Pickleball is all the rage. All members are invited to join the ACBA Young Lawyers Division for the Esquire Open pickleball tournament on Thursday, October 9 at the Rivers Club in downtown Pittsburgh from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. No prior pickleball experience is required. 

Wonder if your decisions, legal advice or other professional actions are ethical? ACBA members can get confidential consultation on their legal actions and/or potential actions through the bar association’s Professional Ethics Hotline.

Through the hotline, members of the ACBA Professional Ethics Committee are available to give their opinion on the proper interpretation of the Code of Judicial Conduct and/or Rules of Professional Conduct. They are available to address ethics questions from any ACBA member, but they advise only about the member's own conduct; they will not give opinions about the conduct of other lawyers or judicial officials.

All members are invited to a retention election campaign fundraiser on Thursday, Sept. 18, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Omni William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh. Organized by the ACBA Judicial Excellence Committee (PAC), the event is designed to support the retention election campaign for the following Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Judges:

• Hon. Alan D. Hertzberg – Civil Division
• Hon. Beth A. Lazzara – Criminal Division
• Hon. Jennifer McCrady – Family Division
• Hon. Hugh F. McGough – Orphans’ Court
• Hon. Dan D. Regan – Civil Division
• Hon. Dwayne D. Woodruff – Family Division

During the ACBA’s annual elections this spring, members of the ACBA overwhelming voted to recommend these six judges for retention. These judges will face the electorate in a yes-no referendum during the Pa. general election on Tuesday, Nov. 4. This event is designed to raise funds for the campaign to keep these qualified judges on the bench.

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.

Alternative risk financing strategies can help organizations like yours take control of rising insurance premiums — and potentially cut costs by up to 40 percent. See how USI’s strategic risk financing solutions helped one client reduce their risks and costs, resulting in a $350,000 savings. The below article covers more. For more on the ACBA Insurance Program, visit www.ACBA.org/Insurance.

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.

ACBA members are invited to attend “Behind the Ballot: PA. Supreme Court Retention Elections” on Monday, Sept. 8 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The “fireside chat” will be held at Central High School in Philadelphia, Pa., but there is an online option available at the below link. Cherri Gregg – a civil rights journalist – will moderate a discussion featuring Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht, all candidates for retention.

It can be a challenge to determine what information should be integrated into your resume, and what information should be integrated into your cover letter, but there is a few key distinctions to help you figure it out. The below article covers more. For more on ACBA Legal Employment Services, contact Jennifer Pulice at jpulice@acba.org.

The new ACBA “bar year” is upon us, and with September right around the corner, Section meetings, networking events and other ACBA action will be picking up. Have you renewed your membership? 

If you’ve let your dues lapse, no worries. The ACBA has granted a grace period for members to renew. But don’t wait, or you’ll miss out on all that ACBA membership has to offer.

All ACBA members should have received an email containing a link where you can renew your membership for the 2025-26 bar year. For a snapshot of the benefits of becoming an ACBA member, click below. If you do not receive the email or have questions, email staff@acba.org.

The ACBA is exploring the idea of forming an In-House Counsel Committee and will hold an informational town hall meeting on the topic on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at noon on Zoom. All ACBA members interested in or with thoughts on the ACBA potentially forming an In-House Counsel Committee are invited to attend the meeting.