Without benchmarking, it’s difficult to know whether rising workers’ compensation costs reflect true risk — or fixable issues. The below case study from the ACBA Partners at USI, shows how USI helped a client compare its program against peers, uncover misaligned cost drivers, and reduce premiums by 10 percent. For more on the ACBA Insurance Program, visit www.ACBA.org/Insurance.

Volunteers are needed to help prepare dinner for guests of the Family House on Wednesday, April 8 from 3-7 p.m. Family House is a nonprofit organization in Shadyside that provides safe and affordable lodging for patients and their families who travel to Pittsburgh for medical care. Volunteers must arrive by 3 p.m., and they will be helping prepare and serve dinner for 70-90 guests at Family House. The menu and ingredients will be prepared by the Community Service Committee. No cooking experience is necessary.

Need credits by April 30? The ACBA is offering a Live Video Replay CLE sale event on Tuesday, April 28 in the Koppers Building. Save $10 per credit on any 12 previously recorded CLE programs – six substantive and six ethics – as the ACBA shows videos of Previously Recorded CLEs all day. Attend one program or several. Credits count as live credits, not distance learning.

Wellness is crucial, especially for those battling the stresses and challenges that come with the legal profession. To recognize the importance of mental health and well-being in the legal profession, the ACBA has created “Wellness Circles” for members, a vision of ACBA President and cancer survivor Amy Coco. ACBA members can self-select and opt into wellness circles, providing a confidential, supportive space to connect with colleagues, share experiences and focus on well-being.

Currently there are five Wellness Circles, which are listed below. Members are welcome to suggest ideas for additional Wellness Circles.

• Attorneys who Run
• Parenting Children with Disabilities
• Cancer Survivors
• Family Support - Mental Health/Addiction
• Sandwich Generation

Cases in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Civil Division with an amount in controversy up to $50,000 go to mandatory arbitration. All members are invited to a free non-CLE skills training program on the topic – “Arguing in Arbitration: Tips for Success in Mandatory Civil Arbitration” – on Monday, April 13 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. in the Koppers Building Conference Center.

Participants will gain a clear, step-by-step overview of case initiation, hearing-day procedures, discovery parameters, evidentiary considerations and post-award practice. The program will highlight key differences among counties, common procedural pitfalls, and address ethical considerations in arbitration. Experienced arbitration practitioners will share real-world insights on presenting persuasive cases within the time and structural constraints unique to arbitration.

If you firm is looking to hire an attorney, paralegal, legal secretary or support staff, check out the ACBA Job Board at jobs.acba.org. The Pittsburgh Legal Community’s top resource for legal job postings, the ACBA Job Board gets more than 5,000 page views each month, the vast majority from Pittsburgh-area legal professionals looking for jobs. For more information, contact Jennifer Pulice, the ACBA’s Director of Legal Employment Services, at jpulice@acba.org.

Want a fun night out, tasting local cuisine and featured wines from throughout the region, all while supporting a good cause? This year’s BLI Class Project – “412 Restaurants to the Rescue” – is for you. The event will be held on Monday, March 30 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Hotel Monaco, and it will benefit 412 Food Rescue, a nonprofit with a two-fold mission: to prevent food waste and to fight hunger in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Enjoy a Chef’s Tasting featuring cuisine from a variety of local chefs, as well as featured wines. The event also will feature raffles and a presentation from 412 Food Rescue. Proceeds from the event will go to 412 Food Rescue through the Allegheny County Bar Foundation, and all leftover food will be re-purposed to serve those dealing with food insecurity in the area.

Password managers are software that stores all your passwords in a protected database, sometimes called a vault. The password manager encrypts the vault's contents and protects it with a primary password that only you know. When you need your passwords, such as when logging in to your online bank or email account, you simply type your primary password into your password manager to unlock the vault. The password manager, which integrates with your web browser, automatically retrieves the correctpassword and securely logs you into the website. This enables you to easily maintain a unique password for each of your accounts, keeping your digital life secure. For more information, see the button below

8am™ LawPay is endorsed by all 50 state bars and trusted by firms nationwide. Built specifically for legal professionals, LawPay provides a faster way to accept payments while maintaining full IOLTA compliance. Offer clients more ways to pay with debit, credit, and eCheck payment options, as well as Pay Later, which allows clients to payover time while you get paid upfront. With PCI Level 1 security and built-in tools that prevent commingling, every transaction also stays protected. Plus, next-business-day deposits strengthen cash flow so you can stay focused on client service—not collections. See why firms trust on LawPay.

In addition to the hard copy edition that is sent to members through the mail, the March 20 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.