November 2015
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Philadelphia ® The Monthly Newspaper of the Philadelphia Bar Association Vol. 44, No. 11 November 2015 Bar to Launch Continuing Legal Education in 2016 Expanding the level of service that CLE programs on the latest issues, Legal Education.” Accordingly, the new City Philadelphia. We bring CLE to has become a hallmark of America’s first legislation, regulations and all other criti- service will offer the following key advan- you, in a variety of learning formats, so bar association, Chancellor Albert S. cal topics impacting your practice,” said tages to area lawyers and legal profession- that you have more time to serve the als: needs of your clients. Affordability.Philadelphia Bar Asso- Innovation. Look for new and ciation CLE courses will be reasonably unique CLE courses that will comple- priced for all practitioners, while provid- ment a comprehensive program of prac- ing a level of quality that lawyers have continued on page 15 come to expect from the oldest associa- tion of lawyers in the United States. Plus, CLE Topic Idea? Dandridge III has announced that the Dandridge. “We will offer a full calendar membership has its advantages. Philadel- Philadelphia Bar Association will serve of CLE courses taught by leaders of the phia Bar Association members will receive To submit a topic idea for a CLE as a new provider of Continuing Legal profession, as your partner in justice in cost-saving benefits on all courses. course or vounteer to be a course Convenience. planner or presenter, contact Tara Education to lawyers across the region in the Philadelphia legal community for Join us at the early 2016. more than 200 years.” Philadelphia Bar Association’s centrally D. Phoenix, Director of Continuing “The Philadelphia Bar Association The Chancellor added that the located Conference Center at 1101 Legal Education, at 215-238-6349 or looks forward to serving as your conve- 13,000-member Association is “com- Market Street and — coming soon — at [email protected]. nient, low-cost provider for top-quality mitted to raising the bar on Continuing partner locations throughout Center Board Supports Resolution to Create Special Prosecutor Philadelphia Bar Association Q By Thomas Rogers police custody. Annual Gold Sponsor “The proposed legislation to appoint a special prosecutor to The Board of Governors unanimously adopted a resolu- investigate the shootings of the citizens of Pennsylvania by police tion on Oct. 27 in support of Senate Bill 400 that would create a officers is desperately required to restore a modicum of faith in our special prosecutor to investigate and prosecute incidents relating judicial system. Mistrust of how those matters are currently han- In This Issue to civilian deaths involving police officers. SB 400 would give the dled now exists due to the apparent unfairness in which these cases Attorney General exclusive jurisdiction to appoint a special pros- are currently handled and the secrecy that shrouds the decision- 5 ecutor to investigate and prosecute the conduct of a peace officer making from a skeptical public. More transparency and indepen- Barristers’ 65th Year who, acting in his or her official capacity, is involved in an incident dence is needed to justify the decisions to charge or not charge a 7 Bar Elections where an individual has died under circumstances that may peace officer and the proposed legislation is a first step in a long constitute the offense of criminal homicide as a result of the peace march that will restore faith in a system fraying at the edges,” said 11 AIDS Law Project officer’s conduct. The special prosecutor will then be required to James A. Funt, co-chair of the Criminal Justice Section. file a report with the Attorney General that will be made available The Philadelphia Bar Association supports SB 400 or other 19 Bench-Bar Coverage to the public. similar legislation that would call for the appointment of a special The resolution is in response to a loss of confidence in the prosecutor to investigate and prosecute the conduct of a peace criminal justice system following numerous incidents around the officer under the aforementioned circumstances. country of deaths caused by police officers or deaths of suspects in To view the complete resolution, visit philadelphiabar.org. 2 Philadelphia Bar Reporter November 2015 philadelphiabar.org Frontline Editor-in-Chief Stiles Street Heather J. Austin, Esq. Associate Editors By Albert S. Dandridge III As part of our “Boots on Regina Parker, Esq. the Ground” initiative, the Julia Swain, Esq. Philadelphia Bar Association’s Mary-Kate Martin (née Breslin), Esq. Benjamin F. Johns, Esq. Board of Governors, along with Annie Kernicky, Esq. members of the Association’s Lauren A. Strebel, Esq. Real Property Section — the Amanda Dougherty, Esq. real pros, undertook a Habitat Photo courtesy of Brad Shuttleworth V. Elisa C. Advani, Esq. for Humanity Philadelphia Sandy Rosenberg (left) and Brad V. Shuttleworth, chair, Board Maureen M. Farrell, Esq. project on Sept. 16. of Governors (second from right) with other volunteers and The night before the build, staff clearing out the basement of the house on Stiles Street Advisory Editor at the Habitatat for Humanity Build Day, hosted by the Real the location was changed and Molly Peckman, Esq. Property Section, on Sept. 16. we were notified by email. The Director of Communications build was to take place in North vacant lot on Girard Avenue, directly behind the house. Too late, and Marketing Philadelphia, but it was changed to the 4900 block of Stiles we could not run. I looked around for more blue hats and tee- Meredith Z. Avakian-Hardaway Street in West Philadelphia. I knew the new location well. Bernie shirts. Just Brad, me and seven others. SNAP!!! Executive Director Smalley and I grew up exactly six blocks away from it. We got our gloves, safety googles and breathing masks and Mark A. Tarasiewicz The arrival time was 8:30 a.m., and it took all of my neighbor- went into the house to survey the task ahead of us. This was a tiny house — as were the others that still remained on Stiles The Philadelphia Bar Reporter (ISSN 1098- hood and navigation skills to make it there in time during morn- 5352) is published monthly and available by ing rush hour from my home in Chestnut Hill. Street — made a little larger by the doubling, but still a small subscription for $45 per year by the Philadel- I arrived at the designated site, wearing my blue Associa- house. We walked up the two outside steps into the living room. phia Bar Association, 1101 Market St., 11th The team leader explained to us that the woman who lived here floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107-2911. Periodicals tion tee-shirt and hat. Stiles Street is a very small one-way street postage paid at Philadelphia, PA POSTMASTER: that is one block north of and runs parallel to Girard Avenue. I was not home. She was working a 12-hour nursing shift at Jeffer- Send address changes to Philadelphia Bar Re- maneuvered up the tight little street and found a parking space son Hospital and would not be back until the afternoon. He also porter, c/o Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 explained that she has a child, but also takes care of four other Market St., 11th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107- across from the house. Steve Rothberg, chair of the Section, and 2955. Telephone: (215) 238-6300. Association Alexander Barth, executive committee member of the Section, children — her sister’s. continued on page 4 Web site: philadelphiabar.org. Newspaper e- mail address: [email protected]. The edi- were there already, along with a few torial and other views expressed in the Phila- others from the Section and the other delphia Bar Reporter are not necessarily those workers from Habitat Philadelphia. I of the Association, its officers or its members. Advertising rates and information are available looked around for other board members from Don Chalphin at American Lawyer Media, who would also be dressed in blue, but 1617 JFK Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 19103. it was just me, until Brad V. Shuttle- Telephone: (215) 557-2359 or e-mail dchal- [email protected]). worth, chair of the Board of Governors, showed up a few minutes after I arrived. We all stood around in the middle of the small street. There is no thru traffic on Stiles Street. Finally, the Habitat Philadelphia team leader gathered our release forms and assembled us for instructions. There were nine of us altogether. He explained that this was a different type of project; not the exotic builds that you see on Tell Us television. This was a “warranty job.” Habitat had rebuilt this house a while What You Think! ago. They had taken two small houses The Philadelphia Bar Reporter down to the studs and transformed welcomes letters to the editors for them into one larger house with four publication. Letters should be typed. bedrooms. However, as part of the There is no word limit, but editors reserve the right to condense for rebuild, they did not rebuild the base- clarity, style and space considerations. ment floors — they had looked fine at Letters must be signed to verify the time. The woman who now owns authorship, but names will be withheld the home was experiencing flooding upon request. Letters may be mailed, in the basements. The basement floors faxed or e-mailed to: Thomas Rogers, had to be replaced. Several days earlier, Managing Editor, Philadelphia Bar Habitat Philadelphia crews — the Reporter, Philadelphia Bar Association, pros — had come and pick-axed and 1101 Market St., 11th floor, Philadel- phia, PA 19107-2955. Phone: (215) jack-hammered the floors into tons of 238-6345. Fax: (215) 238-1159.