Fedak, Mumma Honored at 2008 PBA Annual Meeting for Work on Desktop Reference Manual
Laurel Hettinger Fedak, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee vice chair (far left) and PBI's Andrea Mumma received special Presidential Recognition Awards from outgoing PBA President Andy Susko (at podium) and incoming PBA President C. Dale McClain at the 2008 PBA Annual Meeting Awards Breakfast. The awards recognize their work in developing the Military and Veterans Affairs Desktop Reference Manual for use by attorneys working on legal assistance for military personnel. The manual will be featured in an Aug. 5 CLE broadcast across the state.

2008 PBA Pro Bono Conference and Pro Bono Awardees
The 2008 PBA Pro Bono Conference, funded by a generous grant from the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation, was held in tandem with the PBA on the Hill program, Monday, May 5, in Harrisburg at the state Capitol. Pro Bono Award winners were honored by YLD Chair Bill Higgins and Pro Bono Coordinator David Trevaskis as part of the Pro Bono Conference that afternoon. A highlight of the PBA on the Hill event was the reception in the Capitol Rotunda, during which PBA Pro Bono Award winners were again honored. Click here to view reception photos. Click here to view photos from the Pro Bono Conference. And click here for the conference agenda.

Wayne County Pro Bono Conference, June 27, 2008
Nearly half of the active practice attorneys in Wayne County joined Judge Raymond L. Hamill for a six-hour Continuing Legal Education Program organized by local attorney Richard Henry, with the support of PBA Pro Bono Coordinator David Trevaskis and Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Executive Director Sam Milkes. The expansive program was provided at no cost to local attorneys as a means to stimulate the development of an organized pro bono program in the county. Find out more.

2008 PBA on the Hill Program Promotes Civil Legal Aid
     Talking Points
     The Need for Student Loan Repayment Assistance for Public Service Lawyers in Pennsylvania
     PLAN 2008-09 Budget Request
     PLAN Postcards
     Sen. Greenleaf Letter, April 30, 2008

Penn State Dickinson Students Honored
PBA Pro Bono Coordinator David Trevaskis joined other public interest leaders in honoring students of the Miller Center for Public Interest Advocacy at the Penn State University Dickinson School of Law, Carlisle, on April 7. Trevaskis's remarks on the importance of pro bono service and access to justice were simulcast to students and faculty at the school's State College campus as students there also received recognition.

Pictured, from left, are Katherine Fitz-Patrick, president, Public Interest Law Fund; Sam Milkes, executive director, Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN); Robert Kleiner, Miller Center public interest advocate; Cynthia Newcomer, PLAN chief administrative officer; Valerie Burch, ACLU Harrisburg staff attorney; Kate Cramer Lawrence, Penn State Dickinson public interest and clinical teaching fellow; and David Trevaskis, PBA pro bono coordinator

Supreme Court Approves Development of Uniform Family Law Forms
The Supreme Court has approved the development of a unified set of family law forms that will be accessible on the Internet and for use by all counties. Development of the forms resulted from the work of the Task Force on Self-Represented Litigation and that of the Public Education and Community Outreach Committee's Website Committee.
      A new subcommittee was formed within the Domestic Relations Procedural Rules Committee and attorney Momjian was appointed to chair the subcommittee. The April 28, 2008, Pennsylvania Law Weekly noted Momjian's appointment.
      Judge Penny Blackwell, chair of the Task Force on Self-Represented Litigation, commented on the appointment by saying, "We are pleased that Mr. Momjian has been appointed to chair the subcommittee tasked with the development of a unified set of family law forms that will be accessible through the Internet and for use by all counties. His charge appears to be consistent with the recommendations provided by the commission's Task Force on Self-represented Litigation and Website Committee."
      Sam Milkes, executive director of Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Inc.; Vicki Coyle, executive director of North Penn Legal Services; and PBA Pro Bono Coordinator David Trevaskis participated in the work of the committees that resulted in the recommendation that the Supreme Court has now approved.

Attorneys Go to the "Hill" to Support Legal Aid
More than 200 attorneys and legal aid clients from across the state were in Harrisburg on May 5 and 6 to ask lawmakers to support increased funding for legal aid programs in the governor's budget and to pass proposed legislation establishing a loan forgiveness program for public interest attorneys.
     The organized effort was the 2008 version of the annual Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyer's Division’s PBA on the Hill program, which was themed "Pennsylvania Lawyers Taking Their Case to Capitol Hill."
     Andrew Susko, PBA president, held a press conference in the Capitol Rotunda following a morning session on lobbying tips, explaining to those gathered that recent interest rate cuts have shrunk a key source of funding for such programs at the same time that more families facing foreclosure need attorneys' advice.
      "When someone is losing a home, legal services are often really the only way to provide protection to homeowners. It is a very, very critical problem," said Susko.
      According to Sam Milkes, executive director of the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN), another option lawmakers should consider is a bill to offer student loan forgiveness to new lawyers who opt for jobs in public service areas of law.
      "Ninety-five percent of law graduates have a loan, which on average is close to $100,000. That means many lawyers cannot even consider a public interest career without some sort of help," said Milkes, adding that the legal aid system provides a vital service to 100,000 families each year in cases ranging from health care to foreclosure where there is no right to a lawyer.
      "The only way we can help assure that there is counsel available, that somebody can be advised and represented in those key issues, is through funding to legal aid," he said.
      Susko noted that legal aid programs provide a wide-range of legal services. They handle domestic violence, child custody and many other cases in which there are definite needs for legal advice, but no automatic right to court-appointed counsel. Even before interest rates were cut, he explained, funding had failed to keep up with inflation, forcing legal aid programs to turn away about half of those seeking assistance.
     The two-day program gave lawyers the opportunity to meet face-to-face with their state legislators about issues impacting the practice of law and the public's access to justice during a dedicated block of time set aside for these meetings. Attendees had a second opportunity to meet with legislators during the PBA's Capitol Rotunda reception ending day one of the program. PBA Pro Bono Award winners were showcased during this special event.
      In addition, the program offered important updates on the recently enacted right-to-know/open records law and the "Civil Gideon" movement in Pennsylvania. There was also a special session titled "Law School for Legislators and Staff" on day two of the program that focused on legal services supporting the needs of constituents, including PALawHELP.org and the Older and Wiser community education programs presented cooperatively by legal aid programs, pro bono attorneys and local legislators. PBA Pro Bono Coordinator David Trevaskis and PLAN technology guru Hank Leone shared the PALawHelp Web site with legislators; Rep. Craig Dally was so impressed with the information available for his constituents that he e-mailed his staff about the site from the workshop.
     The PBA Pro Bono Office organized and held the 8th Annual Pro Bono Conference, supported by the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation, in the afternoon of May 5 at the Capitol following the lobbying efforts that morning. Three CLE credits were provided through the conference for programs that included a presentation on Civil Gideon featuring Dauphin County President Judge Richard Lewis, MidPenn Legal Aid Executive Director Rhodia Thomas, PLAN head Sam Milkes and the PBA's Trevaskis. The highlight of the program was the celebration of the 2008 Pro Bono Awards, with PBA YLD Chair and Bedford County District Attorney William Higgins handing out the awards. Dauphin County Judge Todd Hoover was honored with the 2008 Judges Award for his efforts expanding pro bono service in central Pennsylvania.

Northwestern Legal Services Launches New Media Blog
If you're traveling the information superhighway to Northwestern Legal Services, be sure to turn on your computer speakers before you get there. Find out more.

Meeting the Pro Bono Challenge
PBA staff attorneys, led by Executive Director Barry Simpson (far right), recently joined PBA President Andy Susko (center) for SeniorLaw Center Helpline training at PBA headquarters, Harrisburg. The training prepared the lawyer-volunteers to handle phone calls from elderly Pennsylvanians facing legal concerns, one of many ways PBA attorneys are meeting Susko's challenge that every lawyer reach out to improve access to the legal system through pro bono service.