Minutes of the Meeting of May 5, 2005
Business Meeting
President Nancy Paul called the meeting to order at 2 pm.
Attendance:
Members present were:
Heather Martin (Bucks), Shelly Lawson (Colburn), Arthur Birdsall (PBA), Suellen Verlihay (Beaver), JoEllen Pastore (Lawrence), Wendy Hoffman (Chester), Ken Shear (Philadelphia), Mary Beth Leeson (Northampton), Marianne Canning (Lehigh), Kathy Sabol (Washington), Nevin Mindlin (PBA), Bruce Fleischer (Centre), Dave Blaner (Allegheny), Roger Meilton (PBI), Elizabeth Kramer (PBA), Sandra Brydon Smith (Erie), Nancy Paul (Montgomery), Susan Kenny (Monroe), Jean Bednarski (York), Don Morgan (Dauphin), Ken Shear (Philadelphia), Diane Krivoniak (Westmoreland).
TREASURER’s REPORT/Minutes
Minutes from the March 2004 CCBL business meeting as well as the Treasurer’s Report were accepted as submitted.
Randy Graf - Director of advertising/mid-atlantic Newspapers group
Mr. Graf led discussion on unclaimed property
Explained the services that his organization (Mid-Atlantic newspapers group) provides for their members include: coordinating advertising for multiple newspapers: designing and placing ads, billing, and sending proofs.Learned the specifics of Unclaimed Property:
1. After 5 years, all unclaimed property is gathered and put in vault in Harrisburg. State converts everything to cash so that they can earn interest on the money. Statute 45 Pa.C.S.Section 308 requires state treasury to advertise in all law journals.
2. $1 million is the proposed law journal advertising budget for the state treasury to fulfill its requirement to advertise in local law journals.
Won’t know until September the exact listing for advertising in local journals.
Mr. Graf will provide camera-ready PDF format or whatever format each bar desires; layout will be in exact measurement for each journal.
Mr. Graf offered to perform the publication/printing service for those bars that can’t handle the advertising.
Requirements permit this information to be an insert or to be included in the binding of the law journal issue (preferable method) - must be mailed together with law journal.
Timeframe will be provided although the publication of treasury information can be pushed back (for reasonable amount of time) to suit bar’s preference.
Might be hundreds of pages. May need to be packaged differently (not just stapled).
Law Journals are to charge their “publication” advertising rate not commercial advertising rate.
Circulation and current rate will determine how much each local journal will receive.
Bar associations can also post the information on websites. May get ads in advance to run in law journals to promote upcoming listing.
Commission for Randy’s services: 20% for non-member, 11% for members
Upcoming Events
President Paul reviewed dates of events of interest to PABE members:
PABE retreat August 14-15 Erie
Arrive Sunday. Monday: program in AM, open-air trolley to Presque Isle, dinner on Ship, Tuesday: program until noon. Departure thereafter.
NEVIN MINDLIN – LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Website – box score, background on bills
Legislative weekly highlight – sent to bar execs, bar presidents, interested members
Legislative directories available at PBA legislative table
Bar PAC is at $200,000 but the PAC board wants to bolster this fund.
Senate bill 392 deals with LLC advertising requirements in law journal, very much in play. Opposed by Phila bar, chamber.
Phila’s opposition to senate bill 392 can be viewed on their website
PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS
President Paul reported on Board of Governors meeting.
No dues increase
Public image campaign – about to introduce ideas to other bar associations. Montgomery + 4 other bars ran full-page ads on Monday May 2nd in honor of law day. Copies distributed. Good collaboration between bars. $1200 for each bar.
PBA changed fiscal year back to calendar year.
BARRY GROUP ADVERTISING CONCLUSIONS:
Use term “attorney” and not “lawyer.”
Communication with clients still big complaint. Horn Book helps with communication. New members automatically receive this. Call Art for additional copies.
Get attorneys in front of audience.
President Paul will check with PBA leadership to see if copies of the Barry report could be shared with local bar.
PBA
Elizabeth Kramer reported that PBA will be doing a membership survey; may do by e-letter.
PBA discount may be offered to legal services attorneys. David Blaner reported that discounts have not made a difference in govt. lawyer participation in spite of discount.
CCBL programming still taking ideas.
David Blaner remarked about scheduling conflict with the BLI and CCBL
PBI
New board members selected and new officers announced.
Discussed the Nonprofit Institute scheduled at Phila. CLE center on May 18, 2005.
Circulated the seminar schedule and asked bar executives to indicate their area of interest.
Discussed videotaping seminar. No decision made
PBF
Silent auction – bids close before dinner
OLD BUSINESS
BELDEN MEMORIAL FUND – Memorial Service scheduled for June 9th at Harrisburg Holiday Inn. Do not know intentions about the PBF fund and will wait to talk with PBF director Marie Queen before determining amount to contribute from the PABE account.
PABE RETREAT
Retreat agenda is not yet finalized.
Still looking for speakers if anyone has a suggestion.
NEW BUSINESS
Mr. Blaner presented possible rule changes for professional conduct that deal with the incapacitated attorney and how to best handle client files.
Brought to us by D-board Chief Paul Killion.
Suggestion that bar associations help with determining process for handling these files since the bar is the first place that clients call to try to determine who is the conservator.
Bar associations are asked to take back to board for consideration and report back to Mr. Blaner.
Ask Paul to attend next PABE meeting to discuss rules and to hear concerns about conservatorships from the bar exec’s side.
The meeting adjourned at 4 pm.
Submitted by
Diane Krivoniak