The ACBA Criminal Litigation Section is collecting donations to purchase a commemorative bench from the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation – to be placed in the Allegheny County Courthouse – in honor and recognition of the Hon. Alexander Bicket, who passed away on Dec. 2.

Checks should be made payable to “ACBA” and sent to the below address. Please note this donation is not tax-deductible.

Allegheny County Bar Association
Attn: Juli Marhefka
400 Koppers Building
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Email Juli Marhefka at the button below for more.

Need to dig through some digital files for a case? Members receive a five percent discount  working with bit-x-bit, the ACBA’s endorsed provider for digital forensics services. The ACBA partners at bit-x-bit can also help you with eDiscovery, cybersecurity and incident response, ESI prevention and drive imaging, document review and more. For more information or to get stated, click below.

The Allegheny County Bar Foundation is now accepting applications for loans and scholarships for the 2025-2026 academic year. Eligible students can apply for scholarships through the following funds:

• Environment and Energy Law Section Scholarship Fund
• F.C. Grote Fund
• James I. Smith, III Notre Dame Law School Scholarship Fund
• Hon. Carol Los Mansmann Fund
• ACBA Young Lawyers' Division Scholarship Fund
• Daniel B. Dixon Scholarship Fund

New this year: Loans available through the Louis Little Attorneys’ Memorial Fund have increased from $3,000 to $5,000.

To apply online and learn more about each scholarship, click the button below. For questions, please contact Stephanie Selya at 412-402-6674 or sselya@acba.org.

In addition to the hard copy edition that is sent to members through the mail, the Feb. 21 edition of the Lawyers Journal — the ACBA’s flagship publication featuring substantive legal articles and stories of interest to the legal community — is available digitally on the ACBA website and at the button below.

ACBA Members are asked to support the playoff round of the Pennsylvania Statewide Mock Trial Competition – presented by the ACBA and Pa. Bar Association – on Monday, March 10 or Thursday, March 13 at the City-County Building in downtown Pittsburgh.

Volunteers are needed to be scoring jurors on those nights and need to arrive by 4:45 p.m. and can expect to conclude by 7:30 p.m.  This round features the top 8 out of 31 high school teams that participated in the competition. Volunteers can sign-up through this link. For additional information, contact Julie Brennan at the button below.

“To reduce the risk of heart disease, quit smoking, exercise daily and eat healthy.”

In the weekly “An Appeal for Your Health” feature, the ACBA Health and Wellness Committee offers wellness tips, inspirational quotes and motivational advice as a service to ACBA Members.

You can’t practice law alone. Having a robust rolodex of expert witnesses and vendors is invaluable in the practice of law.

The ACBA Expert and Vendor Guide, sponsored by Shorebridge Wealth Management, lists ACBA partners – consultants, expert witnesses and others – by business category. It’s available online 24/7 at the button below, and the first PDF of edition of 2025 is available for download here.

Look for a hard copy edition as an insert in the Lawyers Journal.

When is the last time you got a quote on your LPL insurance? The discount members can get on getting LPL through the ACBA Insurance Program – powered by USI Affinity – is often greater than the cost of ACBA membership. For more, visit www.ACBA.org/Insurance.

One of the highlights of the annual Bench-Bar Conference – which will be held June 12-14 at Seven Springs Mountain Resort – is the presentation of the Philip Werner Amram Award, which is given to an ACBA member who personifies excellence and who has demonstrated substantial commitment to the ideals of the ACBA and to the betterment of the greater community. The award is given without the recipient knowing in advance, often leading to an emotional, heartwarming surprise acceptance.

Now is the time to submit nominations for the 2025 Amram Award. For more on requirements and the nomination process, or for a list of recent Amram recipients, click below. Submissions should be sent to Mary Ann Fiorilli at mfiorilli@acba.org; deadline for nominations is Friday, May 15.

When is the last time you got a quote on your LPL insurance? The discount members can get on getting LPL through the ACBA Insurance Program – powered by USI Affinity – is often greater than the cost of ACBA membership. For more, visit www.ACBA.org/Insurance.