The FCBA Admissions Ceremony and Annual Meeting will be held on Friday, December 2nd at the Franklin County Courthouse.
Schedule of Events
8:30 a.m. - Breakfast Reception hosted by Young Lawyers Division, Floor 3 of the Courthouse Annex
9:00 a.m. - Admission Ceremony, Courtroom One
10:30 a.m. - FCBA Membership Meeting, Jury Assembly Room
12:00 p.m. - Luncheon, Jury Assembly Room
Please click here to review the meeting materials. Paper copies will be provided at the meeting.
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Help Needed for Decorating the Courthouse Planters for Christmas
The FCBA Women's Club will be decorating the Courthouse Planters for the holidays. Please join us Saturday, December 3rd at 8:30 a.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 10 a.m. at the latest.
Marty will treat for breakfast for anyone who wants to join in at the Family Diner at LWE and Stouffer Avenue at 7:30 a.m. As always, your kids are welcome to join in the fun!
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FCBA Celebrates Pro Bono Week with Luncheon and Award
The FCBA celebrated the services of attorneys who donate their time providing civil legal services to low income individuals and families in Franklin County on Wednesday, October 12, 2016. The FCBA Pro Bono luncheon was held at the Main Street Deli & Café in Chambersburg.
Mary Beth Shank, Franklin County Bar Association's President welcomed area attorneys and thanked them for their service. "In a time where schedules seem to be increasingly demanding, legal issues more complex and legal service needs on the rise, it's a testament to our membership that young and seasoned attorneys alike have made pro bono service a personal and professional priority."
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the Honorable Shawn D. Meyers
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The Honorable Shawn D. Meyers spoke to the attorneys to thank them for their continued commitment to our community.
Janice Hawbaker, chair of the Franklin County Bar Association's Pro Bono Committee thanked the attorneys and staff members who work for legal service agencies in Franklin County, along with the various members of the FCBA who provide pro bono services. She stated 76 legal matters have been handled by pro bono attorneys over the last 12 months in the areas of Protection from Abuse, Divorce, Custody, Mortgage Foreclosure, Bankruptcy, Estates, Wills, Power of Attorneys, Adult Guardianship, Driver's License Suspension, and Real Estate.
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Clint Barkdoll & David Trevaskis
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This year's luncheon honored Clinton Barkdoll, of Kulla, Barkdoll & Stewart, P.C., with the 2016 Pennsylvania Bar Association Pro Bono Award. David Trevaskis, the Pro Bono Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Bar Association, noted that "Mr. Barkdoll has been an active pro bono participant for many years. While most attorneys will accept two cases per year, Mr. Barkdoll consistently takes more than two cases each year. Moreover, Mr. Barkdoll is always willing to accept the more complicated cases that are rejected by other attorneys. In fact, Clint has never turned down a case when area legal services has asked for his assistance. Mr. Barkdoll's willingness to accept the difficult cases has resulted in maximizing the number of clients able to receive representation and preventing the pro bono program from turning away clients." Mr. Trevaskis also commended the splendid coordination between the three agencies in Franklin County that offer pro bono services. Franklin County Legal Services, MidPenn Legal Services and the Law Offices of Women in Need work together to provide much needed legal assistance to our community.
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Pictured left to right: Deborah Dresser Neiderer, managing attorney Law Offices of WIN; Kelsie Massini, staff attorney Law Offices of WIN; Erica Gutshall (front), pro bono coordinator MidPenn Legal Services; Kari Ramsey, papalegal Law Offices of WIN; Martha Ewan, paralegal Law Offices of WIN; the Honorable Shawn D. Meyers, Judge 39th Judicial District Court of Common Pleas; David K. Trevaskis, Pro Bono Coordinator Pennsylvania Bar Association; Clinton T. Barkdoll, Kulla,Barkdoll & Stewart, P.C.; Lam D. Truong, managing attorney Franklin County Legal Services; Gloria Keener, Executive Director Franklin County Legal Services; Brandon Copeland, attorney MidPenn Legal Services; Nicole Sipe, managing attorney MidPenn Legal Services; and Vienna Vasquez, staff attorney Franklin County Legal Services
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The yearly luncheon is held in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Bar Association Pro Bono Week. This week is an opportunity to highlight the difference lawyers make in their communities and to acknowledge the partnerships that form the basis for many successful pro bono efforts.
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Meet Judge Zook's New Law Clerk
Zach Rounceville is a Chambersburg native. He graduated from Shepard University in 2013. He received his J.D. from the Charlotte School of Law in May, 2016. Zach is now the Honorable Jeremiah Zook's law clerk. Zach enjoys hunting, fishing, playing sports, and rooting for the Oakland Raiders. Please join us in welcoming Zack back to Franklin County.
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In May of 2002 the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania passed a rule requiring newly admitted lawyers to complete the Bridge the Gap program as a condition of compliance prior to the first CLE deadline on which CLE credits are due. In order to meet your first PA CLE compliance requirement, 4 hours of Bridge the Gap programming are required. If your admission date is May 2002 and forward, you are required to complete the Bridge the Gap program.
FCBA is once again hosting a Bridge the Gap CLE session in Chambersburg, on Wednesday, January 25th , 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Donuts and coffee will be provided for this FREE CLE.
Please visit http://www.franklinbar.org/rsvp/ to register. Hurry! Space is limited and will fill up fast.
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Press Releases, Memos and Important Notices
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FCBA Offers Local &
Convenient CLE Credits
Did You Know?
Each month your Franklin County Bar Association hosts 8 to 10 CLE classes. This is a great opportunity to gain CLE credits close to home. Our CLE credits are just a short distance away and cost efficient. In addition to offering the CLE credits; we serve a delicious array of breakfast and/or lunch items for your convenience and enjoyment. In 2015 between PBI and Lunch & Learns there were a total of 550 CLE credits completed here at the Franklin County Bar Association. Furthermore, last year there were a total of 153 CLE participants. So far in 2016 there are 559 CLE credits completed with 153 CLE participants.
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Upcoming PBI CLEs at FCBA
Monday, December 5:
PA Attorney-Client Privilege and Work Product Doctrine, Live via Simulcast, 3 ethics credits
click here for more information and to register
Tuesday, December 6:
CLE Ethics Fun w/Sean Carter, Live via Simulcast, 6 ethics credits
click here for more information and to register
Wednesday, December 7:
Criminal Law Update 2016, Live via Simulcast, 3 sub & 1 ethics credits
click here for more information and to register
Thursday, December 8:
Dining Out: Legal Issues for Restaurants and Their Customers, Live via Simulcast, 4 sub credits
click here for more information and to register
Friday, December 9:
Distracted Driving, Live via Simulcast, 3 sub credits
click here for more information and to register
Thursday, December 15:
Land Use Institute 2016-Recent Developments, Video Replay, 2 sub credits
click here for more information and to register
Friday, December 16:
Ethics Potpourri - The Race for Clients, Video Replay, 1 ethics credit
click here for more information and to register
Monday, December 19:
Secrets of Bulletproof Contract Drafting, Live via Simulcast, 5 sub & 1 ethics credits
click here for more information and to register
Tuesday, December 20:
Writing and Speaking to Win, Live via Simulcast, 5 sub & 1 ethics
click here for more information and to register
Thursday, December 22:
The Law of Guns in PA, Live via Simulcast, 5 sub & 1 ethics credits
click here for more information and to register
Wednesday, January 18:
Making Use of Trusts for Asset Protection of the Middle Class, Live via Simulcast, 2 sub & 1 ethics credits
click here for more information and to register
Thursday, February 9:
Tell Me More: Stories to Attract and Engage, Live via Simulcast, 4 sub credits
click here for more information and to register
Wednesday, February 22:
18th Annual Estate & Elder Law Symposium, Live via Simulcast, 5 sub & 1 ethics credits
click here for more information and to register
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Member News
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The Law Offices of Deborah Dresser Neiderer, LLC is no longer accepting new clients. Deborah Dresser Neiderer is the managing attorney for the Law Offices of WIN and may be reached at 717-264-6544 or deborahn@winservices.org
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Newsletter items deadline
The deadline to submit items for The Causeway is the 20th of each month.
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"Since our last chat..."
"Since our last chat..." is a periodic column in The Causeway by Bar member Barb Townsend.
After a hearing ended early, I ventured to the Fourth Floor, thinking I might score a 'cuppa' with some of the attorneys in the District Attorney's Office. At the window for the reception desk, I asked for Lauren E. Sulcove, Esq. Fortunately, Lauren quickly appeared and invited me to her office in the back corner on the street side. I'd been in this office several times over the years, but not to pursue cases. Lauren and I quickly settled into a chat.
 Lauren is a graduate of Weld Central High School of Keenesburg, Colorado. The school motto: Rebels With a Cause. She described the community as principally dedicated to farming. After graduation, Lauren headed to the University of Denver, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree concentrating in fine arts in 1990. Heading east, she then enrolled in what is now the Stella Elkins Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia, where she was awarded a Master's Degree. Lauren was studying fabric and fabric sculptures. [Over Thanksgiving, I visited the Capitola Mall in Capitola, California. Fabric quilted 'pictures' were selling for $100 on up].
Lauren then engaged in a number of positions in Germantown, Brooklyn and Manhattan, ultimately working for theater companies. In the course of her attachment to the theater, she met numerous stars of the stage; but, in 1996, Lauren accepted a position with the Charles A. Dana Foundation, in Manhattan, which concentrates on disorders of the brain. After the death of her mentor and the C.E.O., David Mahoney, in 2000, Lauren turned her attention to the abuse of children. That quest led her to an internship at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and entry into Temple Law School.
During her time at Temple, Lauren became friends with a classmate, "Jack", from Chambersburg. Both had other companions at the time, so they were happy to remain just friends. Graduating with her juris doctorate in 2004, Lauren accepted employment at the District Attorney's office in Philadelphia. From 2004 to 2007, she concentrated on crimes of family violence and sexual abuse.
 Lauren related that, one day while she was at work in Philadelphia in 2006, her friend Jack called and invited her to meet him for lunch. They agree to meet at the Mall in Valley Forge. The lunch lasted seven hours. On November 9, 2007, Lauren married Jerrold "Jack" Sulcove, Esq. Lauren had left her position in Philadelphia to begin to perform similar tasks in Franklin County in June 2007.
Lauren is now our First Assistant District Attorney, responsible for many duties including case assignments. She loves greyhounds, (the dogs, not the Shippensburg High School Football team), and reading, preferably murder mysteries.
Walking back towards the exit, I caught Laura J. Kerstetter, Esq., at her desk. Laura and I have a history...for a period of time, our schedules at a local gym overlapped.
 Laura is a 1990 graduate of Sugar Valley Rural Charter School in Loganton, PA, a school about forty miles northeast of State College and fairly close to Lock Haven. Laura then headed to Shippensburg University. She earned her degree in criminal justice in 1994. After college, Laura worked at a Maryland law firm for two years. She then accepted employment as a victim's advocate at Franklin County Women in Need. In the fall of 1999, she started her law studies at Penn State Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle. She was awarded a juris doctorate in the spring of 2002. After graduation, Laura accepted employment as Judge Richard Walsh's law clerk. She stayed at this position until the summer of 2004. In 2003, Laura married Mike Sardone, supervisor of national sales at Seneca Foods.
Laura began working for Eric Weisbrod, Esq., upon completion of her position as law clerk. In 2006, Laura left the Dark Side and became an assistant district attorney, where she can be found today.
Laura has been serving on Franklin County Elder Abuse Task Force. She loves to travel in the US and is a Penn State football devotee. [Yes, a fabulous season in 2016]. As you might expect, Laura also loves reading murder mysteries.
I caught up with Tiffany Watson, Esq., the following Tuesday. Tiffany comes to us from Wayne, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. After high school, she headed to Albion, Michigan to attend Albion College, a liberal arts school. Tiffany earned her bachelor degree in Economics and Accounting in 2003. She immediately took employment at an accounting firm. Ultimately, a law firm concentrating in business hired her. Her appetite activated, Tiffany headed to law school.
Tiffany received her juris doctorate from DePaul University School of Law in Chicago in 2012. Her first position was with a bankruptcy firm in Baltimore, Maryland. In July, 2014, Tiffany was hired as an assistant district attorney for Franklin County.
Tiffany is now living in Chambersburg and loving her work. She also loves and participates in almost all outdoor sports. [Yes, part of this information appeared earlier in October, 2014].
 Nichole Vito, Esq., joined the staff at the Franklin County District Attorney's office in August, 2015. She started her journey by graduating from Upper Darby High School in Drexel Hill, PA, in 2008. She then headed north to the Finger Lakes region, earning a Bachelor of Arts in legal studies at Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY. Since it gets kind of cold there in the winter, Nichole scored a minor in Italian. Since she loves to visit museums and eat Italian style foods, she toured Italy. She may have some thoughts for the curious about unique places to visit when touring Italy.
Nichole enrolled in Widener University School of Law, Harrisburg, completing her studies with a juris doctorate in the spring of 2015. Shortly after graduation, she began work in Franklin County.
Nichole loves her dog Gia, a mix of Belgian Malinois and pitbull. She's active in Big Brothers - Big Sisters of the Capital Region, Harrisburg and has served as secretary in of the local Young Lawyer's division of our bar association.
My final target was Julie Bateman, Esq., our newest assistant district attorney. Julie's a "Firebird", having graduated from Mount Saint Joseph Academy, a preparatory school for women founded in 1858. The school is located north of Philadelphia and east of Plymouth Meeting in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, with a mailing address of Flourtown, Pennsylvania.
Julie completed her time at the Mount in 2006 and then enrolled in George Washington University in Foggy Bottom, Washington, DC. She concentrated in International Affairs and was awarded her degree in 2010. Julie then entered Catholic University of America Law in Washington, DC.
After earning her juris doctorate in 2013, Julie headed back to Bucks County, where she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert O. Baldi for two and a half years. She was hired by District Attorney Matt Fogal, Esq., this past May.
Julie loves reading, preferring true crime stories.
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Calendar of Events
FCBA Admissions Ceremony
Fri., December 2
FCBA Annual Meeting
Fri., December 2
YLD Holiday Party
Thurs., December 8
CLOSED, Christmas
Fri. & Mon., December 23 & 26
Closed, New Year's
Mon., January 2
YLD Happy Hour Thurs., January 5
YLD Meeting
Fri., January 6
Board of Directors Meeting
Fri., January 20
YLD Happy Hour
Thurs., February 2
YLD Meeting
Fri., February 3
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Visit the Franklin County Bar Association's website.
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The Bar is on Facebook! "Like" the Franklin County Bar Association page for event reminders and news of interest to the bar and see photos of member activities.
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Follow the Franklin County Bar Association on Twitter.
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Contact the Bar
Amelia Ambrose
Executive Director
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