Attendees then heard from William Markham, who, following
his own challenges upon leaving the Air Force after
more than three decades of service, founded Project One Vet
@ A Time to assist veterans in navigating the Veterans Administration
disability programs.
Amy Wildermuth, Dean of the University of Pittsburgh
School of Law, shared some of her unique programs to help
develop happier, healthier, more resilient—and, as a result,
more successful—lawyers. A trained engineer (with bachelor’s
and master’s degrees in environmental engineering),
Dean Wildermuth discussed the law school’s use of data analytics
in evaluating students. In addition, Dean Wildermuth
shared how some of the lessons that she has learned from her
experiences can be applied to lawyers and law firms.
Finally, former New Jersey Superior Court Judge Nelson
Johnson, the author of Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High
Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City (which served as the
basis for the Emmy Award-winning HBO series Boardwalk
Empire), discussed his most recent book. Darrow’s Nightmare
tells the story of the infamous McNamara case, in
which the defendants were charged with bombing the Los
Angeles Times headquarters, resulting in twenty fatalities.
Darrow negotiated a plea deal for his clients. But then he
was indicted in two separate cases for attempted bribery of
jurors. Darrow delivered the closing argument in both trials,
with a not guilty in the first trial and a hung jury in the
second. The prosecutor agreed not to retry him only after
Darrow agreed to never again practice in California.
Saturday evening’s banquet featured the presentation of a
Regional Award to Fellow Joe Tate in recognition of his
commitment to pro bono service, including his membership
in the inaugural class of the College’s Distinguished
Pro Bono Fellows program. Former Regent Dennis Suplee’s
introduction of Joe went far beyond cataloging Joe’s extensive
accomplishments, which included guiding Philadelphia’s
Community Legal Services during the time it secured
two grants from the Foundation of the American College
of Trial Lawyers. Dennis’s introduction provided a touching
and fitting tribute, on a personal level, to a remarkable lawyer
and an even more impressive human being.
Special thanks to Regent Katie Recker, whose work as Pennsylvania
State Chair before the pandemic laid the foundation
for much of the event, and to current Pennsylvania
State Chair John Conti, whose tireless efforts made the
event a tremendous success.
The next Regional Meeting will be held in New Jersey.
David E. Ross
Wilmington, DE
FALL 2022 JOURNAL 22