 Trainings for Pro Bono LawyersBelow is a list of trainings, by subject matter, most of which are sponsored or co-sponsored by the public interest agencies who need volunteers. Most training sessions are offered for little or no cost, provided that a pro bono case is taken by the lawyer attending the training. For additional trainings on related topics, go to www.pbi.org.
PRO BONO CALENDAR 2013January 2013January 11On Friday, January 11, the Veterans Law Clinic at Widener Law School will sponsor a pro bono training program entitled, “Pro Bono Representation Before the Department of Veterans Affairs,” from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at McCarter & English, Renaissance Center, 405 N. King, St., 8th Floor, Wilmington, DE. This program will cover all of the basics of veterans’ compensation and pension claims and will provide 3 free CLE credits (NJ, PA & DE) in exchange for handling a volunteer case with the clinic. Preregistration is required due to limited space. Please register by contacting Sue Saidel at (302) 477-2052 or swsaidel@mail.widener.edu. January 31On Thursday, January 31, Philadelphia VIP, the hub of pro bono legal services in Philadelphia, will present a free CLE training program, entitled, “Quiet Title: Handling Cases Involving Problems with Title to Real Estate,” from 12:00 to 2:30 p.m., at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP, 1600 Market Street, Suite 3600, Philadelphia. This training program will be taught by Edward J. Hayes, Esquire and Robert S. Tintner, Esquire, Partners at Fox Rothschild LLP, and will cover the legal grounds, procedures, and forms for bringing a Quiet Title action, with an emphasis on the issues that low-income clients frequently encounter in obtaining title to a property. Keeping low-income Philadelphians in their homes is critical to keeping families from becoming homeless and in helping people break the cycle of poverty. It also combats the occurrence of abandoned properties and neighborhood blight. Lunch will be provided. Attorneys participating in this seminar will receive 2 free CLE credits if they accept a VIP case within 6 months of the training. Please register online at https://phillyvip.org/content/training-registration-form. February 2013February 22On Friday, February 22, Philadelphia VIP will present a CLE training program on Custody, from 12:00 to 2:15 p.m., at the law firm of Fox Rothschild LLP, 2000 Market Street, Philadelphia. The presenters at this program are Julia Swain, Esquire, Susan Gibson, Esquire, and Michael L. Viola., Esquire. Attorneys participating in this seminar will receive 2 free CLE credits if they accept a VIP case within 6 months of the training. Training materials and lunch will be provided. Please register online at https://phillyvip.org/content/training-registration-form. March 2013March 6On Wednesday, March 6, at a meeting of the Philadelphia Bar Association's Immigration Committee a free CLE training program on U.S. Citizenship Procedures will be presented by Judith Bernstein-Baker from HIAS Pennsylvania and a member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers' Association's (AILA) Pro Bono Committee, will provide a, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m., in the 11th Floor Committee Room South, 1101 Market St., Philadelphia. Additional training programs on U.S. Citizenship Procedures will be offered on Thursday, March 28, from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m., at Duane Morris LLP, 30 S. 17th St., and a webinar training session will be offered on Thursday, April 11, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. One and a half hours of free CLE credit will be provided to attorneys who attend one of the training programs and volunteer to help clients apply for citizenship during National Pro Bono Citizenship Day. National Pro Bono Citizenship Day is sponsored by the American Immigration Lawyers' Association in partnership with many community groups and institutions across the United State. In the Pennsylvania region, Philadelphia AILA has scheduled a weekend of events from April 20 and 21 at various locations in Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware counties. Advanced registration for any of the CLE training programs and to volunteer is required. To register for the training and for Citizenship Day, click here or contact Sarina Issenberg at sissenberg@hiaspa.org or call 215-832-0900. Lunch may be purchased ($8 for members and $12 for nonmembers) for the March 6 meeting/training program at the Philadelphia Bar Association for those who preregister and purchase lunch in advance at www.philadelphiabar.org. March 12On Tuesday, March 12, the University of Pennsylvania Law School will host a panel presentation in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. (with a formal reception to follow), in the Fitts Auditorium, 3501 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. The distinguished panel will feature Karen Houppert, author of Chasing Gideon: The Elusive Quest for Poor People's Justice, along with Professor Malia Brink, Phyllis Subin, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Coalition for Justice, and Mary Catherine Roper of the PA-ACLU. This program is free and open to the public, and will serve as one of the highlights of Penn Law's annual Public Interest Week. You may register for the program at https://www.law.upenn.edu/cf/its/surveyrequest/active/form1234330870.cfm. March 15On Friday, March 15, the University of Pennsylvania Law School's Public Interest Week will culminate with the 32nd Annual Edward V. Sparer Symposium, from 9:00 a.m.to 5:00 p.m., at Penn Law School, 3501 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. The theme of this year's Symposium is Repairing the Broken Door: Strategies for Immigration Advocacy and Reform. Registration and a continental breakfast will begin at 8:30 a.m. Lunch will be served, and a reception will be held following the Symposium. The keynote speaker is Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist and Founder of Define American. This program is open to the public and free of charge except for those seeking CLE credit. This program has been approved for 4.5 hours of substantive law credits and 3.0 hours of ethics credit for Pennsylvania lawyers (for a total of 7.5 CLE credits). CLE credit may be available for other jurisdictions as well. Attendees seeking CLE credit should bring payment of $75.00, or $25 for public interest attorneys - cash or check - payable to "The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania". If you are not attending the entire conference and are seeking CLE credit, the fee is $15 per credit hour. To register and for more information, please visit sparersymposium2013.eventbrite.com/. March 20March 20, Philadelphia VIP will present a CLE training program on Landlord/Tenant, from 12:30 to 2: 45 p.m., at Blank Rome LLP, One Logan Square, 130 N. 18th Street, Philadelphia. Lunch will be provided. Attorneys participating in this seminar will receive 2 free CLE credits if they accept a VIP case within 6 months of the training. Please register online at phillyvip.org/content/training-registration-form. April 2013April 11On Thursday, April 11, Support Center for Child Advocates will present its Volunteers Training Workshop, "How To Handle A Child Abuse Case," from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at PBI CLE Conference Center, Wanamaker Building, 10th Floor, Ste. 1010, Philadelphia. This is a full-day, 6-CLE credit course, 1 of which may be applied towards Ethics CLE credit. Register at www.pbi.org. For additional information, please contact Jodi Schatz at jschatz@advokid.org or 267-546-9228. April 12On April 12 a CLE program on How to Litigate a School Bullying Case will be held from 9:00 a.m. (registration at 8:30 a.m.) to 12:15 p.m., at PBI CLE Conference Center, Wanamaker Building, 10th Floor, Ste. 1010, Philadelphia. This new course, designed by Amara S. Chaudhry, Esq., chair of the Philadelphia Bar’s Public Interest Section, will enable attendees to hone their lawyering skills to advocate for children who have been bullied and will feature a distinguished panel of speakers. This program will offer three (3) substantive CLE credits. Register at www.pbi.org. April 26On Friday, April 26th, Philadelphia VIP, the hub of pro bono legal services in Philadelphia, will present a free CLE training program, entitled, “Deed Transfers: Drafting Basics,” from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m., at Drinker Biddle and Reath LLP, One Logan Square, Suite 2000, Philadelphia. Steven Rothberg, Esquire, President – General Land Division, First American Title Insurance Company is the instructor. The training is intended for deed-drafting novices and will cover the basic types of deeds and drafting essentials, with an emphasis on the drafting needs of VIP’s low-income clients. By obtaining record ownership of their properties, low-income Philadelphians are eligible for payment plans for delinquent real estate taxes and mortgage modifications and can qualify for City-run home repair programs. Lunch will be provided. Attorneys participating in this seminar will receive 1 free CLE credit if they accept a VIP case within 6 months of the training. Please register online at https://phillyvip.org/content/training-registration-form. May 2013May 17On Friday, May 17, Philadelphia VIP will present a free CLE training program on Homeownership – Probate, from 12:00 to 2:30 p.m., at Reed Smith LLP, One Liberty Place, 1650 Market Street, Suite 2500, Philadelphia. This program is co-sponsored by the Philadelphia Bar Association's Probate and Trust Law Section. Lunch will be provided. Attorneys participating in this seminar will receive 2 free CLE credits if they accept a VIP case within 6 months of the training. Please register online at https://phillyvip.org/content/training-registration-form. June 2013June 7The eighteenth annual Philadelphia VIP Summer Pro Bono Day will be held this year on Friday, June 7, 2013 from 11:30am – 2:30pn at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. The event is geared specifically to law students at the inception of their careers to educate them about issues of poverty in Philadelphia and to promote an ethic of service to address those issues through pro bono work. Students will first be joined by judges from the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania who will be present to discuss the importance of pro bono service. Students will learn about poverty in Philadelphia and be introduced to resources available to help provide legal services not otherwise available to the neediest Philadelphians. VIP clients and volunteer attorneys will also present their stories, affording students the opportunity to see the effects of providing legal assistance. It is our hope that by attending, students will gain a heightened appreciation for pro bono service in our community and experience legal justice in action. Law students can register on VIP’s website at: https://phillyvip.org/content/training-registration-form September 2013September 27On Friday, September 27, Philadelphia VIP will present a CLE training program on Homeownership - Mortgage Foreclosure, at PECO/Exelon, 2301 Market Street, Philadelphia. Time of program and other details TBA. October 2013October TBAOctober TBA. VIP will hold its annual Pro Bono Opportunities Day: The Ethics of Pro Bono Service, a VIP signature recruitment event to Celebrate National Pro Bono Week. November 2013November TBA December 2013December 11December 11, Annual Public Interest Law Day CLE Program and the Public Interest Section's Annual Awards Ceremony and Reception. Further details will be provided. December TBADecember TBA. VIP will hold a CLE Training program on Divorce |
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