It Takes a Man: Honoring Judge Mirarchi

“It takes a man with the utmost self confidence to focus on other people besides himself. It takes a man who truly knows himself who can be completely genuine and unpretentious with everyone, whether they are a judge, a file clerk, or anyone in between. And it takes a man of great character who will let other people shine. Judge Mirarchi, is that man.” - Annette Ferrara, former law clerk to The Honorable Charles P. Mirarchi

One of the things I love about being an Italian-American and a member of the legal community is the honor to serve The Justinian Society as Chancellor. The Justinian Society is an organization of Italian-American lawyers, judges and law students that was founded in 1935 in Philadelphia. On September 21, 2009, I had the honor to participate in a portrait unveiling for the Honorable Charles P. Mirarchi – who is not only a trailblazer in the legal and judicial communities – but who was a family friend long before I was born.

Dan Cirucci did a great job reporting on the evening in his blog. And Annette Ferrara summed it up in her words just perfectly – yes – it takes a man of great character. And I add: it takes a man of great principle to always lead by example, to provide selfless counsel, and to be loved by most everyone he has ever come in contact with. Thank you, Judge Mirarchi, for always being that man.

Here are some photos from our official photographer, Mike Mountain.

The State of Today’s News Stories

Posted by Leah Rice

Jack Loechner of the Center for Media Research recently wrote an interesting brief titled, Just The Facts, But Get 'em Right, featuring Pew Research Center surveys on the accuracy of news stories and the media. According to the surveys, the public's assessment of the accuracy of news stories is now at its lowest level in more than two decades.

Loechner and the surveys reported that just 29% of Americans say that news organizations get the facts straight, while 63% say that news stories are often inaccurate. Back in 1985 this survey data was collected and 55% of those surveyed said news stories were accurate while 34% said they were inaccurate.

As usual, the poll that Loechner reported on found that television remains the dominant news source for the public, with 71% of those surveyed say they get most of their national and international news from television. More than four out of ten say they get most of their news on these subjects from the internet, compared with 33% who cite newspapers.

Surprisingly, four out of ten people get their local news fix from newspapers despite declines in newspaper readership during the last few years – which is more than twice the number that go to the internet for local news.

After working in the PR field for close to four years, I have my own opinions about the accuracy of reporting and the media – both good and bad. But outside of that, I find it so interesting to see how the everyday person, who uses these outlets as their main source for daily information, views these media outlet and their credibility. To read Loechner’s full recap on the state of today’s media and news stories, click here.

Gina Rubel Tapped for PR Career Tips in Culpwrit Blog

Ron Culp, Partner and Managing Director of Ketchum and head of the PR agency’s Corporate Practice in North America, recently interviewed Gina Rubel and tapped some of her legal PR expertise for his PR career-focused blog, Culpwrit. To read more about Gina's career and resume tips, reading habits and her thoughts on the importance of a first job, click here.

Philadelphia CLE Event News - Second Women in the Profession Summit

If you are looking for CLE credits and are in the Philadelphia area tomorrow, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI) and the Women in the Profession Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association will be hosting the Second Women in the Profession Summit, "Women in the Profession: Then, Now and Where Do We Go from Here?" The event will take place at the PBI CLE Conference Center on the 10th Floor of the Wanamaker Building in Philadelphia.

Registration for the event will begin at 11:30AM and lunch will be served shortly after. Chancellor Ladov and Summit Planner, Kimberly Ruch-Alegant, Esq., will welcome guests and the keynote address will be delivered by JoAnne A. Epps, Esq., Dean of Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law. An impressive list of faculty from the Philadelphia-area will address the following topics: Removing Gender Bias from Attorney Evaluations; Hot Topics for Women; and A Woman's Voice on the Bench. This event will offer participants four total CLE credits (2 SUB and 2 Ethics) and a cocktail reception will follow at 5PM. To learn more, visit www.pbi.org or call 800-932-4637.