The Causeway
The monthly newsletter for the Franklin County Bar Association
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FCBA Celebrates PA Pro Bono Week with Award |
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The Franklin County Bar Association celebrated the services of attorneys who donate their time providing civil legal services to low income individuals and families in Franklin County on Thursday, October 15, 2020.
This year’s celebration honored Michael B. Finucane with the 2020 Pennsylvania Bar Association Pro Bono Award. David Trevaskis, the Pro Bono Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Bar Association, stated “Attorney Michael B. Finucane is being honored with the 2020 PBA Pro Bono Award for both his overall service as an active participant in Franklin County Bar Association’s Pro Bono Program and for his continued work on a particular pro bono divorce case he started several years ago that is still in progress due to its complexity. Mr. Finucane has stayed by his client’s side through it all, providing support and advocacy in this matter of critical importance for his low-income client. Yet, while handling the complicated representation on this long running matter, he has worked other cases, many complex and difficult. He has written briefs, attended hearings, and provided the full gamut of representation for pro bono clients. He has handled pro bono custody, divorce, and estate cases on a regular basis. Attorney Finucane’s willingness to accept difficult cases of varied lengths has resulted in maximizing the number of clients able to receive representation and preventing the pro bono program from turning away clients. He has been a wonderful resource for vulnerable individuals in the Franklin County community, making access to justice are reality for everyone from a homeless client to victims of domestic abuse.”
Andrew J. Benchoff, Franklin County Bar Association president, said “Michael Finucane is a long-time member of the Franklin County Bar Association, who has consistently and regularly, over the course of his career, accepted referrals for pro bono work from our various public interest law firms in Franklin County, including Franklin County Legal Services, Mid Penn Legal Services, and Women in Need, Inc.”
Gloria Keener, Executive Director of Franklin County Legal Services and Pro Bono Coordinator of the Franklin County Bar Association shared “Thank you to the Franklin County Bar Association pro bono attorneys for volunteering your expertise and time to help those in need. Thank you for reaching into the most difficult situations and bringing hope. Thank you for your commitment and sacrifice. Congratulations to 2020 PBA Pro Bono award winner Attorney Michael Finucane who, for many years, has volunteered his time in complex cases. The work he has done has been critical in his clients’ lives and has made a lasting, positive impact.”
Paul Edger, managing attorney of MidPenn Legal Services, said “On behalf of myself and the staff of MidPenn Legal Services, we wish to personally thank those Franklin County Bar Association members who generously gave their time and expertise in accepting pro bono referrals for our most vulnerable citizens. By providing an hour of your time, you have made a lifetime of a difference to someone truly in need. Especially during these unprecedented times of a national pandemic, the dedication of the bar members continuing to volunteer even while some have to work from home or have readjusted their office arrangements in order to keep themselves safe, is truly remarkable. We thank each member, and especially congratulate Michael Finucane for his desire to help accept pro bono clients, including some extremely complex matters – his service to the citizens of Franklin County and to the court is truly remarkable and should be celebrated.”
Deborah Dresser Neiderer, managing attorney of Law Offices of Women in Need, stated “On behalf of The Law Offices of Women in Need, we thank you all for your willingness to assist in granting access to justice. The attorneys of the Franklin County Bar Association always answer the call to help; and, it makes all the difference. Congratulations to Attorney Finucane, and much gratitude for your work on behalf of our clients.”
The yearly celebration is held in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Bar Association Pro Bono Week. Governor Wolf issued a proclamation designating October 25 – 31 of 2020 as Pro Bono Week in Pennsylvania and stated “I encourage all Pennsylvanians to recognize and appreciate the dedication and contributions of these law professionals to enhancing the lives of their clients, and to support pro bono legal work in their communities.” Pro Bono Week is an opportunity to highlight the differences lawyers make in their communities, to recruit and train more pro bono volunteers and to acknowledge the partnerships that form the basis for many of the private bar’s most successful pro bono efforts.
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Watch our video presentation of Mr. Finucane's award. |
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The Franklin County Bar Association invites you to join us for the 2020 Annual Meeting on Friday, December 4th.
This year's Annual Meeting will be held as a remote video conference via Zoom. You may join from the comfort of your home or office!
The meeting will start at 1 p.m. on Friday, December 4th. The agenda and meeting materials will be sent out prior to the meeting.
Register in advance for the Annual meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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Proposed Bylaw Changes for FCBA |
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Attached for our Association membership’s consideration is a copy of the proposed bylaw change to implement new Section 2.02: Standard of Conduct of Members. If adopted, the bylaws change would ultimately lead to the creation of a Standard of Conduct Committee to deal with complaints of misconduct and a thorough process for handling and addressing those complaints. Along with the proposed bylaw change, we have included specimens of a proposed complaint form, a proposed letter notice to the accused, a proposed decision following an investigation, and an appeal form.
This proposed bylaws change will be part of the December 4th Annual Meeting Agenda.
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Courthouse Planter Project
Help the Women's Club of FCBA Decorate for the Christmas Parade & the Holidays
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The FCBA Women's Club will be decorating the Courthouse Planters for the holidays. The Chambersburg Christmas Parade is November 21st. Please join us Friday, November 20th at 2 p.m. to add fresh ever greens, decorations and lights to the planters.
Barb and Marty will have everything there, we just need people to help. Please bring your garden gloves. We should be finished by 3 p.m. at the latest.
Please let us know if you can help.
When: Friday, November 20th at 2 p.m.
Where: Franklin County Courthouse
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Press Releases, Memos and Important Notices |
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39th Judicial Memos and Information |
2021 Schedules have been added to the Judicial District page of our website, located in the "other Court Info" folder:
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The Disciplinary Board
of the Supreme Court of PA
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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.
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Guardianship Tracking System Workshops |
Please see below for a brochure regarding the next round of GTS Guardian Workshops for court-appointed guardians. This series offers sessions in October, November and December.
Guardians who participated in any of the prior workshop/webinar sessions will not need to attend since the material being presented is essentially the same. This series is again being offered exclusively as 'Online Workshops'. The online webinars have been very successful and convenient for the guardians since various dates and times are being offered to accommodate their schedules, and also travel is not required.
The guardians will need to register online so that the trainers can appropriately plan and staff the sessions based on the number expected to participate.
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BYBEL RUTLEDGE LLP WELCOMES ALEXANDRA M. SIPE TO THE FIRM |
LEMOYNE, PA (October 1, 2020). Bybel Rutledge LLP, named by US News & World Report as one of the Best Law Firms in Pennsylvania, is pleased to announce that Alexandra M. Sipe, Esquire has joined the firm as a partner.
Ms. Sipe will be the chair of the Wealth, Estate, Trust Planning and Administration Division of Bybel Rutledge, LLP. Ms. Sipe focuses her practice on assisting individuals with estate planning, advising individual and corporate fiduciaries on trust and estate administration legal issues and real estate transactions.
Alexandra has substantial experience in counseling clients on their estate and trust needs.
Speaking on behalf of the Firm, Managing Partner Erik Gerhard noted, “We are pleased that Alex agreed to join the Firm. Her addition brings in a new area of practice to our Firm. We believe with the evolving demographics of Central Pennsylvania, that this area of law will continue to grow and prosper.”
Previously a partner in a regional law firm, Alexandra began her career as a solo practitioner where her practice focused on estate planning.
Ms. Sipe is a graduate of Dickinson School of Law and Dickinson College. Alexandra is the recipient of the Trailblazer Award presented by the Real Property, Probate and Trust Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. She currently serves on the boards of Luminest Housing and Mainstreet Waynesboro, Inc.
New contact information:
Alexandra M. Sipe, Esq.
Bybel Rutledge, LLP
20 East Sixth Street, Suite 301
Waynesboro, PA 17268
Phone: 717-731-1700
Direct: 717-655-7159
Fax: 717-731-8205
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Coffee Corner
"Coffee Corner" is a periodic column in The Causeway by Bar members Annie Gómez Shockey, Brandon Copeland, Krystal MacIntyre, and Brendan Sullivan.
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By Brendan Sullivan
Given this opportunity to write a Causeway article, I selfishly decided to add something about Franklin County Legal Services in a “Get to Know Our Colleagues.”
We have welcomed new attorneys to our little nonprofit.
One is Jonah Fish-Gertz. He recently clerked for Judge Zook at the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. Jonah is a recent law school graduate and suffers from an incurable case of chronic sarcasm.
The other is Shane Young. He has been with us for some months now but needs a proper introduction. Shane is a relatively recent law school graduate. He suffers from exuberance and infectious optimism.
Below are summaries brief interviews of Jonah and Shane. Spoiler alert- they’re both awesome.
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Jonah Fish-Gertz:
As mentioned above, Jonah Fish-Gertz is a Staff Attorney at Franklin County Legal Services in Chambersburg. His current focus is family and civil law. He is a resident of Franklin County and will soon be admitted into the Franklin County Bar this winter. Jonah Fish-Gertz is originally from Avoca, in the middle of Steuben County New York. He claims the town has a traffic light and almost complete area cell service but was pressed to answer when I asked if there was a Walmart. He attended Elmira College in Elmira, New York and then went on to Temple Law in Philadelphia. He claims “Podunk, NY,” the former name of his hometown, fully prepared him for living in the 6th largest city in the U.S. Jonah was a Mark Twain Ambassador in undergrad. Thus, he taught me that all but one of Twain’s four children died before he did. Jonah claims he wants to “save the world…[or]...[t]heretically buy a house.” Moreover, Jonah claims to be unique in his demographic because he likes hiking and draft beer.
He is a Dungeons and Dragon aficionado and claims he, “also enjoy[s] denying things (such as interviews with my esteemed college) the solemnity that mayhap they deserve.” He continued, “also, I enjoy using words like ‘mayhap.’"
Jonah clerked for Judge Zook, until recently. When asked about his clerkship, he said, “I have a great deal of respect for Judge Zook, and I learned more in my year with him then I probably did in three years of law school.” He continued, “it was certainly an interesting introduction to the local legal community- I cannot think of a better way to have started my legal career.” He oft wishes he had a dog but due to a tragic goldfish murder in his youth he has a fear of killing anything with the need to be kept in a glass box-not that anyone keeps a dog in a glass box. Jonah considers himself an environmentalist and seeks to make contributions to environmentalism so that children can breathe air in a few generations from now. In regard to the local area, he enjoys the trees, the fresh air and the ability to walk to work.
His video game cred lies in strategy games. He has “logged more hours in Civilization VI than seems reasonable.”
When asked, How much do you love the FCBA? Jonah responded, “the FCBA is the best bar association I have ever been a part of- I honestly enjoy the young lawyers division and miss the myriad social activities that we did.”
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Shane Young:
Shane is also a Staff Attorney with Franklin County Legal Services in Chambersburg. He joined FCLS in November 2019, but then after a few months, Covid happened and well the reader knows the consequences of Covid and lockdown. His main focus is immigration law. Shane has worked in several altruistic areas, including social work. He is very well traveled and has been throughout the U.S. but has not seen as much as he’d like. He has also traveled to Haiti and Africa. Shane was born in Parksburg, West Virginia, but he grew up in a small Northeast Ohio town. We went to Wheeling Jesuit University for undergrad and received a B.A. in International Studies. He graduated law school at West Virginia University. Shane is remarkably active. He recently competed in a triathlon that required 2.4 miles of swimming, 140.6 miles of biking and a 26.2-mile run. In undergrad he was on the Men’s Soccer team and the Men’s Basketball team. He is also a self-described “theater nerd.” In law school he was a Mock Trial Champion and member of the Immigration Clinic. He is passionate about immigration law and advocating for those in underserved immigrant populations. He is a self-described, “Human Rights/Immigration guy” and has been working with marginalized/low income populations since 2011.
Shane rescued a five-year-old Coonhound- Jenny in May 2019. He claims she is a “thorn-covered rose,” but he loves her. Shane moved to the area not soon before Covid hit, but none the less he has biked all over Franklin County and claims there are some “hidden gems.” Shane loves the outdoors and is aching for winter slopes to open and to begin summer explorations.
On the video game front, Shane is a Call of Duty guy. He’s no pro but thinks he can hold his own.
When asked How much do you love the FCBA? Shane responded, “On a scale from 1-10, I'll give it a 14.36. I am really appreciative of the FCBA community.” He continued, “[t]he YLD has been a true blessing.” Moreover, “I moved here knowing absolutely no one, and it has given me a community to build off of; our FCBA basketball team was a blast, and I can't wait for round 2- On a side note, I can't wait for trivia to start back up again, if it ever does.”
And now that you know a little of Jonah Fish-Gertz and Shane Young, Esquires at Franklin County Legal Services, please feel free to approach them on the street and say “hello.”
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Franklin County Bar Association
100 Lincoln Way East, Suite E, Chambersburg, PA 17201
717-267-2032
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