Abraham Lincoln at Bar's Law Day Luncheon
Above: Abraham Lincoln, portrayed by re-enactor Jim Getty from Gettysburg, was the keynote speaker. |
The Berks County Bar Association celebrated Law Day 2013 with our annual Law Day Luncheon on April 30 at the Reading Crowne Plaza, Wyomissing. This year’s theme, marking the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th Anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech, was Realizing the Dream: Equality for All. We honored the winning high school mock trial team, the three elementary students who submitted winning essays on the theme and the Fox Scholarship Awardee. Right: Local child music prodigy, Isabel Lacatus, provided the music. View video of her performance. |
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Left to Right: The winning Mock Trial Team from Conrad Weiser and the winning 2013 Law Day Essay Winners posing with Dominic A. DeCecco, Esq., Co-Chair, Law Day Committee, Abraham Lincoln, and Berks Bar President, Eugene Orlando, Jr., Esq.
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Have you just been served with a complaint seeking to foreclose on your home or to change the child custody arrangement or to evict you from your apartment? Or are you considering bankruptcy? You need to consult with an attorney. Our members are skilled attorneys who can fight for your rights, draft valid legal documents and stand by you in the courtroom. Don’t be misled by television ads for online legal forms. Notaries and petition preparers cannot give legal advice or accompany you to court. And “do-it-yourself” law is a fast lane to disaster. Our members know Pennsylvania law, are available for personal consultations and are accountable to you. |
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Foreclosure Mediation Program Continues
The Berks County Bar Association, in conjunction with the Berks County Courts and Neighborhood Housing Services, have created a program by which those threatened with the loss of their home can seek relief. The program began January 1 and is continuing. Those served with a complaint in a consumer debt or home mortgage case may take advantage of the program.
Read More› for a description of the program.
The program is also explained on a recent "Ask a Lawyer" television show. Go here to view the program. As of July 16, 216 cases have requested to participate. Go here for a detailed update.
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African leaders to request Kenyan leaders be tried domestically
[JURIST] African foreign ministers agreed Friday to request that Kenyan leaders accused of inciting violence following the 2007 elections stand trial in their home country rather than before the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] in The Hague. This follows Tuesday's report [text, PDF] by the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission [advocacy website] connecting [JURIST report] the Kenyan leaders to the violence. The African leaders' request stems from accusations [AFP report] by members of the African Union that the ICC targets African governments that do not please western leaders. The president and vice president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta [BBC profile;... Full Story››
Nokia files patent infringement suit against HTC
[JURIST] Finnish telecommunications company Nokia filed suit against Taiwanese company HTC [corporate websites] Thursday for selling products in the US that infringe Nokia's patents on mobile technology. Three patents in question involve program products typically used in hand sets for a mobile phone. Thursday's suit brings the total number [Inquirer report] of Nokia patents being asserted against HTC in courts around the world to 50. Nokia has a long history [JURIST news archive] of holding other companies accountable in the courts. HTC finds itself across the aisle from Nokia with Apple, Rhythm in Motion (known for their Blackberry products), the... Full Story››
Tenth Circuit hears Hobby Lobby appeal of health care ruling
[JURIST] Hobby Lobby, Inc. [corporate website] requested an exemption from the mandate to provide employees with coverage for contraceptives under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) [text; JURIST backgrounder] in an en banc hearing before the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit [official website] on Thursday. The Green family, founders of Hobby Lobby and its sister company Mardel, contend [AP report] that businesses, not just the currently exempted religious groups, should be excepted from that part of the health law if it violates the business-owners' religious beliefs. The US District Court for the Western District of... Full Story››
Allies of Kosovo PM probed over war crime allegations
[JURIST] The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) [official website] and the Kosovo Police Special Operations Unit ROSU [EU backgrounder, PDF] arrested five people Thursday on suspicion of war crimes in the 1998-1999 conflict [JURIST news archive]. Although the names of the accused were not released, the lawyer for Sami Lushtaku announced that his client is among those arrested. Lushtaku is the mayor of the town of Skenderaj [OSCE backgrounder, PDF], and is a close ally of Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci [official website]. Both men served as commanders in the guerrilla Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) [BBC... Full Story››
Federal judge gives preliminary view that DOJ will prevail in Apple antitrust case
[JURIST] US District Judge Denise Cote expressed a tentative view on Thursday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] would be able to show at trial that Apple [corporate website] knowingly participated in and facilitated a conspiracy to raise the prices of e-books with five publishers. She said her view was based largely [Reuters report] on material submitted as evidence. The trial, set for June 3, will proceed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York [official website]. The DOJ's Antitrust Division [official website] has reached settlements with Hachette Book Group Inc., HarperCollins Publishers L.L.C.,... Full Story››






