Need temporary conference room facilities downtown for a mediation, deposition or client meeting? Practice in the suburbs but have an occasional need for office space when you have a court date downtown? Legal professionals can rent conference rooms in ACBA headquarters – located in the Koppers Building in downtown Pittsburgh – on a daily or short-term basis for as little as $50 for members. For more, contact Barb Brumbaugh at bbrumbaugh@acba.org.

When is the last time you got a quote on your LPL insurance? The discount members can get on getting LPL through the ACBA Insurance Program – powered by USI – is often greater than the cost of ACBA membership. For more, visit www.ACBA.org/Insurance.

The Allegheny County Bar Foundation is accepting Board of Trustee applications to fill three open seats. Interested applicants (including non-attorneys) are 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 nonprofit board or other charitable activities. Submit a completed application online using the link below by Thursday, April 30.

In addition to the hard copy edition that is sent to members through the mail, the May 1 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.

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 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.

In addition to the hard copy edition that is sent to members through the mail, the April 17 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.

In today's volatile business landscape, from continual layoffs, to changes in management, to working more with less support, resilience is the most important and critical capability for employees at all levels. The below article covers more. For more on ACBA Legal Employment Services, contact Jennifer Pulice at jpulice@acba.org.

The ACBA is inviting members to a free paper-shredding event in the parking lot at Burns White in Pittsburgh's Strip District on Thursday, April 30 from 2-3:30 p.m. Members can bring up to two boxes of papers to be shredded - right in front of your eyes - by Steel City Shredding's mobile shredding truck. There's a limit of two boxes per person. Thanks to Steel City Shredding and Burns White for sponsoring the event.

While lawyers may be adept at assisting clients to plan carefully for death or catastrophic events, the ever-increasing digital world brings another item to the planning process: online and digital accounts.

Without the right planning, families and other beneficiaries can end up completely locked out of loved ones’ digital life (and associated assets). For example, when access to email, banking, utilities, and cloud accounts is lost, survivors face delayed bill payments, frozen assets, lingering subscriptions and significant emotional strain. Too often, service providers refuse to help without credentials, even when a death certificate is provided.

The key takeaway for attorneys is that digital assets are no longer optional in estate planning. Email access is especially critical because it often controls password resets for everything else. The good news is that practical solutions are available: encourage clients to inventory key accounts, use a secure password manager with legacy access, designate a trusted digital contact, and activate built‑in legacy tools offered by major platforms.