The March 20 edition of Pittsburgh Legal Journal Opinions is available online. The Pittsburgh Legal Journal publishes timely, precedent-setting, full-text opinions from various divisions of the Court of Common Pleas. Opinions that appeared in past editions are available in a searchable database here; members must be logged in to the ACBA website to access this database.

By now, most members of the Pittsburgh Legal Community have heard that the Quatrini Law Group has purchased the former Lidia’s Restaurant building. Members will have the chance to check out the space at the next ACBA Members-Only Happy Hour on Tuesday, April 28 from 5-7 p.m. Admission is $10 in advance or $15 at the door, which includes beverages and appetizers, thanks to the Quatrini Law Group, which is also the event sponsor. No CLE. No Seminar. Just Happy Hour.

The ACBA Softball League is gearing up for spring. The league is currently comprised of attorneys, law students, and full-time employees of law firms. Teams play 16 to 18 games per season and games are expected to be played Monday, Wednesday and Thursday each week beginning in May at Marino Field in Oakland.

Participants can enter a full team or join as an individual. There are no gender restrictions. Anyone who would like to start a team or play on an existing team should contact Bradley Whitecap, League Commissioner, at 412-720-4630 or bwhitecap@reedsmith.com.

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.

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.

The Allegheny County Bar Foundation is accepting Board of Trustee applications to fill three seats on the ACBF Board. Interested applicants that are not attorneys are also encouraged to apply. Trustees serve for a period of three years. This term will begin on July 1. The foundation board meets a minimum of six times per year on the first Wednesday of alternating months. Meetings begin at noon at ACBA Headquarters.

Trustees must be a Fellows GIVE member of the Bar Foundation or willing to become one upon appointment to the board and should have a proven track record of public service and/or participation with a non-profit board  or other charitable activities.

Submit a completed application online using the link below by Thursday, April 30. For more information on the ACBF, please visit www.acbf.org or click here to view the ACBF Gratitude Report.

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.

It will be here before you know it. The 62nd annual ACBA Bench-Bar Conference is June 18-20 at Seven Springs Mountain Resort. The conference, which will also serve as a farewell to Executive Director David Blaner as he prepares for retirement, will feature a full slate of CLEs, sporting events, fine dining, drinks, networking and more. Registration will open next month.

If your firm will be sending at least one attorney to the ACBA Bench-Bar Conference this year, consider sponsoring the conference. Sponsorships at the Gold level and above include at least one conference admission (a $665 value), as well as branding throughout the conference and beyond. For more information, click below or email Brian Knavish at bknavish@acba.org.

Hosting an event of interest to the Pittsburgh Legal Community? Want to celebrate a new hire or promotion at your firm? Have a legal support service that Pittsburgh attorneys would find valuable? You can promote those opportunities – right here in this very spot – by sponsoring an edition of the Sidebar e-newsletter. Sidebar Sponsorships are currently available at half-price; your content can run in any available edition in the next 12 months, but you have to lock in your agreement by Thursday, April 30 to get the deal. Limited spots are available, so act now. For more, contact Jennifer Pulice at jpulice@acba.org or click below.

The Kennedy T. Friend Scholarship Fund was established by the will of Kennedy T. Friend, a distinguished member of the ACBA who passed in London, England in 1929. Any child of an attorney who is a member of the Allegheny County Bar and has an active practice in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, is eligible for this scholarship if they choose to attend Yale University or the successor schools of the University of Paris.