Chancellor's Note

As we approach the Pesach Holiday next week, I want to thank you all for the support you have given Brandeis Law Society this year and wish for you a happy Passover with your family and friends.

It is with great pride that I write to you as the new (and second) Chancellor of the Louis D. Brandeis Law Society. Our transition as a professional society is nearly complete and has been achieved almost seamlessly. We now have the opportunity to capitalize on our new found autonomy and grow as we see fit.

First, I want to congratulate and acknowledge the efforts of our immediate past Chancellor, Hon. Anne E. Lazarus. Judge Lazarus has been and continues to be a tireless and dedicated member of our Society. During her tenure as Chancellor, she led us from birth to the thriving and rapidly growing professional law society we are today. I look forward to building upon the momentum Judge Lazarus has created.

At our retreat in October of last year, long-standing and new members worked together to forge goals for the future of Brandeis. Many great ideas emerged, including three specific goals for directing our organization:

1. Creating a strong committee structure to spread responsibility for programming;

2. Implementing a marketing program to raise awareness of Brandeis; and,

3. Creating relationships with law students and younger lawyers to bring in the next generation of Brandeis members.

I am happy to report that in the short period of time since the Retreat, we have made great strides in implementing each of these three goals.

On the marketing front, we approved an initial marketing budget and have hired Dan Cirucci, formerly of the Philadelphia Bar Association, to assist with our marketing efforts. Dan, who opened his own marketing firm, has already made several interesting proposals, including focusing our marketing efforts around the 150th anniversary of the birth of Justice Louis D. Brandeis on November 13, 2006. We are considering the following ideas:

• Having a presentation by an expert on Justice Brandeis at an upcoming event, possibly Jewish Law Day;

• Creating a scholarship to be awarded to a local law student who writes the best paper on a Justice Brandeis-related topic;

• Expanding our efforts to obtain publicity in local publications, both legal and non-legal; and,

• Enhancing our web site in a variety of ways.

Along with considerable contributions from Judge Lazarus, Dan has created the first Louis D. Brandeis marketing brochure, which was completed in time for our recent law student networking event. The brochure, a tri-fold printed on quality bond, includes our society’s logo,  a membership application, and quotes from several of our members extolling the virtues of being a Brandeis member. The brochure will be of great assistance in raising awareness about Brandeis. My thanks to Judge Lazarus for spearheading our marketing efforts.

As you may know, since our December Chanukah party, Brandeis has been busy offering our members many great programs. On February 8th, we presented Intelligent Design or Designed Intelligence, where lawyers Stephen G. Harvey and Eric Rothschild of Pepper Hamilton LLP presented to a packed room of Brandeis members a first-hand perspective of their experiences representing eight families who challenged the Dover School District's policy that included "Intelligent Design" in the curriculum. The trial placed our region at the forefront of this groundbreaking and controversial issue. Attendees received one substantive CLE credit. Congratulations go to Judge Lazarus for arranging this successful and thought provoking event. Also, a special thank you to our presenters, Steve Harvey and Eric Rothschild. As a special thanks for the efforts of our presenters Steve Harvey and Eric Rothschild, Brandeis made a monetary contribution to the National Center for Science Education.

On February 27, Brandeis co-sponsored an event with the Jagiellonian Law Society entitled Polish-Jewish Relations: Conflicted Memories and New Expectations. This was our first opportunity to work one-on-one with the Jagiellonians and judging from the success of this event, it will not be the last. We heard from a panel of experts including guest speakers Reverend John T. Pawlikowski, Professor of Social Ethics and Director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies Program at the Catholic Theological Union at the University of Chicago, and Rabbi Andrew Baker, Director of International Jewish Affairs for the American Jewish Committee. Also included on the panel were Consul General Krzysztof Kasprzyk of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York as well as Consul General Uriel Palti of the Consulate General of Israel in Philadelphia. Our consuls general brought a diplomatic angle to the program. Congratulations to Hon. Marlene Lachman, Hon. Anne Lazarus, Natalie Klyashtorny, and Mitchell Klevan for co-chairing this most successful event. Also, thanks to Marian Kornilowicz of the Jagiellonian Law Society who put much effort into organizing this event.

On March 27th Brandeis hosted its first professional networking event for young lawyers and Jewish law students from area law schools. Co-sponsored by Brandeis and the Jewish Graduate Student Network of Hillel of Greater Philadelphia, this  well-attended and highly successful event was held at Blank Rome's Comisky Conference Center in Center City. The planning committee included students from area law schools as well as Brandeis attorneys and judges. Deserving special recognition for their planning efforts are Brandeis member Hara Podel, Brandeis student liaison, Abigail Perlstein, and Adina Steinberg of Hillel. This is an event we hope to repeat in coming years. Also, thanks to those Brandeis members who took the time to sponsor break-out sessions where law students were given an opportunity to hear first-hand from practitioners and judges in particular areas of practice. Also, thanks to our guest speakers Alan Feldman, Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, and Jonathan Saidel, Philadelphia’s City Controller for sixteen years.

We have more events coming in the next few months so please save the following dates:

• April 11, 2006 – Personal Injury Potpourri (9:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.) Brandeis member Harris Bock has graciously offered a tuition reduction of $50.00 from the regular tuition of $125.00 for Brandeis members in good standing for this six credit CLE. Details for this program have been mailed to you.

• April 27, 2006 – The Brandeisians, the Justinians and the Brehons have pooled their considerable talents, under the leadership of Brandeis members Judge Sandra Mazer Moss and Judge Myrna Field, to present a three credit hour symposium on “Settling Lower Value Cases,” focusing on cases worth $100,000.00 and less. A panel of judges, plaintiff lawyers, defense lawyers and insurance adjusters is being assembled. The event will include several short dramatic skits illustrating how ethical violations can arise in this area. The planning committee is also seeking volunteers interested in acting in or writing these skits. It is sure to provide a lot of fun for those who participate. If you practice in this area and are interested in contributing as a panel member or if you are interested in acting (no prior experience required) or writing, please contact me at (215) 567-2010 or mjberkowitz@crbcp.com.

If you have any other ideas for an event, please let me know. I look forward to working with each of our members to make Brandeis the best organization that it can be.

Like a bad joke, if you ask five people to define “common law marriage,” you will probably get ten answers. Few people, including most lawyers, really understand the concept, and recent court decisions and legislation have both muddied the water and, finally, created some clarity.  for full text click here