Elected and Appointed

Kline & Specter's David Williams was sworn in as president of the Barristers' Association of Philadelphia.

The organization was founded in 1950 with the mission of addressing the professional needs and development of black lawyers in the region through seminars, cultural events and publications.

Nearly 200 people attended the swearing-in held at Ceremonial Courtroom in City Hall. Williams attended the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was elected president of his class.

In a speech before the Barristers' Association and ceremony attendees, Williams asked members to "get off the sidelines" in helping fellow attorneys and members of the community in need of assistance.

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David Gersch, senior counsel at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, was elected to the board of directors of the Public Interest Law Center.

Gersch is a trial and appellate lawyer who litigates a variety of cases for business clients.

He focuses his practice on class actions, products liability litigation and trials.

He teaches trial advocacy at Georgetown University Law Center.

Gersch devotes much of his current practice to pro bono matters.

He defended indigent criminal defendants and started Arnold & Porter's Trial Skills Program, in which firm lawyers represent defendants in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Gersch earned his Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law.

The Public Interest Law Center uses high-impact legal strategies to advance the civil, social and economic rights of communities in the Philadelphia region facing discrimination, inequality and poverty.

It uses litigation, community education, advocacy and organizing to secure communities' access to fundamental resources and services.

Events

Pond Lehocky Stern Giordano is set to host Women Connect, a networking event for women in the workplace featuring conversations with women leaders in the business world.

The event is co-sponsored by Esquire Bank.

The keynote speaker is slated to be businesswoman and mathematician Janet Hill, who currently serves on the board of directors of the Carlyle Group, Dean Foods and Esquire Bank.

She is a trustee of Duke University and was appointed by President Barack Obama to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

There will also be breakout sessions with Catherine Carlson and Holly DePalma.

Carlson is senior vice president of revenue and strategy with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Prior to that, she spent 11 years as senior vice president of corporate partnerships and premium activation with the Orlando Magic.

DePalma is a business consultant who specializes in helping organizations optimize their talent using The Predictive Index, which uses psychometric testing to understand what motivates employees and drives their performance.

She will be reviewing attendees' Predictive Index test results at the event that night. The event is scheduled to be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 3 at Pond Lehocky's Center City headquarters.

Registration is set to begin at 3:30 p.m.

Hors d'oeuvres and cocktails will be provided throughout the event.

Announcements

Attention young lawyers!

Send in your questions for a new Q&A advice column for the Young Lawyers page in The Legal. A panel of experts from the law firm Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis will answer a few selected questions in each monthly column, advising young lawyers about their career, professional development, office politics, business development, pro bono work, relationships with mentors and colleagues, and so on.

Email your questions to [email protected].