Drexel University’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law is pleased to announce that it is the first law school to become an institutional member of the Philadelphia Bar Association.
This program, the first of its kind for the Philadelphia Bar Association, provides membership to the Philadelphia Bar Association for Kline Law students, faculty and staff who have JD degrees. “This inaugural partnership enables both the law school and the Philadelphia Bar Association to serve our community and empower up-and-coming legal talent,” said Donna Gerson, associate dean of career strategies, who helped bring about the membership through collaboration with leadership at the Philadelphia Bar Association.
“We are proud to work with our partners at Drexel’s Kline School of Law on this program, which will give faculty, staff and students access to all of the benefits of Philadelphia Bar Association membership,” said Harvey Hurdle, Philadelphia Bar Association’s executive director. “In particular, we are happy to offer law students a way to get a jump start on their careers. We view them as future leaders of our organization and within our community, and we thought this was a great opportunity to connect with them more deeply.”
The membership provides a number of unique resources to Kline Law students, including mentoring and mentorship opportunities, both through a bar-wide program and practice-specific Sections and Committees.
Student members will be able to attend all Association Section and Committee meetings as well as many other events. In addition, students will automatically become part of the Young Lawyers Division, which holds a number of educational, networking and philanthropic events throughout the year. Membership also provides students with “leadership and learning opportunities through writing competitions, programs, pro bono opportunities and the chance to write for bar publications,” said Gerson.
Membership benefits include six free continuing legal education (CLE) credits for Kline Law faculty and staff, good for use on any of the Bar’s one- or two-credit programs.
In addition to the Philadelphia Bar Association, all Kline Law students are invited to become members of the American Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association. The law school also sponsors student programming through the New York City Bar Association.