News & Events

The Lebanon County Bar Association is again sponsoring its annual Law Day Essay Contest. This year’s contest is open to all 8^th grade students in Lebanon County.

One essay winner will receive a $250 cash award and will be invited to attend the Law Day and Naturalization Ceremony held at the Lebanon County Courthouse on Monday, May 1. Lebanon County Court of Common Pleas President Judge John C. Tylwalk will present the award to the winner. Contest deadline is Noon on March 24.  Rules and guidelines for the essay contest are available here or by calling the Bar Association office at 273-3113 or emailing lebcobar@verizon.net.

This year’s theme, chosen by the American Bar Association, is “The 14th Amendment: Transforming American Democracy.” The ABA’s Law Day Planning Guide and resources are available on their website at http://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/initiatives_awards/law-day/law_day_guide_2017.html

The ABA notes the following about the theme: “The 2017 theme provides the opportunity to explore the many ways that the 14th Amendment has reshaped American law and society. Through its Citizenship, Due Process and Equal Protection clauses, this transformative amendment advanced the rights of all Americans. It also played a pivotal role in extending the reach of the Bill of Rights to the states. Ratified during Reconstruction a century and a half ago, the 14th Amendment serves as the cornerstone of landmark civil rights legislation, the foundation for numerous federal court decisions protecting fundamental rights, and a source of inspiration for all those who advocate for equal justice under law.”

Law Day is designed to bring judges, lawyers and schools together to teach students about the law and the legal system, and to celebrate the American heritage of liberty, justice and equality.

Teachers who are interested in having a judge or lawyer visit their classrooms or who want to schedule a tour of the courthouse may contact Susan Wolf at the LCBA – 273-3113 or email lebcobar@verizon.net.

Members of the Lebanon County Bar Association donated $500.00 to the Lebanon Rescue Mission recently. The organization’s mission is to “serve through shelter, nourishment, clothing, education and healthcare” and its ministries include a men’s shelter, Agape Family Shelter, and Lebanon Free Clinic. In the photo, Rescue Mission Executive Director Susan Spahr, right, accepts a check from attorney Heather Eggert, a member of the Lebanon County Bar Association Public Relations Committee.

Members of the Lebanon County Bar Association donated $500.00 to Jubilee Ministries recently. The organization’s ministry includes preventive programs like the HOPES Homeless Resource Center, as well as after-prison programs such as a transition house. Jubilee has stores in Lebanon, Palmyra, and Manheim.

In the photo, Jubilee Ministries’ Executive Director Ryan Newswanger (center) accepts a check from attorneys Heather Eggert and Andrew Morrow, members of the Lebanon County Bar Association’s Public Relations Committee.

New Expungement Law Takes Effect November 1

The Lebanon County Bar Association is participating in an “Understanding Expungement and Limited Access to Criminal Records” public information campaign. The program provides basic information about expungement and a new state law that amends the crimes code to create a new option to address criminal history record information.

The new state law, which goes into effect Nov. 1, 2016, limits access to criminal records for eligible individuals convicted of a second- and third-degree misdemeanor who have completed all punishment and have no arrests or convictions for at least 10 years. The law allows individuals to petition the courts for an order of limited access to information about certain second- and third-degree misdemeanors. Although the public will no longer have access, the criminal histories would still be available upon request to law enforcement and state licensing agencies.

Pennsylvania has joined a growing number of states to expand expungement laws and to limit access to some information about criminal histories with the primary goal of removing barriers to employment, housing and education for individuals who have completed their sentences.

In addition to support from the Lebanon County Bar Association, the campaign is funded with support from the Pennsylvania Bar Association and a grant from the Pennsylvania Bar Trust Fund. It is the 13th in a series of statewide public education efforts waged under the direction of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Community and Public Relations Committee. Previous campaigns have addressed such issues as wills and estates, children’s educational rights, identity theft, credit issues and child support.

To receive copies of free brochures Pennsylvania’s laws on expungement and limited access to criminal records, click here.  To find a local attorney who can assist you, call 717-273-3113

Amanda Axarlis has been named the 2016 Outstanding Senior of the Year by the Lebanon County Bar Association and WLBR/WQIC. The 2016 ELCO High School graduate plans to attend Penn State University, University Park, to study finance and international business.

From nominees offered by each of the county’s school districts, this award seeks to recognize one outstanding senior for his or her accomplishments both in and out of the classroom.  Each county school district nominates one senior and the committee’s job is never easy since all of the nominees are typically outstanding.  Nevertheless, there can only be one award recipient and the committee seeks to honor the senior which it believes stands out among the best and brightest.

Presenting the award to Amanda Axarlis (center) are, from left, Ann Kline, Esq., Marc Hess, Esq., President and General Manager of WLBR/WQIC Robert Etter, and Heather Eggert, Esq.

During its Spring Membership Meeting, members of the Lebanon County Bar Association presented a donation of $20,500 to MidPenn Legal Services. The funds will be used to provide legal services for qualified Lebanon County residents.

MidPenn Legal Services is a non-profit, public-interest law firm dedicated to providing equal access to justice and high quality civil legal services to low-income residents and survivors of domestic violence.

“We appreciate this donation very much,” Nicholas Matash, Esq., managing attorney of the Lebanon office, said in accepting the check. “Our staff works very hard on a limited budget to help those in our community who otherwise are unable to afford legal representation.”

PHOTO: Lebanon County Bar Association President Scott L. Grenoble, Esq., presents a check to Nicholas Matash, Esq., Managing Attorney for the Lebanon office, and Jillian Copeland, Esq., an attorney in the Lebanon office.

The public is invited to celebrate citizenship and the rule of law at the annual Law Day and Naturalization Ceremony, Friday, April 29 at 2:00 p.m. in Courtroom No. 1 of the Lebanon Municipal Building, 400 South Eighth Street, Lebanon.

Law Day is designed to bring judges, lawyers and schools together to teach students about the law and the legal system, and to celebrate the American heritage of liberty, justice and equality. This year’s theme is “Miranda: More than Words,” in recognition of the 50th anniversary of perhaps the nation’s best-known U.S. Supreme Court decision in Miranda v. Arizona. The Miranda Warning has become ingrained in law enforcement and has permeated popular consciousness through countless recitations in films and television shows. Yet Miranda is only part of the story when it comes to the procedures for ensuring justice. The 2016 Law Day theme explores the procedural protections afforded to all of us by the U.S. Constitution, how these rights are safeguarded by the courts, and why the preservation of these principles is essential to our liberty.

The celebration will include guest speaker Professor Greg Randall Lee, who teaches Constitutional Law, Professional Responsibility, Torts and various writing and advocacy courses at Widener University Commonwealth Law School in Harrisburg. Professor Lee has taught previously at the Villanova and University of Pittsburgh Law Schools and in the Harvard University Summer Program.

The event also will include as well as special music by the ELCO ROCS Choir, and presentations from Daughters of the American Revolution and League of Women Voters. Also, new U.S. citizens will be sworn in, and new attorneys will be admitted to the Lebanon County Bar.

President Judge John C. Tylwalk will present two awards to the winners of the essay contest for participants in the high school students’ Law Exploring Program. Receiving the first place award will be Claudia Boyer, a junior at Palmyra High School, and the second place award goes to Nicholas Rhoads, a senior at Northern Lebanon High School. 

The Lebanon County Bar Association is again sponsoring its annual Law Day Essay Contest for fourth and fifth grade students in Lebanon County.

This year’s theme is “Miranda: More than Words,” in recognition of the 50th anniversary of perhaps the nation’s best-known U.S. Supreme Court decision in Miranda v. Arizona. The Miranda Warning has become ingrained in law enforcement and has permeated popular consciousness through countless recitations in films and television shows. Yet Miranda is only part of the story when it comes to the procedures for ensuring justice. The 2016 Law Day theme will explore the procedural protections afforded to all of us by the U.S. Constitution, how these rights are safeguarded by the courts, and why the preservation of these principles is essential to our liberty. For more information go to: http://www.pabar.org/public/education/lawday/lawdayinformation.asp.

One winner will receive a $250 cash award and will be invited to attend the Law Day and Naturalization Ceremony held at the Lebanon County Courthouse on Friday, April 29. Lebanon County Court of Common Pleas President Judge John C. Tylwalk will present the award to the winner. Contest deadline is Noon on March 11.  Rules and guidelines for the essay contest are available by calling the Bar Association office at 273-3113 or emailing lebcobar@verizon.net.

14 attorneys from Lebanon County were recently admitted to practice in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. From left, Elizabeth Judd, Roberta Santiago, Brian Deiderick, Jillian Copeland, Andrew Morrow, Nichole Eisenhart, Amy Leonard, Horace Ehrgood (attorney sponsor), Jennifer Wentzel, Magdalene Zeppos, Heather Eggert, Megan Ryland-Tanner, Ian Ehrgood, Jessica Weaver, Kimberly Adams.

Members of the Lebanon County Bar Association elected new officers and members of the Board of Directors during its annual membership meeting. The following were elected to serve through 2016:

President: Scott Grenoble, Esq.

Vice President: Michael Bechtold, Esq.

Treasurer: Jessica Weaver, Esq.

Secretary: Ann Kline, Esq.

Board of Directors At-Large: Joseph M. Farrell, Esq., Andrew Morrow, Esq., Charles Ritchie, Jr., Esq., Jason Schibinger, Esq., and Immediate Past President Elizabeth Judd, Esq. Also serving on the Board as a non-voting member is Ian Ehrgood, Esq., who represents the Young Lawyers.