Superior Court Judge Anne Lazarus to Be Honored by PBA Commission on Women in the Profession

HARRISBURG (April 10, 2018) — The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Commission on Women in the Profession will present its annual Anne X. Alpern Award to Judge Anne E. Lazarus, Superior Court of Pennsylvania.

An awards ceremony honoring Lazarus will be held during the commission’s 25th annual conference, “Empowering Women,” May 9, at the Hershey Lodge, Hershey.

The Alpern Award is presented annually to a female lawyer or judge who demonstrates excellence in the legal profession and who makes a significant professional impact on women in the law. Established in 1994, the award was named for Anne X. Alpern, Pennsylvania’s attorney general in 1959 and the first woman state attorney general in the nation.

Lazarus is being honored for her commitment to protecting individual rights, improving the administration of justice, promoting judicial ethics and supporting the advancement of women in the profession.

In 2009, Lazarus was elected to serve on the Pennsylvania Superior Court. She previously served as a judge for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, an attorney in private practice, legal counsel to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Orphans Court Division, and an adjunct professor at Temple University School of Law and Widener University School of Law.

A leader in the realm of judicial ethics, Lazarus was a member of the Pennsylvania State Conference of Trial Judges Ethics Committee, the body approved by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to render advisory opinions regarding ethical concerns involving judges and judicial candidates subject to the Pennsylvania Code of Judicial Conduct. She served as its chair from 2005-2009. Lazarus also chaired an ad hoc committee from 2010-2012 created by former Chief Justice Ronald Castille that set the foundation for the revised Code of Judicial Conduct adopted by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2014. Additionally, Lazarus was appointed to the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board in 2011 and served as its chair from 2013-2015.

Outside of the courtroom, Lazarus has been dedicated to mentoring women and young attorneys, offering guidance and practical work experience through her participation in judicial externship programs and fellowship programs. One nominator and mentee noted that Lazarus “teaches us to be leaders in our firms and in our organizations; she shows us how to give back to those whom we can assist; and reminds us to support one another against those who wish us to remain silently in the background.”

Throughout her career, Lazarus’ work and service have been recognized with several awards, including the PBA Legal Services to the Public Committee Judge’s Award, Louis D. Brandeis Law Society Benjamin F. Levy Community Service Award, PLAN of PA Bernard White Community Service Award and Philadelphia Bar Association Sandra Day O’Connor Award.

An active member of the legal community, Lazarus is a member of the American, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and Allegheny County Bar associations; National Association of Women Judges and American Judges Association. She is also a member and past president of the Temple American Inn of Court, Louis D. Brandeis Law Society and the Louis D. Brandeis Law Society Foundation.

Lazarus received a B.A. from State University of New York at Stony Brook, and a J.D. and LL.M. from Temple University School of Law.

The Alpern award will be presented during the May 9 luncheon. Details and registration information for the PBA Commission on Women in the Profession conference are posted on the PBA’s website at http://www.pabar.org/pdf/2018/2018AnnualMeetingBrochure.pdf.  

Founded in 1895, the PBA 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 26,000 lawyers who are members of the association.