HARRISBURG, Pa. (March 1, 2024) — The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) presented County Bar Recognition Awards to 24 local bar associations during the 58th Annual Conference of County Bar Leaders on March 1 in Gettysburg.
The awards, which are noncompetitive in nature, annually recognize bar associations throughout Pennsylvania for projects that improve the legal profession, justice system and community.
“The PBA works every day to ‘make good lawyers better,’ which includes supporting them as servant leaders in their communities,” said PBA President Michael J. McDonald. “It is inspirational to see lawyers and local bar associations directing their time and expertise toward programs aimed at improving communities and the legal profession. We applaud these meaningful efforts to make the lives of all Pennsylvanians better.”
The following county bar associations received awards for notable projects and programs:
- Allegheny County Bar Association: Luggage With Love
- Beaver County Bar Association: Charitable Golf Outing for Adaptive Bicycles, Holiday Gift Drive, Law Day Ceremony
- Berks County Bar Association: Jury Diversity Outreach, Pro Bono Clinics
- Bucks County Bar Association: Veterans’ Treatment Program and Social Worker, Wills for Heroes, Young Lawyers Division Trunk or Treat
- Chester County Bar Association: Annual Kickball Classic YLD vs. ELD, Legal Community Job Fair, Pro Bono Champion and Keystone Service Awards
- Cumberland County Bar Association: Adopt-A-Family, Adulting!?!, License Restoration and Expungement Clinic
- Dauphin County Bar Association: Law Student Outreach
- Delaware County Bar Association: YLS Christmas Party for Children and Families
- Erie County Bar Association: Young Lawyer Profile Series
- Franklin County Bar Association: Civic Engagement Community Education Programs
- Lackawanna Bar Association: 2023 Honorable T. Linus Hoban Memorial Lecture
- Lancaster Bar Association: Young Lawyer Boot Camp
- Lehigh County (Bar Association of Lehigh County): Legal Succession and Advancement Committee, Lehigh County Lawyers Charitable Fund Grants
- Lycoming Law Association: Law Day Competition, Lycoming Law Association Foundation Grants, Project Linus and Holiday Toy Drive
- Mercer County Bar Association: CYS Gift Drive
- Monroe County Bar Association: Outfits for Opportunities; Sponsorship of Pocono Pride Festival, DEI; Tenant Eviction Assistance Program
- Montgomery Bar Association: Access to Justice Summit, Montgomery Bar Association Mediation Program, Sleeping Mats for the Homeless Project
- Northampton County Bar Association: CluedUpp — Witchcraft and Wizards Scavenger Hunt, Fall CLE Conference, “Lay of the Land — The Developers Perspective in the Local Land Use Approval Process” CLE
- Philadelphia Bar Association: Convening Stakeholders for Eviction Policy Reform
- Schuylkill County Bar Association: Annual President’s Dinner, Honoring 40- and 50-year members; Judicial Portrait Unveilings
- Washington County Bar Association: Constitution Day — I Read the Constitution!, YLD v. Senior Bar Inaugural Charity Cornhole Tournament
- Westmoreland Bar Association: Free Custody Clinic, Legal Services Coordinator, Women in Law Committee
- Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association: $25,000 Law School Scholarship, Law Revue Talent Show, “Rule of Law in Poland & Ukraine”
- York County Bar Association: Impact Grants, Legal Aid and Scholarships; Pardon Me Documentary Film Screening and Panel Discussion; “The Distaff Side” — A Play Celebrating Articles of Confederation Day
The Conference of County Bar Leaders, whose membership includes leaders from county bar associations throughout the state and from the PBA, organizes a yearly educational conference focusing on the exchange of innovative bar association projects and ideas, and on the development of mutually beneficial relationships among bar leaders that improve the legal profession.