Philadelphia City Hall. Photo: Jon Bilous/Shutterstock.com

2018 National Pro Bono Celebration Events

• On Oct. 22 through Oct. 26, the Philadelphia Bar Foundation will hold a citywide Jeans for Justice campaign to celebrate Pro Bono Week. Participating law firms, legal departments and businesses in Philadelphia will pick a day and collect $5 (or more) from each participant wearing denim or another pre-determined office theme. Register at https://www.philabarfoundation.org/events/317/register.  Contact Katerina Krohn at [email protected]
• On Oct. 22, the SeniorLAW Center will hold a training session, “Providing Legal Services through the Pennsylvania SeniorLAW HelpLine,” from noon-2 p.m., at Morgan Lewis & Bockius, 1701 Market St., Philadelphia. Volunteers will be trained to provide legal advice, information and referrals to seniors across Pennsylvania who call the Pennsylvania SeniorLAW HelpLine with civil legal issues. Lunch will be provided for those who register in advance. Register with Joanna Jarzebowska at [email protected].
• On Oct. 23, Philadelphia VIP will hold a volunteer training program on child custody, from noon-2:30 p.m., at Philadelphia Family Court, 15th Floor Training Room, 1501 Arch St., Philadelphia. The training will provide practical information to prepare volunteer attorneys to represent a custody client before a master or a judge in Philadelphia Family Court. Contact Todd Nothstein at [email protected].

• On Oct. 23, the Philadelphia Bar Association's young lawyers division will host a Pro Bono Oktoberfest, from 5:30-7 p.m., at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 11th Floor Conference Center, 1101 Market St., Philadelphia. Enjoy Oktoberfest while networking with representatives from pro bono referral and public interest law organizations who will be on hand to interact informally with attendees and provide information about pro bono opportunities at their organizations. This event is free, but registration is required. Register at https://bit.ly/2pqBJ9p.

•  On Oct. 24, the Philadelphia Bar Association will present the Support Center for Child Advocates Volunteer Training Program, “How to Handle a Child Abuse Case,” from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 11th Floor Conference Center, 1101 Market St., Philadelphia. This program offers 6.5 CLE Credits (4.5 Substantive/2 Ethics). Register online at https://bit.ly/2MMPecJ.
• On Oct. 24, the First Judicial District (FJD) will hold its 2018 Pro Bono Awards Ceremony and Roll of Honor Reception (by invitation only), from 4-6 p.m., at City Hall. This event will honor attorneys who performed pro bono services in the FJD courts from Oct. 1, 2017 to Sept. 21, 2018. More information is available at https://www.courts.phila.gov/probonoawards/.
• On Oct. 25, the Philadelphia Bar Association will present a CLE Program, “Best Practices and Practical Tips for Establishing an Effective Pro Bono Program,” from  4-5:45 p.m. (registration begins at 3:30 p.m.), at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 11th Floor Conference Center, 1101 Market St., Philadelphia. Following the CLE program, a happy hour/open house will be held at 5:45 p.m. to provide an opportunity for attendees to network with legal services organizations offering pro bono opportunities. This program offers 1.5 Substantive CLE credits. Register online at https://bit.ly/2NWdGgy.

•  On Oct. 26, the Philadelphia Bar Association will present the Philadelphia Bar Foundation's Board Observer Program: Nuts & Bolts of Nonprofit Board Service, from 12:30-2:30 p.m., at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market St., 11th Floor Conference Center, Philadelphia. This CLE will provide attorneys interested in serving on a nonprofit board with an introduction to the role of a Board of Directors and the laws governing nonprofits, including charitable issues raised under state and federal laws. This program is mandatory for all those participating in the Philadelphia Bar Foundation's Board Observer Program in 2019. 2 Substantive CLE credits are available. Online registration is available at www.philadelphiabar.org.
• On Oct. 25, Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts (PMC) will host its Judicial Independence Benefit from 6-8:30 p.m., at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 19 South 22nd St., Philadelphia. Judge Timothy K. Lewis (Ret.) will be the event's keynote speaker. Lewis, who formerly sat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, is a renowned advocate for equal access to justice and has recently authored articles on judicial independence and integrity. During the event, PMC will also present the Judge Edmund B. Spaeth Jr. Award to David L. Cohen, senior executive vice president and chief diversity officer of Comcast Corp., for his steadfast support of initiatives promoting fair courts and civic education. It will be a night of cocktails, courts, and conversation in celebration of PMC's mission and its 30th Anniversary. Sponsorship and ticket information are available at https://bit.ly/2DgbOLj.
• On Oct. 25, Rutgers Law School will hold its 33rd Annual Mary Philbrook Public Interest Award Celebration, from 6-9 p.m., at Rutgers University–Camden Campus Center, 326 Penn Street, Camden, New Jersey. The event will feature a formal program honoring Susan L. Burke, an experienced litigator with 28 years of experience in federal class and complex litigation, who specializes in bringing federal class action or mass tort lawsuits to reform broken systems or fix societal problems. The awards ceremony will be followed by a reception. Tickets are $35, and registration is available at https://rcit.rutgers.edu/apps/payment/register.php?event_id=311.
• On Oct. 26, Regional Housing Legal Services will celebrate its 45th Anniversary Luncheon, from noon-2 p.m., at the Hilton Philadelphia at Penn's Landing, 201 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia. This event will commemorate the organization's accomplishments in creating and preserving affordable housing, and honor housing advocates and community leaders Harry Geller, Pennsylvania Utility Law Project; Jane Downing, The Pittsburgh Foundation; Philadelphia City Council President Darrell Clarke; and Sam Milkes, Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network. The keynote speaker will be Pennsylvania Attorney General, Josh Shapiro. The Master of Ceremonies will be Markita Morris-Louis, RHLS Board of Directors and Senior Vice President & General Counsel at Clarifi. Ticket and sponsorship information is available at http://www.rhls.org/45lunch/.
• On Oct. 29, the Philadelphia Bar Association with hold a CLE Program “Implicit Bias: Identification in the Law,” from 2-4:15 p.m. (registration begins at 1:30 p.m.), at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 11th Floor Conference Center, 1101 Market St, Philadelphia. This dynamic program will help attendees gain a comprehensive understanding of implicit bias in the law and learn how to identify implicit bias both within themselves and in others. Attendees will also learn strategies and action plans to best address internal and external implicit biases. This program offers 2 ETH CLE credits. For more information and to register, visit https://bit.ly/2PHneJO.
• On Oct. 30, the Philadelphia Bar Association will hold a CLE Program “The Changing Cy-Près Landscape,” from 8:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. (registration begins at 8 a.m.), at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 11th Floor Conference Center, 1101 Market St, Philadelphia. This CLE program will examine the particulars of the Cy-près doctrine and what counsel must consider when structuring a Cy-près distribution. This program offers 1 Substantive CLE credit. For more information and to register, visit https://bit.ly/2J4bBdF.
• On Nov. 1, the Philadelphia Bar Association will host the Chancellor's Forum: Separation of Powers, from 4 to 6:15 p.m., at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 11th Floor Conference Center, 1101 Market St., Philadelphia. Registration begins at 3:30 p.m. The program will examine the following issues, among others, as they relate to separation of power: Judicial independence, executive orders, budgeting, rule of law, standing, law enforcement, appointments and removal from office. Two Substantive CLE credits are available. Visit https://bit.ly/2yPtnfR.
• On Nov. 2, the Philadelphia Bar Association will present a CLE program “Issues With Use of Interpreters in WC Hearings,” from 12:30-1:30 p.m., at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 11th Floor Conference Center, 1101 Market St., Philadelphia. Lunch and registration begin at 12 noon. This luncheon presentation will examine issues that occur with the use of interpreters in workers' compensation hearings. Panelists will address topics ranging from the proper procedure to request an interpreter for hearings or mediations before a workers' compensation judge to issues that occur during testimony. One Substantive CLE credit is available. Visit https://bit.ly/2OD2eHJ.
• On Nov. 8, the Philadelphia Bar Foundation will celebrate their supporters and honor 2018 award winners at an Access to Justice cocktail event and reception, from 5:30-8:30 p.m., at the Crystal Tea Room, 100 Penn Square East, Philadelphia. More information will be available soon at www.PhilaBarFoundation.org.
• On Nov. 15, the Support Center for Child Advocates presents “The Children's Docket 2018 – Session 6: Identification and Screening for Human Trafficking,” from 12:15-1:30 p.m., at the Support Center for Child Advocates, 1617 JFK Blvd, Suite 1200, Philadelphia. This training series is specifically designed for Child Advocates volunteer attorneys and is meant to provide more detailed information about the ins and outs of handling a child abuse case and how to prepare for particular hearings. To learn more about the series or to register, visit https://sccalaw.org.
• On Nov. 19, the Philadelphia Bar Association will hold a CLE Program “Moving Beyond Cash Bail,” from 12:30-2:30 p.m. (lunch and registration start at noon), at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 11th Floor Conference Center, 1101 Market St, Philadelphia. This timely CLE, co-hosted by the Civil Rights Committee and the Criminal Justice Section, will examine the cash bail system in Pennsylvania. Panelists will illuminate these problems and offer guidance regarding the most promising strategies for reforming cash bail practices. Two Substantive credits are available. For more information and to register, visit https://bit.ly/2CtZbKP.
• On Nov. 30, the Women's Law Project will host its Annual Party & Fundraiser, from 5:30-8:30 p.m., at the Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia. Children are welcome. For more information, visit https://www.womenslawproject.org/events/.