HARRISBURG (May 10, 2010) - The Pennsylvania Bar Association Administrative Law Section has presented its James S. Bowman Award to John L. Gedid, professor of law and director of the Law and Government Institute at Widener University School of Law's Harrisburg campus. The award will be presented during the state association's Annual Meeting on May 13 in Hershey.

The James S. Bowman Award honors a lawyer who is making a significant impact on the practice of administrative law and who is demonstrating leadership in mentoring administrative law practitioners.

For more than 35 years, Gedid has been educating administrative lawyers in Pennsylvania - first at Duquesne University Law School and later as founder of the Widener Law and Government Institute. Gedid was the founding onsite dean of Widener's Harrisburg campus, which expanded the number of young lawyers seeking public service employment or practice of administrative law in the private sector.

Gedid is an elected life member of the American Law Institute and serves as a Pennsylvania commissioner to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. He is a consultant to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Judicial Independence Commission and is a member of the drafting committee for the Uniform Law Commission project to revise the Model State Administrative Procedure Act.

He serves on the Board of Editors of the Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary. From 1989 to 2005, Gedid served as Official Reporter of Decisions for the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Gedid has written extensively in the area of administration and constitutional law. His articles have been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court, Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania.

Gedid serves as master of the James S. Bowman American Inn of Court, which mentors young and seasoned lawyers working in private practice, nonprofit organizations and government agencies. It is the only Inn in the country to focus on the practice of state administrative law.

Gedid is currently a member of the PBA's Constitutional Review Commission, which is charged with conducting a thorough review of the state's Constitution and making recommendations to improve the structure and operation of government in the commonwealth. He is a chair of the PBA Statutory Law Committee and past chair and council member of the PBA Administrative Law Section.

Gedid is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne Law School. He earned his postgraduate law degree from Yale Law School.

Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access to legal services; and serve the 29,000 lawyers who are members of the association.