Allegheny County Bar Association
Project: ACBA Web site Redesign
The ACBA developed its first Web site in 1996. Over the past few years, the site has become outdated. As such, the ACBA redesigned its site to make it more interactive and to enable members and the general public to access information about the association through a Web site directory. Two new features that were added to the site are the availability to access the ACBA�s 6,900 members through a membership database and the acceptance of credit cards for online L.R.S. referrals.

Beaver County Bar Association
Project: Charitable Giving Project: McGuire Memorial Home
During the 2000 Christmas season, the BCBA initiated a fundraising project to assist the McGuire Home, which is a facility that cares for disabled children and adults. The McGuire Home is sponsored and run by the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese. Contributions were solicited from individual members of the association with the understanding that the BCBA would match all contributions. A total of $8,550 was raised for and presented to the McGuire Home in December. The money was earmarked to purchase portable feeding tubes for the wheelchairs of disabled children.

Project: Project PEACE
The BCBA partnered with the YMCA of Beaver County to implement Project PEACE, which was introduced by Attorney General Mike Fisher and the Pennsylvania Bar Association. The pilot program was introduced into elementary and middle schools in seven of the 15 Beaver County school districts. Held at the bar building, the two-day training program featured hands-on learning exercises in alternative dispute resolution through peer mediation. The purpose of the program is to help children end disputes peacefully. Fifty students and 20 adults attended the training, and one attorney partner was assigned to help each school implement the program. Monthly follow-up is conducted by the YMCA. All districts have reported positive results, and there is substantial interest in additional training and expansion of the program.

Berks County Bar Association
Project: Block Parties
In 2000, the leadership of the BCBA held a series of six dinner meetings for groups of attorneys in different areas of Berks County. Known as �Block Parties,� these meetings brought together a cross-section of members for an evening of free dinner and drinks at a restaurant in their home neighborhood. Ranging in attendance from 20 to 30 members at each party, the parties provided members and leadership with the opportunity to get to know one another better. Another series of six dinners is planned for 2001.

Project: Community Volunteer Awareness Campaign
The BCBA Public Relations Committee undertook a campaign to highlight the involvement of attorneys in community activities. A series of advertisements was published in an area newspaper for 11 days beginning with Law Day in May. Each ad featured the headline, �Community Volunteers,� and a different group of casually dressed attorneys identified only by their individual community activities. The caption for each ad stated, �And They�re Lawyers, Too!� More than 70 attorneys were included in the series.

Bucks County Bar Association
Project: People�s Law School
The BCBA�s People�s Law School is designed to promote goodwill with the community and to give general legal advice. Members of the BCBA volunteered their time to speak with the community at the Bucks County Community College. During the semester-long class, which featured two topics each night, students and lawyers took part in an open dialogue about legal issues. The BCBA has received positive feedback about this program from the community and the college.

Centre County Bar Association
Project: Penn State Moot Court Evaluation Program
Over 15 local attorneys assisted the Penn State Mock Trial Association by preparing college students for mock trials through coaching, training, evaluating and judging. A round robin tournament, in which approximately 60 students participated, was held in the fall. They then prepared for the American Mock Trial regional competitions with students from commonwealth campuses. The program is administered by the Law School Resource Coordinator of the College of Liberal Arts, Penn State University. This program is a great benefit for students as it provides them with career exploration and assistance with developing skills as future members of the legal profession.

Project: Law Day Courthouse Program
The CCBA, in conjunction with the court administrator�s office, organized and held a Law Day program at the Centre County Courthouse. The program featured two Centre County high school students who held mock trial exhibitions in the courtroom with a local judge presiding. Local attorneys functioned as evaluators. In addition, there were programs and symposiums presented by a district magistrate and probation officer to address subjects of interest to high school students. Attended by 500 students, these programs gave students an opportunity to see how the justice system operates.

Chester County Bar Association
Project: Juvenile Law
The CCBA Law-Related Education Committee developed a new instructional unit for ninth-grade classes titled �Juvenile Law.� Focusing on a broad overview of the entire juvenile justice system, the unit�s written materials review the basic structure, provisions and purposes of the Juvenile Act. They also highlight the distinctions between determinations of dependency and delinquency and review the important juvenile court cases from the United States and Pennsylvania Supreme Courts. Additional materials include a crossword puzzle, word search and videotape depicting a young defendant at a hearing before a master. An attorney volunteer visits the class to present the videotape and to act as a master in a mock hearing based on video�s written fact pattern.

Clearfield County Bar Association
Project: Law Day 2000
To celebrate Law Day on May 1, 2000, the CCBA invited all county high schools to select and send students to participate in Law Day programs at the county courthouse. Approximately 250 students representing seven high schools participated in the activities. The students were given a tour of various courthouse offices and the county jail. In addition, a mock trial was presented to help students gain a better understanding of the justice system.

Cumberland County Bar Association
Project: ABA�s Partners For Students
The partners program works to raise awareness among students of the issues that lead to marital discord in the hopes of easing the pressures that lead to the dissolution of marriage. Attorneys brought family law information into classrooms to teach students about the legal ramifications of marriage. The interaction between the teachers, students and attorneys has been a positive and rewarding experience for everyone involved. Started in 1998, this year�s program was made available to eight schools and had 58 bar members participate.

Project: YLD Casino Night
One of the major community-oriented projects sponsored by the CCBA YLD, �Casino Night� is designed to provide guests with an opportunity to wine and dine with colleagues and friends and then gamble with Monopoly money at Vegas-style games, including blackjack, roulette, poker and craps. After the casino closes, guests buy raffle tickets with their winnings for drawings of prizes donated by contributors and vendors. This past year, prizes included a three-day Carnival Cruise to the Bahamas and Mexico�s Baha Peninsula and a private flight for an upscale brunch. The YLD donated the proceeds of Casino Night to Her Heart�s Wish Foundation, which helps deserving women in Cumberland County, and the Cumberland County Bar Foundation for community outreach and educational projects.

Dauphin County Bar Association
Project: DCBA Civil Dispute Resolution Program
As a service to its members and to the public, the DCBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee adopted a new Civil Dispute Resolution Program. This program is available to individuals, corporations, insurance carriers and all other entities seeking expeditious resolutions to disputes that are, or could be, pending as civil actions in the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas. A six-hour mediation-training program was developed and conducted, and a rolling list of approved mediators now is maintained at the association for referral to interested parties.

Project: Historical Committee
The DCBA formed the Historical Committee in an effort to help further fulfill its purpose as stated in its bylaws, ��to perpetuate the history of the profession and the memory of its members�� The committee currently is collecting archival materials and information regarding the history of the DCBA in order to support several projects identified at the first meeting. Three charter members of the committee made a special presentation at the DCBA Fall Membership Meeting in September.

Project: Hon. Clarence C. Morrison Equal Professional Opportunity Award
The DCBA Equal Professional Opportunity Committee made its inaugural presentation of the Hon. Clarence C. Morrison Equal Professional Opportunity Award to the late Louis J. �Larry� Adler this past February. The event, attended by over 750 guests, was held in conjunction with a dinner commemorating the retirement of President Judge Clarence Morrison. Accepting the award on behalf of their father were Craig Adler, Esq. and William Adler, Esq. Future recipients of the award will be recognized at the Annual Membership Meeting.

Delaware County Bar Association
Project: Community Outreach: Reading is Fundamental
This program celebrates books, encourages literacy and distributes books to students who might otherwise lack access to such materials. Lawyers travel to local schools to read to elementary school students and then meet with the students individually to help them select books to take home. The DCBA�s goal is to excite students to read and also focus community�s attention on literacy and the importance of reading to the education and development of our children.

Project: Town Hall Line
During Law Day Week, a panel of attorneys makes itself available in the town�s government hall for a few hours each day to provide free legal advice. The program is helpful to the public and is a good public relations tool for the DCBA.

Erie County Bar Association
Project: Attorneys and Kids Together (AKT)
AKT is the ECBA�s signature community project and the vehicle by which the association and foundation have committed the membership to ongoing community projects involving youth. The first partnership began in 2000 with the Erie City School District. It involved assisting approximately 300 homeless students in the following ways: a study room project, which provided computers and study rooms at each of the homeless shelters for students and additional grants for 2,200 books that were disseminated on a monthly basis to each child; a backpack project, which provided homeless students with backpacks; a senior fund, which provided a cap and gown, yearbook, senior photos, class ring and prom necessities to homeless students; a van/bus to transport students from the shelters to school; and a mentoring program to interact with homeless students in such ways as putting together basketball games, going to a baseball game or movie and assisting with homework. AKT has its own logo and will be an ongoing project involving youth in a variety of ways for many years to come.

Lackawanna Bar Association
Project: Lawyers in the Classroom 2000
Sponsored by the LBA YLD for the third consecutive year, the Lawyers in the Classroom 2000 program is designed to educate elementary school students about the law and justice system. Nearly 50 local attorneys visited schools in Lackawanna County and spoke to over 2,400 fifth grade students. School administrators, teachers and students applauded the project. It also received positive media coverage for the YLD and LBA.

Project: People�s Law School 2000
The LBA People�s Law School 2000 provided members of the local community with the opportunity to learn first-hand about the law. The program took place over three days in August, and LBA volunteers presented sessions on homeowners� insurance, auto insurance and the American with Disabilities Act. All sessions were well attended, and participants agreed that the law school was a great and much needed service of the LBA. The LBA has sponsored the People�s Law School since 1993 and has educated hundreds of people from throughout the northeast region of Pennsylvania.

Project: Seniors and the Law
The LBA YLD sponsored its first �Seniors in the Law� event, which placed volunteer lawyers at senior citizen centers in Lackawanna to talk with guests about the law and legal issues of interest to older Pennsylvanians. The project was coordinated on a trial basis to assess the interest level of local senior centers, their guests and bar association volunteers. It enthusiastically was supported by the YLD/LBA who visited the local centers and had informal, informative and personal conversations with seniors. The program was approved by senior center administrators and guests and will remain an annual summer activity of the YLD.

Lancaster Bar Association
Project: Leadership Development Retreat
The LBA Long Range Planning Committee and Board of Directors identified the encouragement and development of a leadership base inclusive of young members as a priority for 2000 and beyond. The Committee enlisted the outside expertise of a professor in the Continuing Education Department of Penn State University to assist with the development of the agenda for the retreat held last April at Penn State�s main campus. During the 1-� day exercise, the LBA board and chairmen of the Long Range Planning and Nominating committees examined the organization, how it has changed over the years and established goals for increasing member participation. The group also identified ways to encourage the development of a larger leadership base. Follow-up includes implementation of strategies to accomplish the goals, review of progress and planning for new strategies.

Project: Mentor Program
Following the leadership development retreat in April 2000, the LBA decided to establish a mentoring program to foster high standards of legal practice and to encourage newer members of the organization to become involved with the LBA and hone their leadership skills.

Lebanon County Bar Association
Project: 1st Annual LCBA, City of Lebanon, Youth 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament
The LCBA financially sponsored the 1st Annual LCBA, City of Lebanon, Youth 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament, which took place in July. One hundred and seventy boys and 72 girls competed in three different age groups. The tournament was hailed a success by the City of Lebanon Parks and Recreation Department.

Project: Lebanon Community Theatre, Inc. Playwriting Contest 2001
The LCBA sponsored the annual one-act playwriting contest held by the Lebanon Community Theatre. The contest is open to playwrights of all ages and levels of experience. The plays are submitted on a common theme, and the winning plays are produced on the LCT stage each August for the public. The winning playwrights are given the opportunity to direct their plays. Now in its third year, the contest has been a great success with over 85 plays submitted in the first two years from authors, from four states, ranging in age from nine to 89.

Project: WLBR: You and the Law
For many years, the LCBA, in cooperation with WLBR-AM, a local radio station, has provided attorneys for talk shows. The attorneys spend two hours, one day per month, talking about issues relating to the law. The attorneys respond to law-related topics from the talk show host and to calls from the radio audience.

Bar Association of Lehigh County
Project: Family Law Public Service Seminar
The Family Law Section of the BALC presented a successful public seminar, which addressed child support and other family law issues. The program was part of a co-sponsored effort of the local bar association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association public education program. The seminar, which was held at the bar association�s headquarters and had approximately 100 attendees, assisted individuals who needed specific family law information. It also generated a positive image of the profession due to the presenter�s willingness to assist those in attendance.

Project: Law Day 2000
To highlight Law Day activities and classroom visits to Lehigh County schools, the BALC�s Law Day Committee hosted its annual Law Day luncheon on May 1, 2000. Judge James Knoll Gardner was recognized during the luncheon for his local and statewide legal education efforts in communities and schools. Since the Law Day activities extended throughout the year, the committee sponsored extensive classroom involvement as a special millennium year project. The Law Day activities generated positive effects in the schools and positive publicity in the local news media.

Project: Medical Society/Bar Association Joint Meetings
Annually, the Lehigh County Medical Society and the BALC meet for a social hour and program that focuses on a topic of mutual interest or concern. The program is hosted by each organization on alternate years and has brought about a better understanding of varied perspectives and improved communication between the professions. This coming year will mark the 50th Annual Joint Meeting.

Lycoming Law Association
Project: Food & Toy Drive for St. Anthony�s Center
The LLA cosponsored a food and toy drive with the Lycoming County Paralegal Association to benefit St. Anthony�s Center, a local charity that provides free meals to the poor. The drive collected food and toys from local law offices and the Lycoming County Courthouse. The toys collected were given to needy children at the St. Anthony�s Center during the annual Christmas party for children.

Project: Lycoming Law Association Web site
This past year, in conjunction with the court, Gary Weber, a member of the LLA Executive Committee, developed the association�s Web site. The site provides more than 400 opinions, the local rules of the court, an up-to-date attorney directory, bar history, events, announcements, news, Law Day information and law-related research sites. It is designed to provide this information to LLA membership, the court, the out-of-county bar and the general public.

Monroe County Bar Association
Project: Child Support Guidelines Update
To help the public gain a better understanding of the changes to Pennsylvania�s child support guidelines, the MCBA sponsored a free informational program on the changes at the Monroe County Courthouse. The program was designed to discuss the overall changes, explained enforcement of court orders and clarified master�s hearings and Domestic Relations Office procedures. The panel of presenters included local lawyers, domestic relations personnel and the Honorable Linda Wallach Miller.

Project: Installation of Satellite Dish
The MCBA, with a grant from the Pennsylvania Bar Insurance Trust Fund, installed a satellite dish in order to receive live satellite continuing legal education broadcasts. Having the satellite at the bar center provides MCBA members with convenient and accessible live CLE.

Project: Monroe County Mock Trial Invitational
The MCBA held the 13th Annual Mock Trial Invitational at Notre Dame High School in November 2000. Nine schools, with a total of 13 teams, participated in the daylong competition, which was designed to prepare the students for the statewide competition held in February. Twenty-nine lawyers participated as coaches, judges and program coordinators. Prizes and trophies were given to the first, second and third place schools, and trophies were presented to the �Best Witness� am/pm and �Best Attorney� am/pm.

Montgomery Bar Association
Project: Horace A. Davenport Dispute Resolution Center
The Davenport Dispute Resolution Center was created to meet the increasing need for alternative dispute resolution programs. The center, which began accepting cases in the fall, was named for Montgomery County Senior Judge Horace A. Davenport, who has a history of settling difficult cases. The primary goal of the center is to offer mediation and arbitration services to individuals, corporations, insurance companies and other private and public entities as cost and time saving alternatives to litigation. The center�s arbitrators/mediators are MBA members and were selected by the ad hoc Dispute Resolution Committee. Each attorney must have practiced law for a minimum of ten years and completed a mandatory training course. The areas of practice include, but are not limited to, insurance, contracts, real estate, employment, toxic tort, medical malpractice and personal injury.

Project: Montgomery County Children�s Advocacy Project
The Montgomery County Children�s Advocacy Project, established in May, was created to form a nonprofit entity in Montgomery County to serve the unmet legal needs of children in criminal cases where a child is a victim of abuse and neglect. Attorneys interested in serving as volunteer child advocates can participate in one of the program�s training sessions, which are sponsored by the Support Center for Child Advocates. The project is recruiting a number of trained attorneys to handle the sensitive cases on a pro bono basis and hopes to have enough volunteers to help all at-risk children.

Project: The Referral Book for Family Lawyers
Members of the MBA Members Services Committee, in conjunction with the Family Law Section, created The Referral Book for Family Lawyers as a comprehensive resource guide for family law practitioners. Committee members compiled and verified pertinent data and had it entered into a computer program. The data then was published for both MBA members and nonmembers. The committee currently is considering compiling another book in a different practice area.

Northampton County Bar Association
Project: Bench Bar Conference
The NCBA held its 2000 Bench Bar Conference, �The Cyber Courthouse - Cyber Law Office,� for 160 bench and bar members to highlight groundbreaking technology designed for use in legal practices and courtrooms. Four one-hour sessions provided attendees with insight into the future of technology in the legal profession. Sessions focused E-files updates, technology in the courtroom, technology for the solo and small firm practitioner and the use of the Internet in legal practice.

Project: Children�s Holiday Party
The NCBA Young Lawyers Division held a holiday party for 40 underprivileged and abused children from around Northampton County in December. The YLD rented �Putter�s Paradise� in Easton for a day of indoor miniature golf, snacks, lunch and a visit from Santa Claus, who handed out presents to each child.

Project: Law Day 2000 Mock Trial
Thirteen lawyers from the Young Lawyers Division and Law Day Committee participated in a mock trial as part of the Law Day 2000 celebration. Judge James Hogan presided over the three-hour fictitious case before an audience of more than 40 Northampton County high school students. Each participating attorney portrayed a fictional character as part of the case, and the jury was comprised of high school students. The purpose of the mock trial was to help students become more aware of the nature of law, courtroom procedure and the legal system.

Philadelphia Bar Association
Project: Civility: �Principles of Professionalism�
At the beginning of 2000, PBA Chancellor Doreen S. Davis launched a major push for new standards of civility within the city�s legal community and throughout the commonwealth. In op-ed pieces and on television, radio and the Internet, the chancellor opened dialogue on civility within the profession and beyond. Other PBA sections and committees also worked on promoting civility. In September, the PBA�s board formally adopted the new �Principles of Professionalism�, and the chancellor urged the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to embrace the basic tenets as well. In December, the Supreme Court adopted a new Code of Civility for all Pennsylvania lawyers and judges.

Schuylkill County Bar Association
Project: Christmas Project: Women�s Law Caucus
The SCBA Women�s Law Caucus helped to make Christmas wishes come true for 85 children who are patients at the DePaul Dental Clinic. The lawyers worked to solicit monetary donations from the legal community, plan the Christmas party, and shop and wrap more than 400 gifts on the children�s wish lists.

Project: Law Day 2000
During the May 1 - 5, 2000 celebration of Law Day, the Schuylkill County president judge and 25 local lawyers presented programs to approximately 900 students in ten elementary, middle and high schools. The Lesson Plan & Idea Guide or Stepping Out booklet was used in many classes and discussions focused on the legal profession, constitutional law, and the legal system and its impact on people�s lives.

Project: Public Relations Campaign
The SCBA undertook a public relations campaign to inform the public about the association�s efforts and the work of lawyers. Various local newspapers featured photos and articles about the quarterly meeting of the SCBA held in December. Published articles included information about the election of the SCBA officers and the recognition awards, which were presented to 147 lawyers for participation in committees and programs. The association also ran several radio and newspaper advertisements, which featured holiday wishes to the public and information about lawyers helping to serve their community.

Susquehanna County Bar Association
Project: Stepping Out Program
Presented to schools in Susquehanna County, the SCBA�s Stepping Out Program was designed to help graduating seniors make the often intimidating first step into adulthood by providing them with valuable information on such legal matters as renting an apartment, buying a car, driving under the influence, marriage and divorce.

Washington County Bar Association
Project: Courthouse Centennial Celebration
To help plan celebrations for the Washington County Courthouse�s 100th anniversary, the WCBA was part of a special Courthouse Centennial Commission involving county commissioners, attorneys, historians and other groups. The WCBA contributed $9,000 to help publish �The People�s Palace,� a 32-page full-color book about the history of the courthouse. The WCBA also planned special Law Day activities and hung bunting on the courthouse from May through December. In addition, the association arranged for a full-page, nationally syndicated �Shortcuts� issue for children to be published in the local newspaper providing historical information and the WCBA�s phone number for scheduling attorney-led courthouse tours. A public open house, featuring WCBA members, and gala was held at the courthouse. The celebrations drew media and community attention as well as the financial support of hundreds of individuals, law firms and businesses.

Project: Law Day 2000 rector
Law Day 2000 marked the 100th anniversary of the Washington County Courthouse and the reinstatement of the Local Court Admission Ceremony. As such, the WCBA hosted a public evening program at the courthouse and a private bench-bar reception. At the Law Day program, the annual Liberty Bell award was presented to the Pennsylvania State Police�s Troop B Camp Cadet and the City of Washington Police department�s Citizen Police Academy, and the Law Day Contest awards were presented to local students. In addition, �Exploring Diversity� and �Civil Rights� newspaper tabs related to the Law Day theme were delivered to 10,000 students through the Observer-Reporter�s Newspapers in Education program.

Project: Local Court Admission Ceremony
The WCBA reinstated the formal admission ceremony to the local court in an effort to celebrate the tradition, history and formal connection to the local court. Members of the bench and bar honored and remembered each of their deceased colleagues with a Memorial Minute in the Washington County Court of Common Pleas. The record of the proceedings was transcribed and filed under the number and term of each attorney�s admission to practice before the local court. Sixty-eight attorneys were admitted at the en masse Local Court Admission Ceremony that took place on May 1, 2000 in conjunction with Law Day and the courthouse centennial activities.

Westmoreland Bar Association
Project: Chamber Bash
In conjunction with the local Chamber of Commerce, the Westmoreland Bar Foundation held a Law Week program last May. Over 100 chamber members were in attendance for an after hours �bash� at the courthouse. Attorneys and judges teamed up to give tours of the courtrooms and row offices. At each tour stop, attendees learned about the justice system, including technology in the courtroom, how to research a deed and the workings of the law library. There also were conversations with the president judge and district attorney. Feedback from the judges, attorneys and chamber members was positive. Another bash is planned for next year that will include local teachers or nonprofit leaders.

Project: Children�s Book Drive
To commemorate Dr. Seuss� birthday, the Westmoreland Bar Foundation partnered with Westmoreland County Head Start to collect new and gently used children�s books - preschool through elementary school. The books collected in the local drive were distributed to the 600 Head Start families throughout Westmoreland County. A kick-off luncheon was held in March to celebrate literacy and present the books to Head Start. The 2001 program will be expanded to allow courthouse employees to make contributions. One of the WBA attorneys, who will dress as the Cat in the Hat, will visit Head Start centers to read to the children and present collected books.

Project: Updated the Look of the �Sidebar�
The WBA�s newsletter, the �Sidebar,� has been an in house publication for the past ten years with only minor changes made since its creation. According to the latest membership survey, the bimonthly newsletter continues to have a high readership. As such, the �Sidebar� was updated to include color, scanned photos from a digital camera and expanded advertising. It still is written and produced in house, but now is sent out for printing.

Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association
Project: A Sesquicentennial History
The Wilkes-Barre Law and Library Association - One Hundred Fifty Years of Community Service: A Sesquicentennial History, written by Stephen B. Killian, Esq., is a wonderful book that encapsules a century and a half of bar history and community service by the lawyers of Luzerne County. The excellence of character and performance recorded in the pages of the book are examples for every present-day lawyer to follow. Copies of the book were distributed to every member of the Bar of Luzerne County.

Project: Sesquicentennial Public Exhibit
The Sesquicentennial Public Exhibit was an educational display assembled at the Luzerne County Historical Society Museum in Wilkes-Barre. The exhibit, which consisted of paintings, picture composites, three-dimensional artifacts and eleven display cases of historical materials, was designed to illustrate the formation and development of the W-BLLA and the important role played by judges, lawyers and the law in the history of Wyoming Valley and the commonwealth. The W-BLLA wanted to give the general public a better understanding of what a county bar association is and to help them to develop a greater appreciation for what judges and lawyers do for the community.

York County Bar Association
Project: Habitat for Humanity
The YCBA assumed the responsibility for providing all needed volunteers to work with Habitat for Humanity employees every Saturday in March. Working with the employees and prospective homeowners, lawyers and staff from multiple York County law offices helped complete two new inner-city townhouses for underprivileged citizens in the community. The homes now are occupied and enjoyed by two families that would not have otherwise been able to afford their own homes. In addition to pro bono and financial contributions, this high profile, hands-on effort by the bar members is another example of the YCBA�s ongoing commitment to helping the less fortunate members of the community.