To Civility and Beyond: Elevating Civility and Professionalism within the Bench and Bar 2020

How can judges and lawyers ensure that civility in the legal profession does not become a relic of the past? Join our distinguished panel of judges and lawyers as they take an honest look at the current state of civility and professionalism in the legal profession and discuss ways in which the bench and bar play a vital role in promoting civility in and out of the courtroom and related issues of attorney well-being and mentoring. All attendees will receive the course book as a digital download.

Program Schedule
1:00 – 2:05 PM EST
The panel will discuss cultivating civility in the context of litigation, mediation and arbitration and explain how the mentality of “winning at all costs” under the guise of zealous advocacy can result in court sanctions and violations of the Code of Civility and Rules of Professional Conduct. The panel will explore ways in which judges can set the tone for civility based upon their obligations under the Code of Judicial Conduct.

Moderator: Terry D. Weiler, Esq. | Huckabee Weiler Levengood PC
Panelists:

• Hon. C. Darnell Jones, II | U.S. District Court, Eastern District of PA
• Hon. William C. Mackrides | Delaware County Court of Common Pleas
• Hon. Jack A. Panella | President Judge, Superior Court of PA
• Hon. Gene E.K. Pratter | U.S. District Court, Eastern District of PA
• Hon. Annette M. Rizzo (Ret.) | JAMS arbitrator and mediator

2:15 – 3:15 PM EST
A serious decline in civility and collegiality within the bench and bar appears to have a direct correlation to the alarming rise in suicide, substance abuse, and mental illness among lawyers. The panel will discuss the Civility and the Profession Survey of PBA Members by the 2014-15 Class of the Bar Leadership Institute as well as the article, “Lawyer Wellbeing as a Crisis of the Profession,” by the Honorable Cheryl Ann Krause, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The panel will also talk about the long-term positive impact of mentoring programs by judges, experienced lawyers and law professors on young lawyers.

Moderator: Anne N. John, Esq. | John & John
Panelists:

• Robert C. Heim, Esq. | Dechert LLP
• Jennifer Menichini, Esq. | Past YLD Chair, Pennsylvania Bar Association
• Hon. Gene E.K. Pratter | U.S. District Court, Eastern District of PA
• Kathleen Wilkinson, Esq. | Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP