President’s Message

Montgomery Bar Association 2022 President

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MONTGOMERY BAR ASSOCIATION

BUSINESS HOURS: Monday thru Friday 8:45 AM - 4:45 PM

ADDRESS: 100 West Airy Street P.O. Box 268, Norristown, PA 19404-0268

PHONE AND FAX: Phone: 610-279-9660 Fax: 610-279-4321 & 610-279-4846 Hello, My Fellow Montgomery Bar Members!

Fall is a time for reflection. As we watch the leaves change colors, the days shorten, and the hot summer nights transform into cool crisp Autumn evenings by a warm fire, it is an opportune time to reflect upon what we have accomplished this year and what 2022 has yet in store.

I am proud to say that our annual Bench Bar Conference at the historic Skytop Lodge in the Pocono Mountains was a smashing success! Our room allotment sold out in record time when registration opened in July. Luckily, we were able to accommodate every member who wished to attend. The spirit of connection, comradery, and collegiality permeated the entire weekend. My family and I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the many activities that were planned, including: a Sip & Clip floral arrangement session, ziplining, guided nature walks, and more! Members continue to rave about our keynote speaker, Bob Mongeluzzi (Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky), who held a ballroom full of accomplished attorneys and judges spellbound as he reenacted several opening arguments that have led to multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements. Those same accomplished attorneys and judges, along with their spouses and children, were held spellbound once again that evening as Mentalist John Graham performed an unforgettable magic show that entertained both young and old alike.

I cannot thank Denise Vicario and Team MBA enough for their hard work in planning the event and ensuring that everything went off without a hitch.

A few months earlier, the Montgomery Bar Foundation held its annual Legal Aid Golf Classic, with proceeds benefitting Legal Aid of Southeastern PA. The event was held at Cedarbrook Country Club in Blue Bell on June 27, 2022. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate with the altruistic goal of the event, as a soaking summer thunderstorm forced our golfers off of the course immediately after teeing off. Not being a golfer myself, it did allow me some much-appreciated time to speak to our participants and express my gratitude for their generosity as we waited for the storm to pass and the course to drain. Luckily, the rain did not dampen our fundraising efforts as we raised a record amount from our golfers, raffle ticket sales, silent auction bidders,

and donors, all for the benefit of Legal Aid. The rain did not succeed in dampening anyone’s spirits all day, and that attitude continued into the night, as everyone stayed after the Golf Classic to partake in connecting with members for dinner, and many non-golfers joined in on the fun as well!

In addition to our major events, our association has been hard at work on a number of initiatives and programs. Our Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, under the leadership of Chair Katherine Frechette, Esq., and Vice Chair Craig Fleischmann, Esq., has been developing a new mediation program over the past few years. After all of the time, energy, deliberation, and hard work this Committee has devoted to assembling and proposing a mediation program, I am pleased to report that this was passed by our Board of Directors at our September meeting, and the new and improved mediation program should be up and running by January 2023. Please be on the lookout for more information on participating in this program, and enrolling in the appropriate training in the near future.

We also launched a new membership program. Our Public Service Membership allows specific government offices to pay a bulk rate, so that many of their staff attorneys can become MBA members. We welcomed District Attorney Kevin Steele, Esq., and other members of the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office in August for a special welcome luncheon at the MBA, and we are eager to welcome Public Defenders and Law Clerks in the new year.

Our Solo & Small Firm Committee (Chaired by Kenneth Milner, Esq., and Cary Hall, Esq.) is in the final stages of developing a succession program which will allow solo and small firm attorneys to designate an attorney who will assist in the transfer of client files in the event of disability, death, or unavailability to practice law.

The final quarter of my term will be anything but windingdown as the next few months promise to be brimming with events and activity.

October is Pro Bono Month and the MBA will be hosting a number of events to celebrate the occasion. Our Elder Law Committee and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee hosted a Wills for Seniors clinic on October 6 at Montgomery County Senior Activities Center for low-income seniors. On October 11, we partnered with the Pennsylvania Bar Association to host a free CLE and awards presentation breakfast. On Saturday, October 15, we will be hosting a free Virtual Name Change Clinic along with the Montgomery County Office of the Prothonotary. We’ll end the month with a free coffee and treat bar at the MBA Café from October 24 – 28. It is just the MBA’s way of saying, “Thanks a Latte!” to all of our volunteers, members, and Team MBA. I hope to see you all as you stop into the MBA that week!

I, for one, I cannot wait for the return of LawyerPalooza on October 27th! I hope many of you will join us as we commemorate 35 years of giving back by the Montgomery Bar Foundation with an all-star lineup of “Lawyers Who Rock”! The event will also feature a VIP reception for our Bar Foundation Fellows and will be emceed by none other than The Honorable Gary S. Silow. Tickets are just $25, and it will surely be a great night out with friends and colleagues.

Our successful Women in the Law Networking Night will be returning on November 3rd at the Manufacturers’ Golf & Country Club. Bring a non-attorney friend for an evening of food, drinks, and networking. Our Women in the Law Committee is in the midst of developing a new networking group so your attendance (with guest) will be much appreciated!

As always, be sure to check the MBA website for other great upcoming CLEs, events, and news; and please always feel free to reach out to me (or any of the MBA Officers) if you have a new idea for an event or program that you would like to see at the MBA.

Fall is proof that change is beautiful, so as we head into the last quarter of the year, we look to the beauty that will lie ahead, as the best is yet to come!