TO: 2011-2012 Executive Committee, Council, Division Directors, Committee Chairs, AP Leadership, Book Publishing Board, Content Management, Diversity, JIOP, Law Student Good Works Project, Legal Services Delivery, Marketing and  Membership, Strategic Planning and Implementation, Young Lawyer Leadership Program, Task Force Chairs and  Members, Litigation Magazine Board, Litigation News Board, and invited guests       
     
FROM: Ron Marmer
     
DATE: August 11, 2011

RE: 2011 Fall Leadership Meeting, Philadelphia, PA 

Please make your plans to attend the 2011 Fall Leadership Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law and the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, September 22 – 24, 2011.  We are thrilled to hold our first leadership meeting in an inspiring and historic location.  We especially want to thank Dean JoAnne Epps for hosting us at the law school.  We hope you will bring your family along too, as there are many local attractions in the Philadelphia area that will appeal to a variety of interests. 

HOTEL UPDATE

The ABA’s Fall Leadership hotel block is currently full at the Four Season’s Philadelphia.  If you have a room at the hotel and would like to cancel it, please contact Katie Garcia at katherine.garcia@americanbar.org before you contact the hotel.  If you do not yet have a room reservation and would like to be placed on a waiting list at the Four Seasons, please contact Desirae Collier at desirae.collier@fourseasons.com.  As cancellations come in, reservations will be given to the next person on the list.  The ABA has also contracted additional rooms at The Westin Philadelphia at a reduced rate.  To make a reservation at The Westin, please call 215-563-1600 or 888-627-8153.  Other nearby Philadelphia hotels include:

Embassy Suites
Windsor Suites
The Sheraton
Le Meridien
Courtyard by Marriott
The Sofitel
Club Quarters
Loews
The Ritz-Carlton
The Philadelphia Marriott

Weekend Schedule

We have exciting plans for the meeting.  We will host a welcome reception Thursday evening at the Four Seasons hotel, and we look forward to greeting you and your guests.   On Friday morning we will bus our leaders, including our newsletter and web editors, to Temple University, where our plenary will take place at Temple’s Performing Arts Center.  On Saturday morning, our plenary will take place at the Four Seasons.  We plan to explore our three major themes for this bar year at the plenaries:  rule of law, children’s rights, and improving our litigation skills.  The highlights from the plenaries include a panel discussion on 9/11 and how we can be vigilant in combating terrorism while conducting fair and just proceedings, featuring experts on the subject such as former Attorney General Michael Mukasey.  We also will present a thought-provoking program on the risks and challenges confronting LGBTQ youth, including a moot court exercise featuring Temple law students arguing a live issue in the courts.   We also plan to explore how to use our voices more effectively as lawyers, with coaching from noted communications expert Brian Johnson.  On Friday evening, the Section will host a Reception at the National Constitution Center for all leaders and guests.  A full schedule of events will be posted soon on the Section’s Leadership website.

Activities

Known as the “City of Firsts,” Philadelphia is the birthplace of the American flag and the first daily newspaper, as well as home to the first presidential mansion, first public zoological gardens, first piano, and the first computer, booted up in 1946.  Philadelphia offers many historical sites and attractions as well as unique neighborhoods and culture.  Please follow this link: Philadelphia Attractions to see a list of what the City of Brotherly Love has to offer.  The hotel concierge has information on tour offerings and availability.  Additional information regarding local attractions will be posted soon on the Section’s Leadership website.

For the Fall Leadership Meeting Schedule of Events and Registration Forms, please click here. 
For Restaurant Week information, please visit: http://www.centercityphila.org/life/RWRestaurants.php   

There is much to do in Philadelphia and the surrounding area.  Local leaders from Philadelphia have put together information that will be useful in planning your extra curricular activities while at the Fall Leadership Meeting.  Please click here for a list of Things to See and Do in and Around Philadelphia (including local Section leaders' picks);  please click here for Day Trips Outside Philadelphia; and please click here for a recommended list of Philadelphia restaurants.  These lists will also be posted on [the Leadership website/reference library].  Thanks to our Philadelphia leaders for compiling this information!

Attire

For the Welcome Reception on Thursday evening and all of the business meetings, the attire is business casual.  On Friday, the Reception at the National Constitution Center will be cocktail attire.

Council Agenda and Committee & Task Force Plans

All proposed Council agenda items for the Fall Leadership Meeting should be completed on the Fall 2011 Council Proposal Form and sent to the attention of Jeanne Nowaczewski, Director, at jeanne.nowaczewski@americanbar.org, by Friday, September 9, 2011.  Please click here to download the form listed under “Forms”.

Draft Annual and Three Year Committee and Task Force Plans, available soon, are due to your Division Directors and Kieshia Cobb (kieshia.cobb@americanbar.org) of the Section staff by Friday, September 16, 2011. 

Logistical Information

Please use the following information to make your hotel and airline reservations. Additional detailed information will be sent to you via the Weekly Leadership Update later in August and will be posted on the Leadership website. 

To register for the Meeting as well as social events, please visit:
2011 Fall Leadership Registration 

The guest registration rate for the Fall Leadership Meeting is $100/adult, $40/child (12 years or younger).  The fee includes all breakfasts and receptions. The guest rate is included in the online registration system.  For registration questions regarding Fall Leadership, please contact Tara Blasingame at tara.blasingame@americanbar.org. 

Hotel Reservations

To make your reservation and receive our group rate at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, please call 215-963-1500, or 800-819-5053 and refer to the ABA Section of Litigation 2011 Fall Leadership Meeting.  Please note that the hotel cutoff date is Thursday, September 1, 2011.  All reservations are subject to availability.  The ABA discount cannot be guaranteed after the block sells out or after September 1st, whichever comes first.  Please make your reservations early.

Category           Group Rate
Single/Double   $219.00 plus tax (15.4%) 

• All reservations must be guaranteed by credit card or deposit check.
• Individuals with guaranteed reservations must cancel their reservations by 6:00 p.m. the day prior to the scheduled arrival day to avoid a one-night cancellation charge.
• Rooms shall be available for check-in no later than 3:00 p.m. with a checkout time of noon.
• If you qualify for full reimbursement, please note that per policy, the Section will reimburse only the standard room rate.

Airline Information

Airfare discounts are available through ABA Online Travel, Orbitz for Business.  To access ABA Online Travel, click here and then click on Make Reservations under Book Travel Now.  The 24/7 toll-free number for Orbitz for Business is 877-222-4185.

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) serves all major national airlines and is located only 10 miles from the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia.

Ground Transportation

Taxi Service
Taxi services from Philadelphia International Airport to the Four Seasons are a flat rate of $28.50 not including gratuities.

Private Sedan & Limo Service
Prices for private car service from the airport to the Four Seasons range from $135 for a sedan (3 passengers) to $195 for a limo (8 passengers) including gratuities.  You may contact the hotel concierge at 215-963-2774 to make a reservation.

Train (SEPTA)
The Airport Line of SEPTA offers direct service from the airport to downtown Philadelphia for $8.00 each way.  Follow the signs to SEPTA at the airport.  Take the Airport Line train toward Center City Philadelphia.  Exit the train at Suburban Station.  The hotel is a four-block walk from the station.  Please contact the hotel concierge at 215-963-2774 for directions.

Reimbursement

Please refer to the attached Reimbursement Guidelines and Policy chart.  For the Fall Leadership Meeting, all invited leaders are entitled to up to three (3) nights’ per diem for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.