Seventh Annual YLD Diversity Scholarship Reception June 14

The YLD will host its Seventh Annual Diversity Scholarship Reception on Thursday, June 14 at Estia, 1405 Locust St., from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., sponsored by Love Court Reporting.

This year's scholarship recipients include Joel Clymer and Nishana Weerasooriya from the Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law; Geneva Campbell from the University of Pennsylvania Law School; Elisa Kim from the Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University, and Tran Che at the Villanova University Law School.

Co-hosts of the event are Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania, Barristers' Association of Philadelphia, Business Law Section and South Asian Bar Association. Registration is required in advance and includes hors d'oeuvres and drink ticket. Admission is complimentary for members of the host organizations and $15 for non-members. Click here to register.

YLD Night at the Phillies July 20

It's YLD night at the Phillies! Come cheer on our favorite team as they take on the San Francisco Giants at 7:05 p.m. Registration includes a ticket behind home plate in sections 419, 420 or 421 and a pre-game party at the all new XFinity Live! from 5 to 7 p.m. which includes a ballpark tailgate with beer and wine. This event is sponsored by Kaplan, Leaman & Wolfe Court Reporting & Litigation Support.

Only a limited number of tickets are available and must be purchased by a member of the Association (maximum 3 guests per member). All tickets must be purchased by June 20 and all sales are final. Click here to register.

Drafting Great Fee Agreements June 12

Ever wonder what to include and how to draft a great fee agreement? Wonder no more. Join the Solo and Small Firm Committee on Tuesday, June 12 for a discussion on this topic.

Panelists include Carla Maresca, Frank Conley and Djung Tran. The program begins at 12 p.m. in the 11th floor Conference Center at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market St. Lunch is available for $8 for members of the Philadelphia Bar Association and $9.50 for non-members. Cancellations require 24 hours notice to receive a refund. Click here to register.

Fiduciary Duties of Officers and Directors June 12

Delaware Supreme Court Justice Randy J. Holland is among the panelists for the CLE program "Fiduciary Duties of Officers and Directors" on Tuesday, June 12. Check-in and lunch begin at 12 p.m. at The CLE Conference Center on the 10th floor of the Wanamaker Building, Market and Juniper streets. Click here to register.

top

Berry to Speak June 26; Dalton to Receive O'Connor Award

Dr. Mary Frances Berry, former chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, will deliver the Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. Memorial Public Interest Lecture at the Tuesday, June 26 Quarterly Meeting and Luncheon. Click here to purchase tickets.

Jane Leslie Dalton, who has served as Chancellor, chair of the Board of Governors and co-chair of the Women in the Profession Committee, will be presented with the Association's Sandra Day O'Connor Award at the event, set for 12 p.m. at the Hyatt at The Bellevue, Broad and Walnut streets. The O'Connor Award is presented to a woman attorney who has demonstrated superior legal talent, achieved significant legal accomplishments and has furthered the advancement of women in both the profession and the community.

Dr. Berry is currently the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania. She has written numerous books including "Power in Words: The Stories behind Barack Obama's Speeches, from the State House to the White House."

New members of the Association's 50-, 60-, 65- and 75-Year Clubs will also be honored at the event, set for 12 p.m. at the Hyatt at The Bellevue, Broad and Walnut streets. The Year Clubs recognize attorneys who have been practicing law for 50 years or more. Click here to purchase tickets.

Bar Foundation Golf/Tennis Classic June 25 at Green Valley CC

The Philadelphia Bar Foundation Golf Classic will be held Monday, June 25 at Green Valley Country Club. We are excited to announce that Wilkie Lexus of Cherry Hill has chosen the Philadelphia Bar Foundation as a participant in the Lexus Champions for Charity golf tournament. Thanks to the generosity of Wilkie Lexus, our auction will feature a spot on the roster for the three-day Lexus Champions for Charity tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any golf enthusiast.

If you are not a golfer, but want to be part of the fun, please join us in the afternoon for a round-robin tennis tournament. The day will be capped off with an open bar surf-and-turf reception and auction on the beautiful lawns of Green Valley Country Club. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP is a presenting sponsor of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation Golf Classic.

Why support the Philadelphia Bar Foundation? The mission of the Bar Foundation is to provide equal access to justice for all. As a practical matter, access to justice only exists when education, representation and advocacy combine to allow people to take full advantage of their legal rights. In a position to look at the legal services community as a whole, the Bar Foundation is a key provider of both resources and solutions with the greatest impact on this ambitious goal.

Through the awarding of annual grants, the Bar Foundation provides much needed operational funding for more than 30 public interest law groups. Each grantee has a distinct mission: advocating for the homeless, protecting children in crisis, working with distressed homeowners to prevent foreclosure, protecting elders from abuse, preventing discrimination – the issues are countless. What these distinct groups have in common is the fight for access to justice. The Bar Foundation exists to support this common goal.

The annual Golf Classic raises substantial funds to meet our mission. The money raised at the Golf Classic goes directly into funding our 35 legal service grantees. Please join us in our mission. Click here for more information or to register.

Register Now for Bench-Bar at Revel in October

Register now for the Philadelphia Bar Association’s 2012 Bench-Bar & Annual Conference, featuring 21 CLE seminars, at the new beachfront Revel resort in Atlantic City, N.J., on Oct. 5 and 6.

The Bench-Bar & Annual Conference provides attendees with the opportunity to earn CLE credit while networking with colleagues and members of the bench. Hundreds of attorneys and judges are expected to attend.

Maria A. Feeley, a partner at Pepper Hamilton LLP, is chair of the Bench-Bar & Annual Conference. Molly Peckman, director of professional development at Dechert LLP, is programming chair of the Bench-Bar & Annual Conference. Jeffrey S. Gross, a principal with Batt & Gross, is serving as sponsorship chair and Jennifer Segal Coatsworth, an associate with Margolis Edelstein, is sponsorship vice chair. Regina Foley of Raynes McCarty is chair of the scholarship subcommittee.

Sponsors for the 2012 Bench-Bar & Annual Conference include USI Affinity, First Judicial District, Love Court Reporting, Strategic Legal Solutions, JAMS, M. Burr Keim Company, Robson Forensic, US Claims Inc., Applied Discovery, Beau*Co. Custom Clothing, Iron Mountain, LawCash, LexisNexis, Lien Negotiation Counsel, O'Neill Consulting Corporation, Special Counsel, The MCS Group, Thomson Reuters Expert Witness Service and The Legal Intelligencer. Special acknowledgement - Family Law Section, Real Property Section and Workers' Compensation Section. For sponsorship information, please contact Tracey McCloskey at 215-238-6360 or via email at tmccloskey@philabar.org. Learn more at benchbar.philadelphiabar.org.

Marketing Corner: Avoid Focus Fizzle This Summer

By Kimberly Alford Rice

Warm weather is upon us and while it is tempting to cruise through the next few months, I would urge you to avoid "focus fizzle" by renewing your resolve to strategically build your practice while others are boogie-boarding the summer away.

To supercharge your business development efforts and distinguish you and your practice, focus on "the experience."

Isn't that what your best clients are looking for - an extraordinary experience? Sure, you must be competent in solving their problems or guiding them through the next big deal, but ultimately, clients stay based on their experience with you and your law firm.

Every marketing message you send out should focus on the type of experience clients and prospective clients can expect by working with you. These would include returning calls promptly even if there is little to report; giving clients a "heads up" if they are about to receive a higher than usual invoice; and, understanding thoroughly your clients' business pain points and devising a plan to relieve them.

Focus on how you can communicate more concisely the value you offer clients. What distinguishes the experience you provide clients from those of competitors? Why do your referral sources send business your way?

Take the "30-foot view" of your practice and remember what it is you are truly selling, because it is much more than just legal services.

KLA Marketing Associates is here to assist and support your practice growth in 2012. Reach out if we can help!

Kimberly Alford Rice is principal of KLA Marketing Associates, a business development advisory firm focusing on legal services. As a law marketing authority, Kimberly helps law firms and lawyers develop practical business development and marketing strategies which lead directly to new clients and increased revenues. Additionally, Kimberly provides career management services to lawyers in transition. She may be reached at 609-458-0415 or via email at kimberly@klamarketing.net.

top