One of the highlights of the annual Bench-Bar Conference 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 2026 Amram Award.  For more on requirements and the nomination process, or for a list of recent Amram recipients, click below. Deadline for nominations is Monday, May 18.

The Bench-Bar Conference will be held June 18-20 at Seven Springs Mountain Resort. Registration is now open.

The Fount team has spent over 10 years building “Pearl,” an intelligent chat system that handles millions of legal conversations every year. Fount is now bringing this proven technology directly to law firms. By embedding Pearl on your firm’s website, you can automatically engage visitors, qualify leads, and streamline intake, all without moving a muscle. For a limited time, members of the Allegheny County Bar Association can receive Pearl completely free as part of an early-access program. It’s an effortless way to capture more leads, improve client experience, and show that your firm is embracing innovation in the legal space.

Attorney mobility continues to reshape the legal industry as attorneys, practice groups and legal teams contemplate lateral moves driven by professional advancement, geographical relocation and shifting priorities in work-life balance. The below edition of CNA Professional Counsel examines the logistical, ethical and risk management considerations surrounding lateral transitions, including professional liability, client relationship management and business strategy. For more on the ACBA Insurance Program, visit www.ACBA.org/Insurance.

Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers is an organization exclusively dedicated to helping lawyers, judges, law students and their family members who are at risk as a result of drug use, gambling, depression and other serious mental illnesses. LCL help is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Services include counseling, rehabilitation services and more. For more info, click the link below.

The first-ever ACBA Resource Guide has been published, and is being mailed to all ACBA members. Sponsored by AmeriServ Wealth & Capital Management, the Resource Guide is a modernized replacement of the former ACBA Legal Directory. It contains the hard copy versions of two of the ACBA’s most popular resources: the Expert and Vendor Guide (the hub of vetted business partners, divided by business category), and the Member-to-Member Practice Area Guide (the former Fields of Practice listings, containing listings of members by practice area). An electronic version is available below. Look for the hard copy edition in the mail.

ACBA members are eligible for a 10 percent lifetime discount on 8am MyCase practice management software. From 8am MyCase, firms can complete client intake, billing and payment, case management tasks, client communication tasks, legal AI and more. Never think twice about where to find important case documents, messages, and contacts — everything is organized and accessible from any web browser or device.

The ACBA Knowledge Center is the premier resource library for legal professionals. Explore this library of content and resources from the ACBA, as well as experts and providers across the legal industry. These resources include timely, actionable research from the ACBA as well as third-party resources that are designed to be helpful to your organization. Please note that the ACBA does not endorse third-party content.

Volunteers are needed for the Wills for Heroes event scheduled for Saturday, May 30, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mt. Lebanon Fire Department, 555 Washington Rd. in Mt. Lebanon.

Attorney drafters, witnesses, and notaries are needed to prepare basic estate documents including wills, durable financial powers of attorney, and healthcare powers of attorney for the community’s current and former first responders and veterans. Attorneys volunteering to draft documents must have malpractice insurance. Training on the software used for drafting will be provided in advance of the event. Interested in volunteering? Contact Alyssa Zottola at azottola@williamscoulson.com, Paige Tamecki at ptamecki@gmail.com, or Erika Dowd at end@qrlegal.com. Thank you to K&L Gates and Westinghouse for sponsoring the event.

Members are invited to participate in the ACBA’s annual Military and Veterans Project – “Operation MVP.” The project is designed to help military personnel and veterans by providing them with care packages and other support; there are two ways to participate.

• Amazon Wish List: Members can purchase items for military personnel and veterans from an Amazon wish list, available here. Needed items include snacks, personal hygiene items, playing cards, games and puzzles.
• In-Person Event:  Help stuff care packages in the Koppers Building Conference Center on Thursday, May 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. Participants can also enjoy happy hour, complete with appetizers, beer and wine. There’s no cost to attend for anyone donating items toward the cause.

The Pittsburgh Legal Journal – the official legal journal of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas containing trial lists, legal notices, sheriff sales and more – is published five days per week and is available only to subscribers. It is delivered via email as an easy-to-print, 8.5x11-inch pdf. For an informational video on the PLJ, click here.