The Causeway

The Monthly Newsletter for the Franklin County Bar Association


August 2020


"The law is a causeway upon which, so long as he keeps to it, a citizen may walk safely"  Robert Bolt, playwright
Press Releases, Memos and Important Notices 












The Pennsylvania Judiciary has provided updates at the link below regarding county-by-county court operations and proceedings. They continue to monitor developments regarding the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on court operations.
http://www.pacourts.us/ujs-coronavirus-information





PBA's COVID-19 Resources Guide for Lawyers




Neighboring Counties

The Adams County Court of Common Pleas is seeking an attorney to serve as Assistant Title IV-D Attorney in the Domestic Relations Section.


Wingerd Award Nominations

We are seeking nominations for the 2020 Edmund C. Wingerd, Jr. Award winner. Please consider nominating one of the many outstanding attorneys in the Franklin County Bar Association. The Board of Directors will consider all nominations received in the Bar office by Friday, September 11, 2020. Please return the nomination information by mail, Courthouse mailbox or via email. WINGERD AWARD NOMINATION FORM

EDMUND C. WINGERD JR. AWARD
Selection Criteria

The Edmund C. Wingerd Jr. Award was created in 2002 to honor the integrity, professionalism, discretion, commitment to client and commitment to community that distinguished the law practice of the late Edmund C. "Ted" Wingerd, Jr. 

An Edmund C. Wingerd Jr. Award recipient will be selected every two years by the Franklin County Bar Association, of which Ted Wingerd was a member for nearly 55 years. The winner will be selected in September for formal recognition in December.

It is the goal of the Edmund C. Wingerd, Jr. Award to recognize those attorneys in the Franklin County Bar Association who carry on the honorable tradition of private client solicitor - someone who thoroughly understands and honors the needs of his or her clients and consistently demonstrates professional and personal deportment in addressing and serving those needs.

Along with those characteristics, Edmund C. Wingerd, Jr. Awardees must exhibit a commitment to their community; a commitment to the highest standards of integrity and professionalism in the practice of law; and a recognition of and commitment to serving the needs of the underprivileged.

Previous winners:
2002 - Thomas Steiger, Sr.
2004 - LeRoy Maxwell, Sr.
2006 - John Sharpe
2008 - Denis DiLoreto
2010 - Thomas J. Finucane
2012 - Jay L. Benedict, Jr.
2014 - Phil Cosentino
2016 - Edward Steckel
2018 - Forest Myers



Guardianship Tracking System Workshops

The Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) is offering a series of workshops that show court-appointed guardians how to use the new Guardianship Tracking System (GTS). The GTS makes it possible for guardians of adult incapacitated persons to file inventory and annual reports online from any internet-accessible computer.
We are pleased to offer these workshops in both an online and in-person format.
 
Each workshop covers the same information so feel free to attend any session that fits your schedule. Registration is required for all workshops through WebEx.
 

Attorney Position Opening


Franklin County Legal Services ("FCLS") is a charitable, nonprofit agency located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. FCLS was founded in 2002. Our mission is to provide access to legal representation, advice, and education to low-income individuals with civil legal problems. Services are provided free of charge to the recipients of the services. Our work provides access to justice and helps meet basic human needs through the provision of civil legal services. 
 
FCLS is seeking applicants for a full-time Attorney position. The Attorney will provide civil legal services to indigent clients. Access to help for all types of civil legal problems is provided with our primary in-house practice areas focusing on the greatest needs of immigration, landlord/tenant, and family law. The Attorney will also participate in regular screening/advice sessions for potential clients and know-your-rights presentations. Position may involve remote work and travel.
 
Funding for the position is guaranteed for twelve (12) months with the possibility of extension.

QUALIFICATIONS:
  • Graduate of an ABA accredited law school;
  • Admission to the Pennsylvania Bar preferred;
  • Will consider attorneys licensed in another state and law school graduates;
  • Experience in Pennsylvania Family Law, Landlord/Tenant matters, or Immigration Law preferred as well as experience working with detained individuals;
  • Ability to work independently and travel to meet with clients;
  • Fluency in Spanish a plus; and
  • Strong commitment to public interest law.
 
SALARY AND BENEFITS:
Salary and fringe benefits information is provided to the selected candidate at the time that the position is offered. FCLS attorneys are eligible to apply for the PA IOLTA Board Loan Repayment Assistance Program offered by the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation. Membership fees for Franklin County Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association, and American Immigration Lawyers Association are paid by FCLS. 
 
HOW TO APPLY:
Submit resume and cover letter via email (gloria@fcls.net) to Gloria Keener, Executive Director. Subject Line: Attorney Position. 
 
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Equal Opportunity Employer.


Franklin County Legal Journal

We continue to publish the Franklin County Legal Journal on a weekly basis. We now have a PO Box to streamline retrieval of mail. The Heritage Center building has limited access, which may interrupt mail delivery. (Our mail is being forwarded to the new PO Box.) 

You may continue to email notices using legaljournal@franklinbar.org

You may pay for your notices via credit card at  https://www.franklinbar.org/legal-journal/  or you may request a paypal invoice by contacting Amelia.

Please may mail notices/checks to:
Franklin County Legal Journal
PO Box 189
Chambersburg, PA 17201

Would you like to receive your Legal Journal via Email?

During the judicial emergency, we had been emailing members who have mailboxes at the Franklin County Courthouse their weekly copy of the Franklin County Legal Journal. Last week the mailboxes reopened and we resumed Courthouse delivery.
 
Based on feedback from our members we are now offering email delivery to legal journal subscribers. Emails are being offered at no additional cost. Some or all of the attorneys in your firm may elect to receive legal journals via email, if you are a subscriber. The Franklin County Legal Journal is a weekly publication, with annual subscriptions running from July-June. The annual subscription cost is $35 per firm, regardless of which delivery option you choose.
 
You may select these legal journal delivery options:
  • email only
  • email + print (legal journal will be mailed to your office or delivered to your Courthouse mailbox)
  • print only (legal journal will be mailed to your office or delivered to your Courthouse mailbox)
 
Everyone's default delivery option is print only. Please let us know if you would prefer to receive your weekly legal journal via email. 

Franklin County  Bar Association and Franklin County Law Library Reopening

Franklin County transitioned from Red Phase to Yellow Phase on Friday, May 29th. The Franklin County Bar Association office and Franklin County Law Library reopened on Friday. We are using the CDC's and Department of Health's guidelines to operate in a manner that prioritizes the safety of members, visitors, and staff while granting access to our facility. The total number of people allowed in our facility is eight (8), which includes law library visitors, conference room use, and staff. Please call 717-267-2032 or email director@franklinbar.org with any questions.
 
Franklin County Law Library
The Franklin County Law Library is open and available by appointment (starting May 29th). To schedule an appointment please call 717-267-2071. Staff will schedule appointments during normal business hours of Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Staff is typically in the office Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings. If you call during these times you may be granted immediate access to the Law Library if we have not reached capacity. 


Procedures
  • A maximum of four (4) people are allowed in the Law Library research area. This includes staff.
  • Everyone over the age of 2 is required to wear a mask. *
  • Everyone is asked to use the hand sanitizer located at the front desk or wash their hands in the bathroom when entering and exiting the Law Library.
  • DO NOT use the Law Library if you are experiencing an elevated temperature of 100 or greater, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell. These are symptoms of COVID-19. Staff will ask about these symptoms. We reserve the right to refuse entry to anyone based on safety concerns, at the discretion of our Executive Director.
  • Staff and visitors are always expected to maintain proper social distancing and avoid physical contact. 
  • Surfaces will be cleaned between visitors. Please be patient when waiting to use Law Library equipment, including computers, the copier, and books.
  • All Law Library visitors will be asked to provide their name and phone number for our visitor log. The information on the visitor log will be shared with the Department of Health if requested for public safety purposes (i.e. contact tracing of COVID-19).
 
Please visit www.franklinbar.org/find to learn more about the legal research tools that are available for you to use from home.
 
FCBA members may access the Law Library after hours (if you have keys). You are not required to schedule this time with staff. Please complete the visitor log when you arrive. Please maintain the four (4) person limit after hours.
 
* Disposable masks are available. Please inform staff if you are unable to wear a mask due to a medical reason. We will make accommodations for you to use the Law Library safely. 


FCBA Conference Room 1
Conference room 1 will be available for members and non-member attorneys.
 
  • A maximum of four (4) people are allowed in the conference room. Amelia can set up Zoom for FCBA members who have clients or other attorneys wishing to join remotely.
  • Persons using the conference room will be asked to follow the same safety procedures as the library patrons. i.e. hand washing, wearing mask, etc. 

Complete all 2020 CLE Credits Online with Courses from Local Bar Associations!


The 2020 deadline for compliance groups I and II is just around the corner and you can complete all of your 2020 CLE requirements online while supporting local bar associations! The Franklin County Bar Association and other bars across PA have partnered with Axom Education to offer online CLE courses. All courses are available to any attorney seeking PA CLE credit- you don't need to be a member of the bar association offering the course.
 
We've added dozens of new courses over the last few weeks. Check out the featured courses for Summer 2020 and all available PA CLE courses here:
 
 
Current featured courses include:
 
COVID-19 related courses:
  • COVID-19 and Employment Law
  • Business Interruption Insurance and COVID-19
  • Coronavirus and Your Mental Health
 
New Releases:
  • PA Power Play: Natural Gas and Nuclear Energy in PA
  • Mediation Basics
  • Business and Retirement Valuation in Equitable Distribution
  • 2019 Auto Accident and Personal Injury Update
  • Providing Notice of Oil and Gas Lease Termination
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Criminal Practice 101
  • 2020 New Sentencing Guidelines
 
Bestsellers:
  • Death, Disability, or Disbarment: Closing the Lawyer Practice
  • Ethical Rainmaking: Building a Million Dollar Book of Business
  • Malpractice Avoidance 2018
  • The Impaired Lawyer: A Call for Action
  • A Review of Significant Changes to the PA DUI Law in 2019
  • Immigration Series Part One: Immigration 101
 
Ethics Courses:
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Understanding and Resolving Conflicts of Interest
  • Ten Pro Bono Tips
  • Malpractice Avoidance 2019
 
Multiple Credit Courses:
  • 2019 Auto Accident and Personal Injury Update (2 PA Substantive CLE)
  • Criminal Practice 101 (2 PA Substantive CLE)
  • 2020 New Sentencing Guidelines (2 PA Substantive CLE)
 
Find these courses and all available PA CLE Courses at:
 

Franklin  County Legal Services Annual Report

Please CLICK HERE to review the Franklin County Legal Services Annual Report for 2019. 


Amazon Smile for FCB Foundation


Did you know you could make a donation to the FCB Foundation when you shop at Amazon?

CLICK HERE to select FCB Foundation as your charity. 

You shop. Amazon gives.
  • Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice.
  • AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service.
  • Support your charitable organization by starting your shopping at smile.amazon.com 
Coffee Corner
"Coffee Corner" is a periodic column in The Causeway by Bar members Annie Gómez Shockey, Brandon Copeland, Krystal MacIntyre, and Brendan Sullivan.  

coffee_cup.jpg


By Annie Gómez Shockey


Each day we wake up during this pandemic we are faxed with something novel, different, changed or modified. Very little seems to be the way it was and much of what we're doing now isn't expected to be the way it will be. With that in mind, I decided to stick to a tried and true topic for this article - "Get to Know Our Colleagues."

Amy L. Owen is an Associate Attorney with Johnson Duffie who focuses on family law and civil law. Although her primary practice is  located  in Cumberland County, she spends time in Franklin County and is a proud member of the Franklin County Bar Association. Amy is originally from the  Lehigh  Valley. After graduating from Lafayette College in Easton, PA she went off to law school at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT, which is where is met the love of her life, Sean Owen. They met the old-fashioned way, in a bar, and began dating a few months into their first year of law school. During one of their first conversations Amy, a die-hard Eagles fan, made sure Sean wasn't a  Cowboys  or Giants fan. Sean declared that he wasn't a fan of either team, because he was in fact, a Patriots fan. At the time, this was satisfactory to Amy, but their love was shaken in Super Bowl LII when the Eagles faced off against the Patriots.
There may have been a line of tape down their living room floor that night. But I digress, if Sean's name sounds familiar to you, there's a good reason. Sean is an attorney in the Public Defender's Office in Cumberland County. Naturally, a question arose as to how they made it to Cumberland County from Hamden, CT. For Amy, it's the age-old story of moving for a job and for Sean it was for a woman. After law school Amy took a clerkship in the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas for the Honorable James P. Cullen where she stayed for 2 ½ years. She loved her clerkship for many reasons but most importantly because it  she gained experience in various areas of law, and it  gave her a good feel for courtroom practice and the opportunity to learn the law and procedure of Pennsylvania. Following her clerkship, she worked for Abom & Kutulakis and then took her current position with Johnson Duffie. When delving further into Amy's current law practice I found that she didn't originally plan to focus on family law. In fact, in law school Amy served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Quinnipiac Probate Law Journal. But life has a way of changing our plans and Amy has found that she truly enjoys family law. That being said, she does appreciate the reprieve her civil law work gives her from the intense emotions that come with family law cases. In their spare time, which they don't have much of given their profession, Amy and Sean enjoy working in their garden and travelling around the U.S. Last year they thoroughly enjoyed a long weekend in Nashville. This year they were planning to take their first week-long vacation in over three years to Florida until COVID-19 changed their plans. So, for now, they're back to growing delicious food in their garden.   

 
Enoch Jones is an Assistant Public Defender in the Franklin County Public Defender's Office. He grew up in Hillsborough, New Jersey, which is near Princeton. Following graduation from high school Enoch enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He did his basic training at Lackland AFB in Texas. Following basic training he attended the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, CA for a year. While there he learned Farsi, which he had no idea was even a language until he was assigned to learn it. In fact, when he was told he would be learning Farsi, Enoch called his Grandma to ask her what it was. She explained that Farsi was a language spoken in Persia  and  it was a language often used for trade on the Silk Road. Following his time at the Defense Language Institute, Enoch was stationed for 6 months at Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, TX. This is where he was taught how to use Farsi in his work. While stationed at Goodfellow Enoch made  Senior Airman  six months early. This is an honor called Below the Zone (BTZ) and only 15% of Airmen are eligible for it. The commander of the Training Wing there at the time was General Lori Robinson . So, as commanders do when their airmen get BTZ, she sent him a nice little letter on cool Wing stationary congratulating him on the award. She later became the first to do a lot of really impressive things and Enoch has the letter framed at home. Enoch was then stationed at Fort Gordon in Georgia where he stayed for 5 years. While there Enoch was assigned to NSA Georgia, which is an outgrowth of NSA Fort Meade. It was a joint unit with soldiers, marines, airmen, sailors, which Enoch described as a holistic military experience. If you're not familiar with Fort Gordon you may have heard about it recently in the news for two reasons. First, the Army recently moved  its  Cyber Command to Fort Gordon. Second, Fort Gordon is one of ten Army Installations named after a Confederate Officer. Fort Gordon is named after John Brown Gordon who was a Major General for the Confederacy. By the time Enoch decided to end his enlisted time with the Air Force he had achieved the rank of Staff Sargeant . After taking a gap year, Enoch choose to go to college. He drove across the country to attend Portland State University where he double majored in economics and international studies. Because of credit he was given for classes he took while in the military Enoch graduated in  approximately  2 ½ years. He then moved to PA because one of his oldest friends was living in Harrisburg. Enoch took a job with the PA Dept of Military and Veterans' Affairs. While there he was promoted to Veteran's Service Officer where he got to help Veterans obtain the federal assistance to which they were entitled. In order to properly answer questions posed to him Enoch often found himself in counsel's office. Eventually, he decided rather than continue bothering his colleague with questions, he would just learn the answers himself by attending law school. In 2018, Enoch graduated from Temple University School of Law. He took the bar that summer, got results in October and started working in the Franklin County Public Defender's Office in November. When I asked Enoch why he would come to Franklin County, he said that he really doesn't like urban areas. He grew up spending a lot of time with his Grandmother on her farm where she had sheep, goats, and lots of books. Plus, Franklin County is only an hour from his friend in Harrisburg and he has a buddy in our local Office of Veteran's Affairs - you might know him - he's the Director, Justin Slep. In Enoch's spare time he enjoys video games and, like his Grandmother, is an avid reader. One more interesting thing about Enoch is that he LOVES Alpacas. I wrote LOVES in all caps because they truly bring him joy. He likes them so much that a friend of his gave him a 3 ½ foot tall alpaca figure, which is actually made out of alpaca fleece. He loves the stupid looks on their faces and what he described as their "emo-band hair." But the most important thing to know about Enoch is that he believes public service is very important and it's where his heart is. It's why he joined the Air Force, worked for the Dept of Military and Veteran's Affairs and why he's in our Public Defender's Office. Franklin County is lucky to have him. 



Franklin County Bar Association
100 Lincoln Way East, Suite E, Chambersburg, PA 17201
director@franklinbar.org
717-267-2032
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