ACBA members are invited to attend "It’s Not a Sprint, It’s a Half-Marathon: Business Development for Professional Services Firms" on Wednesday, Feb. 12 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at 20 Stanwix St.

The event, organized by the Pittsburgh Legal Administrators Association and the Professional Services Marketing Association, will cover business development strategies specific to professional services, such as legal services. An expert panel will included strategies, experiences and expertise on developing business, particularly when trying to sell services, versus products. There is no cost for PLAA and PSMA members, and $30 for non-members. Registration includes breakfast.

In addition to the hard copy edition that is sent to members through the mail, the Feb. 7 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.

The ACBA Judiciary Committee will meet at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at the ACBA Headquarters in the Koppers Building to consider candidates seeking ratings for the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. The Judiciary Committee will interview Anthony DeLuca, Lauren Leiggi and Bryan S. Neft.

Written comments from ACBA members are invited and shall be received and maintained as confidential by the Committee. Written comments should be sent to David A. Blaner, Executive Director, ACBA, by email to dblaner@acba.org by Monday, Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. 

For the full notice, click below.

“Stay calm. Try 'box breathing' – four count inhale, four count hold, four count exhale, four count hold."

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.

Want to get more involved in the leadership of your local bar association in 2025?

ACBA members are encouraged to ‘run for office’ at the Bar Association. Specifically, the ACBA is seeking candidates for President-Elect and Secretary, as well as members of the Board of Governors and Judiciary Committee. Terms will begin on July 1. Deadline for submission of all candidate applications is 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14.

Volunteers for the ACBA “Wills for Heroes” event on Saturday, March 1 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the VFW Post 418, 1242 Chartiers Ave. in McKees Rocks. Attorney drafters, witnesses and notaries are needed to prepare basic estate planning documents including wills, durable financial powers of attorney and healthcare powers of attorney for active and retired first responders and military veterans free of charge. Attorneys volunteering to draft documents must have malpractice insurance.

Training on the software used for drafting will be provided in advance of the event. Those interested in volunteer should contact Joanne Parise at jparise@williamscoulson.com, Paige Tamecki at ptamecki@edgarsnyder.com or Alyssa Zottola at azottola@palawfirm.com.

Black History Month is here, and all members are invited to join the Homer S. Brown Division in celebrating. The ACBA’s 21st Annual Black History Month Celebration is set for Wednesday, Feb. 26 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Emerald City in downtown Pittsburgh.

During the event, HSBD will present its Spirit Award to Evan Frazier, President and CEO of The Advanced Leadership Institute, an organization aimed at cultivating African American executive leadership. Additionally, the HSBD Young Leader Award will be presented to Jessyca McCarl, an attorney with Pittsburgh Family Law Services Inc.

In the below video, ACBA President Regina Wilson recaps the Feb. 4 ACBA Board of Governors meeting.

She discusses the Board approving the ACBA Judiciary Committee ratings and the authorization of the ACBA's annual tax return.

The ACBA Women in the Law Division is inviting all members to enjoy lunch with Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Todd on Thursday, Feb. 27 at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh. The event will feature comments from Justice Todd regarding her career in law, ascent to leadership, and ultimately, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The deadline to register is Thursday, Feb. 20.

Businesses are focused on recruiting the best staff and getting the most out of them, which means workplace design is a crucial element in corporate and law firm strategy. In fact, 60 percent of organizations surveyed expect to spend more on design, fit-out and refurbishment by 2030.

The below article draws on insights from JLL’s Future of Work 2024 survey to identify opportunities to invest in designing workplaces that will maximize staff satisfaction and performance.