Becoming Involved with YLD

The Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the Philadelphia Bar Association is, well, all of us – the 2,000 or so members of the Bar Association who are less than 37 and/or have been practicing for less than three years.  The Executive Committee of the YLD oversees and coordinates the YLD’s activities, projects and events.  Sure, there are social networking events, but there are also fundraisers and many community outreach activities.  

You don’t have to be a member of the Executive Committee, though, to help out with planning and organizing YLD events.  There are several opportunities for young lawyers to volunteer and become involved:  

·        Law Week – Each year around May, the YLD commemorates national Law Day by having an entire week of activities throughout the community.  There’s Law Fair at the Gallery (providing free legal advice to shoppers), Lawyer in the Classroom (talking to students in schools about law careers) and Lawyer for a Day (having a student spend part of a day with the attorney to see what it’s like). 

·        Mock Trial – During the spring, about 50 area public and parochial high schools take part in the Philadelphia High School Mock Trial Competition.  The winner of this competition takes part in the state-wide competition, and the winner of that competition advances to the National High School Mock Trial Championship.  The YLD is always looking for volunteers to serve as volunteers (as an advisor, coach or judge) for the Philadelphia competition or for the mock trial law camp.  Last year, a Philadelphia high school (Overbrook High) advanced all the way to the national competition. 

·        Attorney Mentoring Program – For those who are looking for advice or for those who are looking to pass on what they have learned, the YLD’s mentoring program matches up newer attorneys with more experienced ones. 

These activities are only a sampling of the many opportunities to help out with the YLD.  If you are interested in becoming involved with YLD events, feel free to contact the new Chair of the Executive Committee, Brian Chacker (over a million people, give or take a million, attended his inauguration), at bchacker@gaychackermittin.net.   

Martin Luther King Day of Service

Martin Luther King Day is this coming Monday.  As you may know, it is traditionally a day of service in Philadelphia. 

Villanova Law School is organizing a service project at the Face to Face Legal Center at St. Vincent’s Church in Germantown.  For more information contact Elizabeth Dunn or click here.

You can also volunteer at the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service website.

Law Week Volunteers Needed

The Young Lawyers Division of the Philadelphia Bar Association seeks volunteers for Law Week events.  Law Week is a series of programs that place Philadelphia lawyers of any age and law students in the community to educate the city’s youth and public about the law through direct interaction.

Some of our Law Week activities include:

 

• The Trials of Goldilocks and the Big Bad Wolf – On Thursday, May 1^st from 9am to 12 pm volunteer attorneys will use the facts of the well-known fairy-tales, Goldilocks and The Three Little Pigs, as the basis for criminal trials.  Volunteers act as prosecutors, defense attorneys and witnesses in the criminal trials, which include opening statements, examinations and cross-examinations of witnesses, closing arguments, and instructions of the juries. At the conclusion of each trial the students are given the role of the jury and determine whether the Big Bad Wolf or Goldilocks are guilty of a crime.  To volunteer please contact Heather Herrington

 

 

• Legal Advice Live! – A free, daylong ask-a-lawyer event spanning across Philadelphia.  On Wednesday, April 30th, dozens of Philadelphia attorneys will gather on Independence Mall to provide free, in-person legal advice from noon to 2 p.m. in Center City. Attorneys will provide answers to legal questions on a broad range of topics, including landlord/tenant law, divorce and child custody matters, wills and estate planning, real estate law and employment law.  If you would like to volunteer, please contact Abbie DuFrayne  

 

Also on Wednesday, April 30^th, volunteer attorneys will go into the community and give free legal advice at select Free Library of Philadelphia branches.  Volunteers are needed at the South Philadelphia Branch at Broad and Morris streets and the Tacony Branch at Torresdale Avenue and Knorr Street from 1 to 3 p.m.  Additional branches may be available. To volunteer contact Abbie DuFrayne

 

 

• Lawyer for a Day- Volunteer attorneys, law students and judges pair with high school students and take them into the courts to learn more about the process of the judicial system as well as the role lawyers, judges, and juries play in our community.  Several city courtrooms will be open to allow the participants to observe proceedings. This program starts at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, May 2nd at the Philadelphia Bar Association, and all participants are invited to a concluding lunch, which includes a keynote by a guest speaker.  If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Carey Chopko or Corey Davis

 

• Lawyer in the Classroom – Volunteer lawyers and law students will visit different schools throughout the week to address students’ concerns about the law and the legal issues that affect them as they enter adulthood and answer questions about the legal profession.  If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Kelly Gastley or Josh Ryan

 

 

• Legal Line – Also on Wednesday, April 30th, from 5 to 8 p.m., area residents can call lawyers at (215) 238-6333 and have their legal questions answered free and confidentially. The lawyers will staff a phone bank at the headquarters of the Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market St., 11th floor.  If you would like to volunteer for Legal Line (either April 30th or a future date), please contact Stephanie Mensing  

 

 Also if you know 4^th, 5^th, 6^th or 12^th grade students, teachers or parents at a Philadelphia public, parochial, charter or private school, we are seeking submissions for:

 

·         Edward F. Chacker Essay Contest - Named for former Philadelphia Bar Association Chancellor Edward F. Chacker, the 2008 contest offers a $1,000 college scholarship to High School Seniors who attend public, parochial, charter or private schools in Philadelphia.  Seniors are asked to write an essay of at least 1,000 words on the question:

 

Do you think that school officials should be permitted to search a student’s computer, iPod or iPhone?  Why or why not?  What factors should a court consider when deciding whether it is proper for a school official to search the contents of a student’s computer, iPod or iPhone? 

 

The 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is supposed to protect the privacy and security of individuals against unreasonable searches by government officials.  However, school officials also have an interest in protecting the safety of their students and teachers.  Students may want to address the possible kinds of information that could be on a computer, iPod or iPhone – like voicemails, emails, text messages, documents, videos, etc. – that could be illegal or perfectly legal but highly private information.

 

In addition to the scholarship, the winner will read their essay at a Naturalization Ceremony on May 1, 2008. Submissions should include the student’s name, address, telephone number and school on a cover sheet accompanying the essay. All entries must be received by Amy Muldoon at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market Street, 11^th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107 or amuldoon@philabar.org by NOON on Friday, April 11, 2008.

 

·         2008 Poster Contest - All 4th, 5th and 6th grade students who attend Philadelphia public, private, charter and parochial schools are invited to participate in the 2008 Poster Contest. Students are asked to: Draw a picture which best illustrates how law provides opportunity and equality in our community.  Posters should be produced on standard 22″ x 28″ poster board and students should include their name, address, telephone number and school on the back of the poster. First, second and third prize savings bonds will be awarded. All entries must be received by Amy Muldoon at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market Street, 11^th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107 by NOON on Friday, April 11, 2008.

These events are fun and we need your help to make them successful. If you would like to volunteer or know of someone who can, please contact us or forward this information to them (including teachers or parents of students in the 4th, 5th, 6th or 12th grade). With your help, we look forward to a week of successful events.