Announcements

On Nov. 20, Carl “Tobey” Oxholm III, pro bono staff attorney at Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity, conducted PLSE's first-ever training program for paralegals to assist in the criminal records expungement project.

Seventeen paralegals attended as part of the inaugural class. PLSE is a nonprofit that provides pro bono assistance to lower-income Philadelphians.

With a very small staff, it files and presents to the Criminal Court more than a thousand petitions each year.

With the partnership of The Philadelphia Association of Paralegals, PLSE is looking to more than double that number.

Elected and Appointed

Suzanne Mayes, chair of Cozen O'Connor's public and project finance practice, was named to the board of directors for the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Montgomery.

Mayes served two terms on Cozen O'Connor's board of directors and is the vice chair of the firm's Business Law Department.

She acts as bond counsel, underwriter's counsel, borrower's counsel and disclosure counsel to a wide range of public, for-profit, and not-for-profit clients.

She regularly acts as bond counsel for state, county and municipal clients in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware or as special counsel in the context of major capital projects or debt refinancings.

In addition to her new appointments, Mayes sits on the board of Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp., The Forum of Executive Women and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia.

Speakers

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young partner Stephanie E. Sanderson-Braem presented at the “Planning for Loved Ones With Special Needs Seminar” in Berlin, New Jersey.

Sanderson-Braem's topic, “Supplemental Needs Trusts,” discussed how to create third-party funded trusts to benefit a child with special needs.

Sanderson-Braem represents individuals, families with young children, families preparing for retirement, families having a child with special needs, closely held business owners, doctors, CEOs, same-sex couples and fiduciaries managing all aspects of trust and estate administration.

She advises her clients on premarital agreements, business succession planning, lifetime giving and charitable giving in addition to the preparation and implementation of wills, trusts, powers of attorney and advance directives.

Additions

Elizabeth A. Williams joined the Post & Schell firm as an associate in the Professional Liability Department and medical malpractice group in the Philadelphia office.

She defends health care providers, including physicians, nurses and hospitals at trials, mediations and arbitrations.

Her cases involve allegations of malpractice and often catastrophic injuries with high financial exposure.

She earned her law degree from Temple University's Beasley School of Law.

Honored

Duane Morris partners Sandra A. Jeskie and Aliza R. Karetnick received 2017 Diversity Awards from the Diversity Law Institute.

The presentation was made on Nov. 3 at the 2017 Diversity Law Institute Summit & Awards in Philadelphia.

Jeskie is an experienced litigator, arbitrator and special master to the courts in a variety of cases involving some aspect of technology, software, intellectual property or information/data.

Karetnick is a seasoned commercial litigator and adviser to cosmetics, fragrance and personal care products companies.