Three Wise Men Once Said

Committee involvement gives our Association vitality and an ability to fulfill our commitment to our membership, our system of justice and to society in general.

Member service on our committees is a tribute to the selflessness and dedication of the men and women of this Association. We are truly blessed by an involved and responsive membership. Through the work of the committees, the Bar Association has and will continue to meet the professional and social needs of its members.The President’s Message

Committees are the very lifeblood of this Association. Every advancement made by this Association in the quality of legal services to the public is a reflection of the countless hours of the selfless service by committee members. We have been blessed by and benefit from an involved and responsive Bar membership.

The Delaware County Bar Association has two types of Committees. “Standing Committees” which are created pursuant to the Association By-Laws and cannot be changed without By-Laws revision. “AD HOC Committees” are created by the President, in consultation with the Board, as necessary.

• Juvenile Law Committee: Shelley Chauncey, Esquire, Chair • Committee on Courthouse Improvements: David E. Landeau, Esquire, and Rachael L. Kemmey, Esquire, Co-Chairs • 150th Anniversary Committee: Colleen M. Neary, Chair; and Co-Chairs, Carrie A. Woody, DCBA President, 2022; and Robert F. Kelly, Jr., DCBA President, 2022. The fine work of this committee can be viewed throughout this celebratory, Anniversary issue of the Delco re:View!

general public interested in real estate and related matters and, in addition, to attorneys, are also attended by real estate brokers, architects, civil engineers, land use planners, bankers, title officers, municipal representatives, etc. The open nature of these seminars has provided an excellent forum to involve and invite non-attorneys and real estate professionals to a DCBA sponsored program. Vincent

Lee A. Stivale; Thomas Kerstan;, and Judge Tammi Forbes, joined Senator Timothy Kearney to present a Landlord and Tenant seminar to the public at the Watkins Senior Center in Upper Darby, October, 2022. The seminar focused upon landlord and tenant rights and practice in MDJ Courts. Look to the committee for another Landlord and Tenant seminar for the public in 2023!

Esquire, Chair. “A very successful 2022 as programs continue to be enhanced!” In 2022, the program included 12 sessions and the addition of several Co-Mediators to the program panel, including experienced trial lawyers and esteemed members of the DCBA. Cases submitted either settled during the programs, or co-mediators placed the cases in a better settlement posture for further negotiations at a later time. The ADR Committee anticipates yet another successful, annual Flagship Seminar Program, in March, 2023, entitled “What Is Your Case Worth When Analyzed and Compared Over the Last Several Years?” in addition to a similar program at the 50th Annual Bench Bar Conference, June, 2023.

Elizabeth T. Stephanide, Esquire. In 2022, the Committee sponsored 4 well attended CLE programs: “Undue Influence & Testamentary Capacity”; “Real Estate in Estates”; “Estate & Elder Law Potpourri: Update & Practical Tips”; and Elders in Crisis: Whom Do You Call?” The Elder Law Committee looks to forging further in 2023 with 63 committee members strong!

The Workers’ Compensation Committee of the DCBA has been reinvigorated with new Co-Chairs. Since beginning their tenure in late August, 2022, The Honorable Tina Maria Rago, DCBA President Robert F. Kelly Jr., Esq. and life-long Delaware County resident and practitioner Mark R. Schmidt, Esq. have already conducted several meetings, a Social Event and a CLE – in their first 60 days. As Judge Rago’s email tag line often repeats, all attorneys interested in being part of the new, growing and very active Committee should hop aboard, because this train is leaving the station.

The ambitious first year goals of the Co-Chairs begin with a focus on expanding membership by reaching out to past members, generating interest in younger counsel, and welcoming attorneys with a smaller footprint in the field of workers’ compensation or a practice that involves issues that interplay and overlap this complex area of law (one of very few fields offering a Specialist Certification pursuant to PA Bar Association and Supreme Court of Pennsylvania requirements). A number of planned sub-committees provide ample opportunity for members of the Delco Bar to play a vital role in the growth and ‘relevance’ of the Workers’ Compensation Committee, not to mention occasions for social interaction and networking – almost forgotten since the Pandemic.

The inaugural CLE conducted on November 3, 2022 (A Conversation with the Judges) featured presentations by Department of Labor and Industry Director, Joseph DeRita and Delaware County Workers’ Compensation Judges Rago, Sarah Makin and Kathleen DiLorenzo. With additional CLEs already well into the planning stages (an Overview of Opioid Issues to be presented in February 2023; and Medicaid issues and Special Needs Trust Requirements, currently planned to be presented at the Bench Bar Conference in June, 2023), the Committee strongly desires “new faces” to volunteer as Presenters, and to assume the leadership of this (and EVERY) sub-committee in 2023.

Currently ‘in the works’ are a comprehensive email list, list-serv, web site and Social Media presence – all requiring leadership to advance the development and ensure timely updates. Once up and running, the DCBA Workers’ Compensation Community Web Site (actual name to be determined) will feature a monthly newsletter providing case law updates, articles of interest, and other member contributions. Additional groups offering leadership roles in 2023 include: Membership; Social Events; Legislative Updates and Input; Charitable Giving; and Community Outreach. [The Co-Chairs did say their goals were ambitious.] The design of each group will include a ‘claimant’ attorney and ‘defense’ counsel, to ensure a balanced approach to all issues to meet the needs and concerns of the entire community of Workers’ Compensation practitioners – and the County as a whole.

To JOIN the Committee, or simply attend a meeting to explore the opportunities, contact the Delaware County Bar Association, or one of the co-chairs: The Hon. Tina Maria Rago TRago@ pa.gov; Robert F. Kelly, Jr. Esq. RKelly@ bilottilaw.com; Mark R. Schmidt, Esq. MSchmidt@SKR.legal

Co-Chair … City of Philadelphia, Risk Management Division, Counsel for the Employee Disability Program; Workers Compensation Judge in Workers Compensation Office of Adjudication, 2007 to present; Co-Chair, Community Service and Charitable Events subcommittee of the Worker’s Compensation Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association, 2014 to present. Outside the courtroom, Judge Rago is active in the community as a member of the SJP Mother’s Club and serves as a volunteer ambassador and speaker for The Alex’ Lemonade Stand Foundation helping to raise awareness and funding to combat pediatric cancer.

Co-Chair, … Represents employers and insurance companies in workers’ compensation matters throughout Pennsylvania. He served as President (#85) of the DCBA, 2020, and as a member of the PBA House of Delegates for Zone 9. In addition to his service to the Workers’ Compensation Committee, he serves on many committees of the DCBA including: Law Day; Historical Records; Arbitration; and Judicial Selection and Retention. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Delaware County Bar Association and the Alumni Awards Committee of the Villanova University School of Law; and a past member of the Law School’s Alumni Board of Directors. Kelly is an active participant in local matters as well as a number of law related organizations including the Brehon Law Society of Philadelphia, Thornbury Township, and the Hero Scholarship Fund.

… A Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist (pursuant to the PA Supreme Court and PA Bar Association Rules) practicing in the field of Workers’ Compensation law for over thirty years. Schmidt has argued several “Landmark Cases” before the Supreme and Commonwealth Courts of Pennsylvania, in support of the rights of Injured Workers. Mark has presented CLEs for the DCBA, PBA, PBI and numerous unions, as well as speaking on Workers’ Compensation topics on television, radio and podcasts.