HARRISBURG (Nov. 9, 2006) � Allegheny County Common Pleas Court Judge R. Stanton Wettick Jr. has received an Everyday Leader Award from the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA).

�For 30 years, Judge Wettick has faithfully and honorably served the Allegheny County Courts,� said PBA President Kenneth J. Horoho Jr., who presented the award to Wettick during a reception at the Rivers Club, One Oxford Centre. �Because of his unassuming demeanor, Judge Wettick�s contributions to his community and to the courts have been largely unheralded. This award is just a small token of appreciation for his many years of service.�

Committed to efficiency in the court system, Wettick once dismissed a case because neither party had acted in two years. The ruling was appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, where it was upheld, thereby making Wettick�s two-year ruling the state�s standard.

Wettick received the highest rating for diligence and ranked best for impartiality, legal ability and temperament in a 1997 survey of trial lawyers by Allegheny County Bar Association.

Serving on the Allegheny County bench since 1976, Wettick�s current judicial assignments include acting as administrative judge, special motions judge for arbitration proceedings, special motions judge and complex case judge in the Civil Division.

He has served on the Civil Procedural Rules Committee and the Domestic Relations Committee of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges Commission and the Advisory Committee to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. He also was a member of the Allegheny County Commission for Children.

Prior to joining the bench, Wettick served as executive director of the Neighborhood Legal Services Association, a non-profit organization providing legal services to the poor.

For 35 years, he has been an adjunct law professor at the University of Pittsburgh, where he currently teaches Pennsylvania civil procedure and professional responsibility.

From 1988 to 2000, he was co-chair of the Allegheny County Bar Association�s Committee for Minorities in the Legal Profession.

Wettick is a graduate of Amherst College and Yale Law School.

�The Everyday Leader Award is given to individuals who go above and beyond, sharing their time and talent to help and support others,� said Horoho. �They work hard each and every day performing good works, not for personal gain or recognition, but for the right reasons�to improve the places they call home and to better Pennsylvania�s legal system. Judge Wettick is not only one of the most respected jurists in Pennsylvania; he is one of these �everyday leaders� whose dedication to our profession is only surpassed by his humility and his reasoned approach. Judge Wettick is deserving of this award in gratitude for his contributions to Allegheny County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.�

Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association exists to promote justice, professional excellence and respect of 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.