Louis D. Brandeis Law Society

Dear Member:

I am pleased to be writing the first Louis D. Brandeis Law Society Newsletter.  We have been very busy in an attempt to make the transition from TER-Philadelphia Chapter to Louis D. Brandeis Law Society as seamless as possible.  Your executive committee has been working very diligently on all fronts.  The transition team, lead by our Vice Chancellor, Michael Berkowitz, is addressing issues of by-laws, and corporate details, as well as marketing.  As you may have noticed we have a new logo reflective of our mission statement.  The stationery has been printed and our updated e-mail list has allowed us to communicate with more members faster than ever.  (If you know anyone who is not getting our emails, please contact me.)

I realized that we have a very full calendar in the next few months so please save the following dates: 

1. March 31, 2004 - Joint CLE with Gratz College; Jewish Legal Procedure and the Trial of Jesus, 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. followed by a presentation by ADL regarding their perspective on the controversial movie, The Passion of the Christ. 1 1/2 credit hours.  For more information, click here.

2. March 31, 2004 – Help Judge Mort Krase celebrate his years on the bench and his move to Senior Status at Maggianos.  Details to follow in separate flyer.

3. April 13, 2004 – Personal Injury Potpourri- 9:15 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. Harris Bock has graciously offered a tuition reduction of $50 from the regular tuition of $125 for all Brandesians in good standing. 6 credit hours. For more information, click here.

4. April 28, 2004 – The Brandesians, the Justinians and the Brehons have pooled their considerable talents, and under the leadership of Judges Moss and Field, will present a symposium on the new Medical Malpractice Act.  Tuition will be $75.00 for 3 credit hours.

5. May 2, 2004 Save the date.  Brandeis Law Society goes to New York to see Golda’s Balcony.  We are trying to work out the details, which will follow in a separate flyer.

6. May 4, 2004 Brandeis Law Society Goes to The People’s Emergency Center through United Way for our first, Annual Stuart Agins Community Service Day.  Details of volunteer opportunities will follow

7. May 20, 2004 Save the date for Jewish Law Day co-sponsored by the Committee of Judges and Lawyers, the Board of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia  and Louis D. Brandeis Law Society.  Justice Max Baer will be the speaker and Justice Sandra Newman is the Chair of the Day.

Other ideas for future events next Fall, include a “Meet Your Jewish Pennsylvania Appellate Judges” event, a Hanukah event (which will definitely feature latkes), an induction ceremony for our new organization  and additional CLE programs.  If you have ideas for an event, please let me or Todd Berk know; he is our program chair for this year.  Please note, however, that programs only are as good as the people who participate in them and attend. We need your input and help to make them a reality.

Please welcome new members:

I want to particularly thank Michael Berkowitz for organizing our theater evening at The Producers and the pre-event cocktail party on February 7, 2004, and Professor Edward Ohlbaum for donating his time on December 13, 2004, when he presented Criminal Prosecution in China, our first free CLE class.  We acknowledged Professor Ohlbaum's contribution to us in a donation to the Temple University Beasley School of Law.  I also want to publicly thank our counselor, Larry Beaser, who continues to work tirelessly in making sure that we meet all legal requirements associated with the emergence of our new organization. Thanks also to the Israeli Consulate and Yoel Mester, Vice-Consul, who came to speak with us on January 21, 2004,  to give us the inside track on the security fence in Israel.  If you haven't already seen it, please read the wonderful article by Molly Peckman about the Brandeis Law Society on page 10 of the March issue of the Philadelphia Bar Reporter.  I also would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge Sam Adenbaum, husband of member Gilda Kramer, and his firm, STA Technology Consulting, who helped us so much in creating our e-mail system, our logo, and keeps all of our announcements coming to you in a timely fashion.

As you can see, we have a full plate.  I am so proud to be working with the leadership of this organization and gratified to see the fulfillment of our mission statement so thoroughly. 

Finally, I want to remind you that dues notices continue to keep coming from TER.  To avoid confusion, you are certainly free to belong to both organizations; but you can not avail yourself of the privileges of belonging to Louis D. Brandeis Law Society unless you are a Brandesian.  If you have any questions about your membership, please do not hesitate to call me before you pay your dues.  I look forward to meeting many of you at our upcoming events.  Please introduce yourself to me so that I can put a face with a name. 

Louis D. Brandeis Law Society, the Jewish law society, is dedicated to advancing and enriching the personal and professional interests of our members of the Bench and Bar.  We promote opportunities for leadership, development, social interaction, education and community service.