Did You Hear The One About the 1,000 Lawyers in a room?
Some folks might be thinking about a dozen or so lawyer jokes with a gathering of over a 1,000 lawyers, but once a year a serious tradition occurs when the members of Philadelphia’s Bar Association get together and participate in a tradition that has been going on for 70 years
Even the city’s busiest and most successful legal luminaries patiently wait in a long line to wish the newly installed Chancellor (and each other) good luck in the year ahead. At times, the line of more than 1,000 well- wishers will flow through the ballroom foyer, around corridors, and down to the escalator that leads guests to the ballroom level shaking as many as 13 hands per minute.
Another first for the Philadelphia Bar Association’s the First Hispanic Chancellor Rudolph Garcia greeting the Bar Association Members
Also in the receiving line were te 2012 Chancellor-Elect John E. Savoth and wife Nancy Savoth, Tom Wilkinson (husband of Vice Chancellor Kathleen D. Wilkinson), Vice Chancellor Kathleen D. Wilkinson greet well wishers.
In the Grand Ballroom of the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue there was a delicious spread for the guests
Garcia says “Bar associations throughout this country are losing members in this challenging economy. We are retaining a much higher percentage than the ABA and most other bars, but we can’t take our members for granted. We need to earn their loyalty, and attract new members, by enhancing the value of membership in our association. Accordingly, I have formed a Membership Task Force that is already working on ways to save our members more than they spend in dues. We have two such projects scheduled for the first quarter of next year.”
Those lawyers are a trusting bunch leaving their coats & brief cases about.
Former State Rep candidate for Gregg Kravitz and Mary Beth Bogan, Principal at Bogan Law Group in Philadelphia. State Rep incumbent Babette Josephs was in the room too. Mary Beth does pro-bono work for artists
Philadelphia Tribune writer Bobbie Booker and
Many notable guests were on hand elected officials, judges, including Judge Ron Castille,
City Solicitor Shelley R. Smith and 
DA Seth Williams.
*********************** The Philadelphia Bar Association has a service that if needed you should take advantage of: Free legal advice will be given to those who call the Legal Line hotline on 1/19/11. From 5 to 8 p.m., area residents can call lawyers at (215) 238-6333 and have their legal questions answered confidentially without a fee. The lawyers will staff a phone bank at the headquarters of the Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market Street, 11th Floor.
