had been no encounter betweenaliens and earthlings, since the expec-tation of something so unearthly wasso eerily served up in this film withoutactually showing anything at all. In“The Cat People,” a young woman saton a bench in dark New Orleans, wait-ing for a bus. There is a shrub behindthe bench and the set is dark but for asmall streetlight. The woman on thebench does not know she is a rival tothe demonic cat person, who we knowis out on the prowl. As she sits alone inthe dark, there is a moment of silence,and then the shrub behind her fluttersa bit. In “Signs,” the bench and shrubbecomes a cornfield. But when thethought of aliens in the yard is planted,the rustling of cornstalks takes on ameaning far beyond harvest.

Likewise, monster hands reaching

for an innocent is an old sight gag.And the sounds of a struggle heard justoffstage still engages the lurid imagina-tion to serve up horrid expectation. Ican think of silent movies that usedsome of the same stuff.

The point is that this is an enter-taining movie, no matter how old thematerial is. Here is a film that Hitch-cock would have liked – but for theobligatory creatures at the end. Andeven that copout reminded me of anold Dana Andrews film, “Curse of theDemon,” where an evil spirit was sum-moned by writing its name on a pieceof paper and passing it to an enemy.The 1957 film was a spooky thing tothe very end, when the villain acciden-tally gets the piece of paper caught inhis cuffs. You heard him screaming offthe set. But the makers of the film werepressed to actually show the creature,after a wonderful hour of suspense. Itwasn’t necessary. But it was viewed asgood for the box office. No Americanaudience would tolerate a monster filmwithout a monster.

“Signs” is a film about an invasionfrom outer space. There is little in it ofthe supernatural. It is all ideas, expertlyplanted. I was scared to death thewhole time, and I knew I’d seen it allbefore.

Here is a film with everything goingfor it. Good acting, nice script andexcellent production values. But therewas this pressing need to show some-thing green and slimy, as if Mel Gibsongiving the performance of his careerwasn’t enough. Gibson is neither greennor slimy, and wrapping this moviearound ugly aliens took much of thepleasure away. But maybe intellectualconceit should be checked at the boxoffice. If Bette Davis could trot out oldwar horses and make them run, whynot Mel Gibson?

My best advice to anyone who has-n’t seen “Signs” yet is to buy Raisinettesinstead of popcorn and do not bringyour dog.

Marc Reuben has been writing about the Arts &M e d i asince 1973. He is an advisory editor to the PhiladelphiaBar Reporter.

A R T S & M E D I A

Mel Gibson plays a Bucks County farmer dealing with alien invaders in M. NightShyamalan’s latest film.

The Nominating Committee of thePhiladelphia Bar Association hasbeen formed.

Committee members are ChairCarl S. Primavera, Gabriel L.I.Bevilacqua, Merritt A. Cole, Doreen S.Davis, Norman E. Donoghue II,Rochelle M. Fedullo, Bruce A. Franzel,Rudolph Garcia, Allan H. Gordon,Niki Ingram, Marla A. Joseph, Victor F.Keen, Ronald A. Kovler, Susan J.

Kupersmith, Marsha L. Levick, LynnA. Marks, Linda F. Rosen, JudithFrankel Rubino, Richard S. Seidel,David J. Steerman, Joseph A. Sullivanand Audrey C. Talley.

Association Secretary Sayde JoyLadov serves as a non-voting mem-ber of the committee.

The committee has scheduleddates for its next meetings.TheyTuesday, Oct. 15, at 4 p.m., and

Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 4 p.m. Offices for which candidates are

being solicited are Vice Chancellor,secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer,assistant treasurer, and five seats onthe Board of Governors, three ofwhich are to be nominated by theNominating Committee.

Each Board seat carries a three-year term.

Individuals who wish to be con-

sidered for any of the above officesshould submit a resume of theirbackground and indicate the positionfor which they wish to run.

Materials should be submitted tothe chair of the NominatingCommittee, Carl S. Primavera, c/oMary Kate Nolen, Philadelphia BarAssociation, 1101 Market St., 11thFloor, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107-2911, nolater than 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 11.

Association’s Nominating Committee Formed

OCT PBR 10/10/02 10:59 AM Page 17

by James LaRosa and Gary Mintz

As lawyers, you’ve probably heardon more than one occasion “there is somuch you can do with a law degree.”While a law degree can open up lots ofdoors, many attorneys soon find thatthey are quickly pigeonholed into thetype of practice they start out in. Whilemany attorneys enjoy and want tocontinue to grow with the area of lawthat they have focused their careers on,there are others that strongly desire achange. This change can either be inthe type of practice (from litigation totransactional, insurance defense tocommercial litigation) or a move to acompany’s in-house legal department.

While it is not impossible to changeyour specialty, there can be obstacles.First, you may want to look withinyour own firm to see whether theremay be an opportunity to move into adifferent practice group. If that is notan option, evaluate how your pastexperience and skills can be transferredto the type of practice you are interest-ed in. Try to gear your resume toreflect these transferable skills. Also,while your cover letter is always animportant part of your job application,it is particularly critical when you aretrying to change practice areas. Yourcover letter should succinctly explainwhy you are interested in a new prac-tice area and why your backgroundqualifies you for that particular prac-tice.

In trying to change practice groups,it is probably not a good idea to gothrough a firm’s human resourcesdepartment. It is the HR department’sjob to eliminate resumes that do not fit

perfectly within the specific job criteria.In all likelihood, your resume willnever make it to the hiring partner’sdesk. A better tack is to contact the hir-ing partner or practice head directly.You may want to send a cover letterand resume first or you may want toinitiate contact with a phone callexplaining the type of opportunity youare looking for. In any event, be pre-pared for some initial resistance.

In trying to make a practice switch,it is critical that you articulate specificreasons for wanting to practice in thatparticular field. Just saying that itseems more interesting will not beenough. Try to discuss your particularexperiences in this area and explainhow you enjoyed the elements of yourpractice that encompass that area.

Networking can also be very benefi-cial. Try talking to friends and cowork-ers who are practicing in the type ofarea you are interested in. Let themknow you are interested in transition-ing your practice. Since they work inthat area, they are more familiar withthe skills needed to make the transi-tion. Also, they will have a better graspof what is happening in that particularpractice area and they may know offirms that are looking to expand.

Going back to school is also anoption. You not only learn about theparticular area that you are interestedin, but you also demonstrate commit-ment to making a change. Many attor-neys will go back for an LLM or possi-bly an MBA. Some schools offer certifi-cate programs in a particular field.These programs are less expensive andtime consuming than a traditionalMBA and can provide you with a solid

foundation in a particular field. Along with resistance, you should

also be prepared to take a couple ofsteps backward. Although your pastexperiences and education may qualifyyou for a particular opportunity, youare still not as experienced in this newarea as you are in the law that youhave been practicing your entire career.If you are truly serious about making achange, you may need to be willing totake a small if not significant cut insalary. Because you are just learning anew practice area, you will likely getthe low-end grunt work that you mayhave worked your way out of.

Another desired practice change isto move to a company’s in-house legaldepartment. Many attorneys view in-house opportunities as the ideal legaljob. To many attorneys a major benefitof working in-house is the lack of abillable-hour requirement. Also, manyattorneys enjoy working for one com-pany with a common goal of lookingout for that one company’s best inter-ests. There is no magic rule to landingan in-house opportunity. Again, net-working is one of the best ways to landan in-house position. Talk to friendsand co-workers who work in the cor-porate world. Let them know that youwould be interested in such opportuni-ties. Companies that you are presentlydoing legal work for can also be agreat source for opportunities. Many

times, attorneys take in-house oppor-tunities with their firm’s blessing, asthe firm may view this as an opportu-nity to gain additional business fromthe company.

As with many changes in life, thereare some pitfalls of which you shouldbe aware. First, beware of the beliefthat the grass is always greener inother practice areas. Many litigatorsmake the switch to transactional workonly to miss the adrenalin rush thatcomes with frequent court or deposi-tion work. Law firm associates whotransition to in-house positions mayhave to worry about the stability oftheir job when their employer isinvolved in a merger.

Changing practice mid-career issometimes needed to rejuvenate alawyer’s enthusiasm. Sometimes all ittakes is a two-week, work-free vaca-tion. If, after a sufficient amount of soulsearching, you have decided that achange in practice is needed, makingthe switch will be difficult but notimpossible. It will take a lot of timeand effort. Do not expect to make thechange overnight. With persistence anda good career plan you should be ableto make the switch.

James LaRosa, Esq., and Gary Mintz, Esq., are recruiterswith Juri S t a f f, Inc., the exclusively endorsed career plan-ning and placement partner of the Philadelphia BarAssociation. LaRosa can be reached at (215) 751 - 91 0 0 ,extension 302 or by e-mail at jlarosa @ j u ri s t a f f. c o m .Mintz can be reached at (215) 751 - 9100, extension 315or by e-mail at gmintz@juri s t a f f. c o m .


Career Planning and Placementfrom

Career counseling and résumé review servicesby appointment,

Mondays from 9 to 11 a.m. and Fridays from 1:30 to 4 p.m.at Bar Headquarters. For an appointment, call Cindy Towers at

(215) 751-9100, extension 301

Learn more atwww.juristaff.com or www.philadelphiabar.org

or call JuriStaff at (215) 751-9100, ext. 301.

JuriStaff, the only legal staffing agency endorsed by the Philadelphia BarAssociation, provides temporary, temporary-to-permanent and direct-hire

placements of attorneys, paralegals and support staff.

list•serve \noun\ An automatic elec-tronic mailing list, allowing usersto participate in discussions.

join \verb\ To become a member of a

group.

Join your Section’s orC o m m i t t e e ’s List Serve to stay intouch and keep up to date on the

latest Bar events. Vi s i tw w w. p h i l a d e l p h i a b a r. o r g

for more information.

Career Corner

Changing Practice Can Take Time, Effort

OCT PBR 10/10/02 11:00 AM Page 18


Robert C. Heim, a partner atDechert and former Chancellor of thePhiladelphia Bar Association, has beenappointed by U.S. Supreme Court ChiefJustice William H. Rehnquist to serveas a member of the Judicial ConferenceAdvisory Committee on Civil Rules. Histhree-year term began Oct. 1.

Hyman Lovitz,of counsel at Lovitz& Gold, P.C., hasbeen appointed tothe Board ofTrustees of theGlaucoma ServiceFoundation toPrevent Blindness.

Tsiwen M. Law of Hwang &Associates, P.C., was recently honoredby The Legal Intelligencerand PennsylvaniaLaw Weeklyby being named one of theMinorities of Influence.

Edward W.Madeira Jr., apartner and chair-man emeritus ofPepper HamiltonLLP, has beenappointed chair ofthe American BarAssociation’s

Commission on the 21st CenturyJudiciary.

Michael Basch of Fine, Kaplan &Black will receive the Brighter FuturesAward for Legal Advocacy at thePhiladelphia Mental RetardationServices luncheon at noon on Nov. 13at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel.

Ronald A. Sarachan, a partnerwith Ballard Spahr Andrews &Ingersoll, LLP, recently testified at ahearing before the U.S. SenateJudiciary Committee Subcommittee onCrime and Drugs. The topic of thehearing and testimony was “Criminaland Civil Enforcement of Environ-mental Laws: Do We Have All the ToolsWe Need?”

Linda T. Jacobs, an associate atBlank Rome Comisky & McCauley LLP,has been named to the GreaterPhiladelphia Chamber of Commerce’sSmall Business Board of Directors.

Dennis J. Morikawa andMichael J. Ossip, partners atMorgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, havebeen elected as fellows of the Collegeof Labor and Employment Lawyers.

Lisa Washington, an associate withBlank Rome Comisky & McCauley LLP,has been appointed to the Board of

Directors of the PhiladelphiaMulticultural Affairs Congress.

Richard Negrin,an associate atMorgan, Lewis &Bockius LLP, hasbeen nominated foran “Eagle Hall ofHonor” at EdisonHigh School inEdison, N.J. The

“Eagle Hall of Honor” was establishedby Edison High School to inspire stu-dents through exceptional role modelsand instill a sense of tradition andpride in the school as well as the com-munity. Negrin is a 1984 graduate ofthe school.

Margaret A. McCausland, a part-ner at Blank Rome Comisky &McCauley LLP, participated in the CLEpresentation “Title VII and Retaliation –Matters of Public Concern” on July 19.

Dale W. Miller of Cotter & Miller, acolonel in the U.S. Marine CorpsReserve, was awarded the DefenseMeritorious Service Medal, KosovoCampaign Medal and the NATO Medalwhile deployed in Pristina, Kosovo,where has was the legal advisor to thecommander of the Kosovo Force. TheKosovo Force is a multi-national NATOmilitary force charged with maintain-ing a safe and secure environment inKosovo.

Emmanuel O. Iheukwumere,has been appointed as an adjunct pro-fessor of law at Temple UniversityBeasley School of Law for the Fall 2002semester.

Benjamin E. Leace, a shareholderwith RatnerPrestia, served as a table

topic moderator at the annualInternational Trademark Associationmeeting in Washington, D.C., in May.

Nina M.Gussack, a part-ner with PepperHamilton LLP, hasbeen named vicechair of the Drugand Medical DeviceCommittee of theDefense Research

Institute for 2002 and 2003. She willassume the chair in 2004.

Ian M. Comisky, a partner withBlank Rome Comisky & McCauley LLP,participated in the 20th CambridgeInternational Symposium on EconomicCrime from Sept. 8 to Sept. 15 at JesusCollege in Cambridge, England. He alsoparticipated in the panel discussion“The Funding of Terrorism: The States’Role in Direction and Reporting” at theNorth American Securities Adminis-trators Association 85th annual confer-ence on Sept. 29 in Philadelphia.

Steven E. Bizar, a shareholder withBuchanan Ingersoll, has been invitedto serve a two-year term as a barristerof the University of Pennsylvania LawSchool Inn of Court.

David G. Concannon, a sole prac-tioner in Wayne, recently assistedWomen’s Campaign International, anonprofit organization, with a siteassessment visit to Tanzania. WCIinterviewed 15 potential recipients of aU.S. aid grant to promote women’sparticipation in the democratic process.

Edward L. Snitzer, founding part-ner of Prudent ManagementAssociates, has been re-elected as a

trustee of the Jefferson Health Systemand as chairman of the investmentcommittee of the Albert EinsteinHealthcare Network.

Kenneth J.Warren, a partnerat Wolf, Block,Schorr and Solis-Cohen LLP, hasbeen named chair-elect of theAmerican BarAssociation’s

Section of Environment, Energy andResources.

Frank P. Cervone, executive direc-tor of the Support Center for ChildAdvocates, presented a training pro-gram at the National Academy forEqual Justice for People withDisabilities Conference Sept. 9 inPhiladelphia.

Daniel B. Evans has been elected tothe council for the Pennsylvania BarAssociation’s Real Property, Probateand Trust Law Section.

P E O P L E

Names Are News“People” highlights news of

members’ awards, honors orappointments of a civic or com-munity nature. Information maybe sent to Jeff Lyons, ManagingEditor, Philadelphia Bar Reporter,Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101Market St., 11th floor, Philadelphia,Pa. 19107-2911. Fax: (215) 238-1267.E-mail: [email protected].

Photos are also welcome.

Justinians Honor DiBona, Pizzi, DeBenedictisCarl S. Primavera (left), immediate-past Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, is joined by The Justinian Society ChancellorDenise C. Gentile, G. Fred DiBona Jr., president and CEO of Independence Blue Cross, and Charles P. Pizzi, outgoing president andCEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, at The Justinian Foundation Scholarship Luncheon on Sept. 12 at the UnionLeague. DiBona, Pizzi and Nicholas DeBenedictis, chairman of Philadelphia Suburban Corporation, were honored at the luncheon.

OCT PBR 10/10/02 11:00 AM Page 19


Note: While the following listings have been verified prior to press time, any scheduled event may be sub-ject to change by the committee or section chairs.

Wednesday, Oct. 2Delivery of Legal Services Committee – meeting, 8:30 a.m., 10th floor Board Room.Chancellor’s Forum – noon, 11th floor Conference Center.Committee on Legal Rights of Children – meeting, 3:30 p.m., 10th floor Cabinet Room.

Thursday, Oct. 3Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee – meeting, 12:15 p.m., 10th floor Board Room.Lunch: $8.50.Civil Rights Committee – meeting, 12:15 p.m., 11th floor Committee Room. Environmental Law Committee – meeting, 12:30 p.m., 11th floor Conference Center. Lunch:$7.Philadelphia Bar Reporter Editorial Board – meeting, 12:30 p.m, 10th floor Cabinet Room.

Monday, Oct. 7Public Interest Section Executive Committee – meeting, noon, 10th floor Board Room.Family Law Section – meeting, 4 p.m., 10th floor Board Room.Public Interest Section First Monday – 4 p.m., 10th floor PBI-PBEC Education Center.

Tuesday, Oct. 8Young Lawyers Division Executive Committee – meeting, noon, 10th floor Board Room.Diversity Committee – meeting, 12:30 p.m., 11th floor Committee Room.

Wednesday, Oct. 9Medico-Legal Committee – meeting, 4 p.m., 10th floor Board Room.

Thursday, Oct. 10Elder Law Committee – meeting, noon, 10th floor Cabinet Room.Legislative Liaison Committee – meeting, 12:30 p.m., 11th floor Conference Center. Lunch:$7.Committee on the Legal Rights of Lesbians and Gay Men – meeting, 12:30 p.m., 11th floorCommittee Room.Committee to Promote Fairness – meeting, 4 p.m., 10th floor Board Room.

Friday, Oct. 11Philadelphia Lawyer Editorial Board – meeting, 12:30 p.m., 11th floor Committee Room.

Sunday, Oct. 13Young Lawyers Division Boo at the Zoo – 3 to 6 p.m., Philadelphia Zoo.

Monday, Oct. 14Columbus Day – Bar Association offices closed.

Tuesday, Oct. 15Quarterly Meeting and Luncheon – noon, Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue, Broad andWalnut streets. Ticket information: www.philadelphiabar.orgAppellate Courts Committee – meeting, noon, 11th floor Conference Center. Lunch: $7.Nominating Committee – meeting, 4 p.m., 10th floor Board Room.Pro Bono Committee – meeting, 4:30 p.m., 11th floor Conference Center.

Wednesday, Oct. 16Section Chairs Meeting with Chancellor – 8:30 a.m., 10th floor Board Room.Fee Dispute Committee – meeting, 10 a.m., 10th floor Cabinet Room.Federal Courts Committee – meeting, 12:30 p.m., 10th floor Board Room. Lunch: $7.Nominating Committee – meeting, 4 p.m., 10th floor Board Room.LegalLine – 5 p.m., 11th floor LRIS Offices.

Thursday, Oct. 17Women in the Profession Committee – meeting, noon, 10th floor Board Room. Lunch: $7.

Friday, Oct. 18Social Security and Disability Benefits Committee – meeting, noon, 11th floor ConferenceCenter.

Monday, Oct. 21Business Law Section Executive Committee – meeting, noon, 10th floor Board Room.

Tuesday, Oct. 22Criminal Justice Section – meeting, noon, 11th floor Conference Center. Lunch: $7.Compulsory Arbitration Committee – meeting, noon, 10th floor Board Room. Lunch: $7.

Wednesday, Oct. 23Philadelphia Bar Foundation Board of Trustees – meeting, noon, 10th floor Board Room.Persons with Disabilities Committee – meeting, 12:30 p.m., 11th floor Committee Room.

Thursday, Oct. 24State Civil Committee – meeting, noon, 11th floor Conference Center. Lunch: $7.Board of Governors – meeting, 4 p.m., 10th floor Board Room.

Tuesday, Oct. 29Young Lawyers Division Cabinet – meeting, noon, 10th floor Cabinet Room.

Wednesday, Oct. 30Public Interest Section – meeting, 8 a.m., 11th floor Conference Center.Women’s Rights Committee – meeting, 12:15 p.m., 10th floor Board Room.

Thursday, Oct. 31Lawyer Referral and Information Service Committee – meeting, noon, 11th floor CommitteeRoom.Domestic Violence Committee – meeting, 4 p.m., 10th floor Cabinet Room.

Unless otherwise specified, all ch e cks for luncheons and programs should be made payable to the Philadelphia BarAssociation and mailed to Bar Headquarters, 11 01 Market St., 11th fl., Philadelphia, Pa. 191 07- 2 911. Send BarAssociation-related calendar items 30 days in advance to Managing Editor, Philadelphia Bar Reporter, Philadelphia BarAssociation, 11 01 Market St., Philadelphia, Pa. 191 07- 2 911. Fax: (215) 23 8 - 12 67. E-mail:r e p o r t e r @ p h i l a ba r. o r g .

C A L E N D A R O F E V E N T S

An Endto Red Tape

Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Pr e s i d e n tJudge Frederica A. Massiah-Jackson (center)is applauded after a ceremonial cutting of thered tape at the First Judicial District’s newI n f o rmation Center at City Hall on Sept. 17.The new Information Center will contain com -puter terminals and will be fully stocked withpamphlets and information on various aspectsand divisions of the court system, directionsto various offices, and forms that are neededfor various filings. Also pictured (from left)a re Association Chancellor-Elect Audrey C.Talley; Municipal Court President Judge LouisJ. Presenza; Joseph H. Evers, prothonotary ofPhiladelphia; Common Pleas Court JudgeMyrna Field; Information Center Director BoydTaggert; and Association Chancellor Allan H.Gordon.

OCT PBR 10/10/02 11:00 AM Page 20

Documents

Justice Nigro to Re c e i v e Bar’s B o a r d Distinguished Jurist … · by Jeff Lyons The Board of Governors has unani-mously approved 23 resolutions from a set of more than 60