Pre s i den t ’s Messa ge

Just One More…

"I took off for a weekend last month,

Just to try and recall the whole year.

All of the faces and all of the places

Wonderin' where they all disappeared..."

~Jimmy Buffett, "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

This really is it. You have Just One More newsletter article from me.

I took time to re-read several of the past newsletters, and so many wonderful memories came

to mind. Memories of meetings and of volleyball and of committee work and of my one radio

appearance and of the picnic and of the Strategic Planning Retreat. And of Irene's. And of the

Young Lawyer's events. And of the Pro Bono Reception. And of the CAMP Program. And the

list goes on…

And what of this year's accomplishments? This year, the Association saw: a complete re-write

of the bylaws; the formation of two new committees (auto law and a committee dedicated to

confronting issues of child abuse); the development of a three-year strategic plan; revised and

updated mediation program; successful Law Day and Ask A Lawyer Events; another great

Volleyball season (without a sleep-over!); the return of the Young Lawyers Wine Tasting; a

Young Lawyers Meet-the-Judges event; Casino Night; the CAMP Program... the list goes on.

The Board has also approved the development of a pro bono program that will be devoted to

helping our Veterans obtain benefits that they have been denied. We will be looking to

completely re-do the web site and become more technologically savvy. And this list also goes

on.

Our Association is strong; it is thriving; it is filled with Members who are eager and energetic

and motivated to making us better. It was a remarkable year that allowed me to meet, work

with, get to know so many of our Members; the success of this year is one that YOU own, as

a Member. An organization succeeds because of the efforts of its members. Our Members

make the DCBA a great organization. I want to thank each person by name... but I won't.

(And I won't do that on February 9, either!).

There are some people who do deserve to be mentioned by name.

Jonathan Kunkel, John Sheridan, Pam Polacek, Jim McCarthy, Liesl Beckley, my Executive

Committee and Kim Selemba, Chair of the Young Lawyers. These six individuals carried the

burdens of leadership, and allowed me to succeed where I could not have done so on my

own. My Executive Committee provided me with perspective, with wise counsel and with

support to achieve. Kim and her executive committee re-energized the Young Lawyers this

year, and have set the stage for growth and greater involvement of Young Lawyers in the

DCBA in the coming years.

J. Michael Sheldon. Mike agreed to be my unofficial-official photographer this year. He helped

capture and memorialize many of the events, gatherings and meetings over the year. Mike

took hundreds of photographs for the Association, and came to virtually every event, no small

task for a solo practitioner. I truly appreciate the time and effort Mike devoted to the

Association, and to me this year. Thanks Mike, for your superb photographic skills.

(Continued on next page)

D C B A J a n u a ry N e w s l e t t e r

Board of Directors

Brett M. Woodburn

President

Jonathan W. Kunkel

President Elect

John D. Sheridan

Vice President

Pamela C. Polacek

Secretary

James J. McCarthy Jr.

Treasurer

Elizabeth S. “Liesl”

Beckley

Past President

Kimberly A. Selemba

Young Lawyers Chair

Jennifer M. Caron

YL Vice Chair

Directors

William L. Adler

Harry M. Baturin

Queena Baumbach

C. Grainger Bowman

Robert E. Chernicoff

Salvatore A. Darigo, Jr.

Jeffrey A. Ernico

S. Barton Gephart

Kandice Hull

Dianne I. Nichols

Pamela L. Purdy

J. Michael Sheldon

Adam M. Shienvold

Gail Guida Souders

Michael W. Winfield

Caldwell & Kearns. My firm was a remarkable source of support to me this year. When you serve as president of an

organization like the DCBA, it becomes your priority for the year you serve. With a membership approaching 1,500, the

meetings, events, and dinners are legion. The time away from the office was greater than I anticipated, and the draw on

my energy was significant. The attorneys at my firm, one and all, supported me without question. I did not worry about

my clients and my work-responsibilities because of their unqualified support. Thank you, each and every one of you.

Joyce and Bridgette. Until you serve as an officer of the DCBA, you cannot truly appreciate what Joyce and Bridgette do

for the Association. We are the fourth-largest bar association in Pennsylvania but we have one of the smallest support

staffs. You would never know it from the outside. Joyce and Bridgette bear the laboring oars on the day-to-day functions

of the Association. It would do them a great disservice to say they do their jobs because they do far more than a 'job'.

They are as dedicated to this Association as any dues paying member, and they enjoy our successes (and suffer our

failures) right beside us. Thank you, Joyce. Thank you, Bridgette.

The last person I am going to thank in this article is our Executive Director, Liz Simcox. It is remarkable to me that this

was Liz's first year as the Executive Director, because she assumed the role and the responsibilities seamlessly. Following

Al Levinthal and Don Morgan was no small feat; each of them brought much to the Association, and when a person has

held a position for many years, it can be even more difficult to fill their shoes. Liz didn't. She brought her own shoes and

made the job HER job. And we are a better, stronger Association for it. Whenever I had an idea (and I had many), Liz

would counsel me on the strengths and challenges; would offer perspective; encourage or caution me as she saw fit. Her

wisdom helped me succeed and steered me away from trouble. Most of the time.

There are so many more people deserving of thanks and praise: Jennifer Archer, Fran Chardo, Melissa Van Eck, Lacy

Hayes, Mike Winfield, Jessie Smith, Matt Crosby, Sal Darigo... Where I succeeded as President, I did so because of your

guidance, your support and your efforts. Thank you.

This is a bitter-sweet moment, as I conclude my last article. I had so much fun this past year; thank you for allowing me to

serve as President of the Dauphin County Bar Association. Thank you for your support.

It was a very busy year, and the Association accomplished so much! At times, it was overwhelming as I tried to make

every meeting, every event, every dinner... and balance my law practice... and have a personal life. My efforts at balance

were valiant... unsuccessful, but valiant. And I would not change a thing! I confess that my favorite article was the one that

ran in March, because it focused on one of the most important things in life. Family. I am resolved to devote more time to

mine this year; they were accommodating and supported me whole-heartedly in 2012. It's time for me to give myself back

to them in 2013. Thank you, my Family. Your support carried me through the challenges of this past year.

Please join us at the Civil War Museum on January 23 as we welcome Jonathan Kunkel as president, introduce our new

officers and Board members, and find out who won the iPad!

I hope to see you all on February 9 at the West Shore Country Club for the Annual Lawyers' Prom; the first round is on

me!

Even though my time is done, you still have time for Just One More!!!

Yo u n g L aw ye r s & Gove rn m en t L aw S e c t i on Ho l i d ay P a r t y - Ph o to s t a ken b y J . M i ch ae l S h e l don

Bar B r ie f s

Douglas H. Clifton has become associated with the Law Firm of Abom & Kutulakis. (No photo Available)

Brian E. DePowell, Crisp & Associates has been appointed part-time Adult-Conflict Counsel for Dauphin County effective

January 1, 2013. (No Photo Available)

W. Creigh Martson has become associated with the Law Firm of Abom & Kutulakis.

Jim Moyles has opened an office in Harrisburg located at 105 North Front Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101; 717-233-5400;

jimmoyles@yahoo.com (No Photo Available)

Adam Santucci, McNees Wallace & Nurick has been elected to the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area Board

of Directors.

Mark S. Silver has joined the law firm of Mette, Evans & Woodside located at 3401 North Front Street,

Harrisburg, PA 17110; mssilver@mette.com.

The following attorneys have been named Partners in the Harrisburg-based Rhoads & Sinon, LLP

Cory A. Iannacone Stephen Moniak Claudia M. Williams

Kenneth J. Rollins Kathryn D. Sallie

In addition, the following DCBA members were named

to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Central

Pennsylvania Chapter 2012 Leadership Class at a

reception at the Hershey Hotel on December 10,

2012. The entire class for 2012 raised over $63,000 for

the Central PA Region. Thanks to our DCBA members

for their efforts in this cause.

Suzanne S. Friday, Nauman Smith Shissler & Hall

Heidi Hamman Shakely, Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellot

Amanda Lavis, Rhoads and Sinon LLP

Jeffrey B. Rettig, Johnson Duffie Stewart & Weidner

Elizabeth G. Simcox, DCBA

Kristen Sinisi, Angino & Rovner, PC

Steven Williams, Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman,

Pro Bono Recogn i t i on

The following participants provided pro bono service during the month of December by accepting

new clients, making a financial contribution to MidPenn Legal Services, participating in one of our

pro bono programs, or conducting one of our family law clinics:

Pro Bono Per formance In the calendar year 2012, our Pro Bono Program has:

Assisted 817 clients (based on new cases)

Donated 3,577 hours of legal services (based on closed cases)

Valued at $536,475

Conducted 18 Pro Se Clinics

Additionally, our Lawyer Referral Program has fielded 4,377 calls and referred 2,680 clients, including 110 clients who

qualified for our Modest Means Panel. Thanks to all those who help maintain this tradition of community service.

Another Pro Bono Option for You! Do Pro Bono Without Leaving Your Office

On January 24 from Noon to 1 PM please join us here at the Dauphin County Bar Association for a one-hour ethics

CLE. The CLE is free for members of the PBA Government Lawyers Committee who agree to do pro bono work for

the SeniorLAW Helpline. If you are not a PBA Government Lawyers Committee member, the program fee is $25. The

program includes lunch which will be served beginning at 11:30 AM.

The SeniorLAW Center provides legal advice, information and referral services to seniors, resolving some problems

immediately and serving as an important link to a wide variety of legal and nonlegal resources. Through the Pennsylvania

SeniorLAW Helpline (1-877-PA SR LAW or 1-877-727-7529), staff and pro bono attorneys give seniors across the state

the information they need to protect themselves and their property, to ensure their rights are not violated, to make

important personal planning decisions, to resolve a wide variety of legal problems, and, when necessary, to obtain

additional assistance.

The PBA Government Lawyer’s Committee, in partnership with the PBA Pro Bono Office and the SeniorLAW Center, is

sponsoring this free, one-hour seminar for PBA Government Lawyers Committee members who are interested in

providing pro bono service through the SeniorLAW Helpline. (Continued on next page)

Attorneys

Nicole R. Antos

John J. Cantwell

Donna L. Fisher

Hawke McKeon & Sniscak

Kevin J. Hayes

Steve Krone

Mette, Evans & Woodside

Dorothy L. Mott

Maryann Murphy

Pamela L. Purdy

Marc Roda

Timothy A. Shollenberger

Joseph G. Skelly

Elliot A. Strokoff

Richard B. Swartz

Leonard Tintner

Ronald T. Tomasko

Steven V. Turner

Clarence B. Turns Jr.

Tracy Lynn Updike

Jonathan Vipond III

James Leon Walsh

Claudia M. Williams

Paralegals

Annette Joy

Chief Justice Ronald Castille and PBA President Tom Wilkinson have made the expansion of pro bono legal services a

priority. PBA Pro Bono Coordinator David Trevaskis will conduct the training which highlights pro bono ethics and the

statewide SeniorLaw Helpline project. The SeniorLaw HelpLine is a wonderful pro bono opportunity, with malpractice

included, to assist senior citizens throughout the Commonwealth.

This program has been approved by the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board through the Pennsylvania Bar

Institute for 1.0 hours of ethics, professionalism or substance abuse CLE credit.

For questions or to register, please contact Gabriele E. Miller-Wagner, Administrative Assistant, PBA County Bar

Services/Pro Bono Legal Services: (717) 238-6715 or email: gabriele.millerwagner@pabar.org

For a registration form, go to: http://www.pabar.org/public/committees/govtlaw/GLCCLE012413.pdf

Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Announces Recipients of 2013 Excellence Awards

The Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network has announced the recipients of its 2013 Excellence Awards. The list

includes individuals being recognized for pro bono achievements as well as a variety of civil legal aid

professionals and other friends of civil legal aid across Pennsylvania.

Individuals selected to receive the 2013 PLAN Excellence Award include DCBA member David Keller

Trevaskis the Pro Bono Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Mr. Trevaskis has worked to

create a safety net for the neediest among us in Pennsylvania through the Pro Bono Office, which annually receives and

handles more than 6,000 inquiries from those seeking legal services. He has effectively utilized and promoted the

PALawHelp.org website to make it the single most used legal reference in the state for civil legal aid. Mr. Trevaskis has

used his skills at teaching to craft a series of CLE programs that provide valuable information for attorneys, while using

free CLEs and speaking engagements as recruiting devices for getting more pro bono attorneys into the fold. He has

worked to develop and foster bar and legal aid connections across the state and has secured funding for pro bono events

and to support legal services.

The 2013 Excellence Awards will be presented at the annual awards dinner on Wednesday, March 20, 2013, at the

Harrisburg Hilton & Towers. A social hour will take place from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM, immediately followed by a buffet

dinner. For more information and a full list of honorees, go to: http://www.palegalaid.net/services/leadership/awards

Announcement From Attorneys Promoting Children’s Best Interests

The DCBA has initiated a subcommittee to investigate and evaluate where our legal talents

and skills best serve the interests of children in our community. We are not only lawyers but

also parents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, cousins, and grandparents. We serve the

community in a myriad of roles such as coaches, teachers, community leaders, PTA

members, school volunteers and the like. These roles invariably place each one of us within

critical reach of a child. The obvious and most concerning issue is that of recognizing the

signs and symptoms of potential child abuse, which takes a variety of forms. To that end,

this committee will be organizing child abuse trainings for DCBA members. Training our

own is a valuable first step to promoting children’s best interests.

Our broader platform is to promote the best interests of children in a more positive and pervasive way in the

community. To identify opportunities to assist and to avoid duplicating services already available, we must first survey

what organizations, agencies, businesses or other entities share our goal. And we need your help. We ask that you, the

DCBA member, share your valuable knowledge with the subcommittee. Specifically, we ask that you forward the

contact information of any and all organizations, agencies or businesses that promote children’s best interest in any

way. You may have a personal, professional or other experience with the entity. We simply need to know that the entity

exists. (Continued on next page)

Please share the contact information and a brief description of what you understand to be the entity’s mission with respect

to children as soon as possible. You may send it to bridgette@dcba-pa.org. Identifying the services and entities already in

existence is the first phase of defining how our membership may best serve the community to enhance the welfare of all

children.

Check the website and newsletter regularly for developments from this passionate and committed subcommittee!

I n augu ra l Lanca s te r Reg iona l Mock Tr i a l Tournamen t

The Elizabethtown College Pre-Law Program and the Lancaster Bar Association are pleased to

announce the inaugural Lancaster Regional Mock Trial Tournament on behalf of the American Mock

Trial Association. The tournament will be held February 16 and 17, 2013, at the Lancaster County

Courthouse, located at 50 North Duke Street. To ensure the tournament’s success, we must

recruit high-quality individuals to serve as scoring judges for the competition. That’s where you

come in.

I would be delighted if you would volunteer to judge for as many rounds as you are able. This year’s case is a fascinating

wrongful death claim, involving a scuba diving accident. Please note that you do not need to have any specialized

knowledge in these areas to judge. The problem is a “closed universe”; competitors will provide you with all of the

information you need. Judges will be asked to score student participants on a scale of 1 through 10 on how well they

present their side of the case. More details will be provided at the judges’ orientation before each round of play. The

judges’ orientation will take place in the courthouse cafeteria (second floor) and meals will be provided for volunteers

before each round of competition.

To sign up, simply click on the link below and complete the brief (I promise!) survey. You will be asked which rounds

you are available, as well as a handful of questions about your background and prior mock trial judging experience. The

survey should take no more than 3 minutes to complete.

Please feel welcome to share this invitation with colleagues who you feel would enjoy judging collegiate mock trial. We

are happy to honor requests from judges to be paired together. Simply indicate any pairing preference in the final survey

question.

Regardless of which round(s) you judge, I hope you will join us for Elizabethtown College’s Judges’

Reception. The reception will be held from 5:30 – 7:00 PM at the Marriott at Penn Square. Please plan to

meet your colleagues for drinks, snacks and conversation. The registration survey includes an RSVP for

the reception.

Competition Schedule (all times INCLUDE the mandatory pre-trial judges’ orientation):

Round 1: Saturday, 2/16, 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Round 2: Saturday, 2/16, 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Judges’ Reception: Saturday, 2/16, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM (Marriott at Penn Square)

Round 3: Sunday, 2/17, 9:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Round 4: Sunday, 2/17, 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Volunteers are strongly encouraged to arrive 15 minutes early to ensure that they find a parking space

and the location of the judges’ orientation (courthouse cafeteria, second floor).

Registration Link:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEZ1LTJPM1JQQTJCNTYxcWlQUEl5Y0E6MQ

If you have any questions, please feel free to email the tournament coordinator, Dr. Kyle C. Kopko, at

kopkok@etown.edu.

Spotlight on ADR Committee By Michael Winfield

For many years, the ADR Committee has advanced under the leadership of Lacy Hayes. Now, as

we enter a new year, we begin a new chapter, and I am privileged to help write that as the

incoming Chair of the Committee. I know I have big shoes to fill and welcome the challenge.

In 2012, the ADR Committee completed a two year effort to completely overhaul the DCBA

mediation program. We hope the current program will serve as a model for other Bar

Associations to follow. We are now turning our attention to new opportunities for the

Committee to advance ADR on behalf of the DCBA.

Please consider this as an open invitation to join us, as we establish our objectives and goals for 2013 and beyond. Our

fist meeting of 2013 will be held on Monday, January 28, 2013 at 12:00 p.m. at the Bar Association. I hope to see you

there.

Please RSVP to Bridgette at bridgette@dcba-pa.org by January 21, 2013.

Save the Da te

2 0 1 3 P r e s i d e n t ’ s G a l a

H o n o r i n g B r e t t M . W o o d b u r n

W e s t S h o r e C o u n t r y C l u b

S a t u r d a y , F e b r u a r y 9 , 2 0 1 3

2 0 1 3 B e n c h B a r C o n f e r e n c e

F r i d a y , M a y 3 , 2 0 1 3 - S u n d a y , M a y 5 , 2 0 1 3

L o e w s A n n a p o l i s H o t e l

M o r e I n f o r m a t i o n t o f o l l o w

2013 Dauph in Coun ty Cour t

Ca l endar Change s

Please be sure to check out the 2013 Dauphin County Court

Calendar on the DCBA Website under Legal Links as there

have been some significant changes to it.

You may also find it located here:

http://www.dauphincounty.org/government/Court-

Departments/Court%20Calendar/2013%20Court%

20Calendar.pdf

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 DCBA Closed Happy New Year

2 3 4 5

6 7 8 11:30am Lunch 12 Noon program “Oil and Gas Law Smackdown” https://www.dcba-pa.org/Calendar/Signup.aspx?EventNo=223

9 7:30am PBA WIP Breakfast (See Flyer at end of Newsletter) 5:30pm Bowman Inn of Court

10 5:30pm Young Lawyers Annual Meeting

11 11:30am Lunch 12 Noon program “To Great an Expectation: Does Charles Dickens Demand Too Much of Today’s Lawyer?” https://www.dcba-pa.org/Calendar/Signup.aspx?EventNo=227

12

13 14 5:30pm Lipsitt Inn of Court

15 8:00am Public Services Commit-tee Meeting (McNees) 9:00am “Advanced Par-enting Coordina-tion Training” https://www.dcba-pa.org/Calendar/Signup.aspx?EventNo=225

16 12:00pm Family Law Section Sub-committee

17 5:30pm Board of Directors Meeting and Dinner

18 19

20 21 DCBA Closed Martin Luther King Day

22 11:30am Lunch 12 Noon program “What to Do When You Get that ‘OMG’ Let-ter” https://www.dcba-pa.org/Calendar/Signup.aspx?EventNo=228

23 5:30pm DCBA Annual Meeting—Harrisburg Civil War Museum https://www.dcba-pa.org/Calendar/Signup.aspx?EventNo=229

24 25 26

27 28 12:00pm ADR Committee Meet-ing

29 30 31

January 2013

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 6:00pm Annual Presi-dent’s Gala - West Shore Country Club https://www.dcba-pa.org/pdfs/even-tAds/2013PresidentGala4.pdf

10 11 5:30pm Lipsitt Inn of Court

12 9:00am Custody Clinic 11:30am Lunch 12 Noon program “The ABCs of the Affordable Care Act” https://www.dcba-pa.org/Calendar/Signup.aspx?EventNo=232

13 5:00pm Bowman Inn of Court

14 15 16

17 18 DCBA Closed President's Day

19 5:00pm Pro Bono Reception

20 12:00pm Family Law Section Sub-committee 4:30pm Board of Directors Meeting

21 22 23

24 25 26 11:30am Lunch 12 Noon program “Healthcare Ex-changes - Ready or Not, Here They Come https://www.dcba-pa.org/Calendar/Signup.aspx?EventNo=233

27 28

February 2013