It was shortly after World War II that Attorney Ralph Croskey led a movement of prominent Philadelphia defense lawyers to form an organization as a social club for those practicing in tort and insurance law.
Minutes of those organizational days and the days that followed are lost in history, but recollections from members of today’s defense bar have Mr. Croskey as first president and the guiding force of the Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel (PADC) for some 20 years. Since then, the PADC has been guided by a succession of some of the city’s most esteemed lawyers, and in 1991 it was recognized as “the most outstanding local bar group in the United States,” by the 18,000-member Defense Research Institute in Chicago, with which it is affiliated. It again received this award in 2020.
Through the last half century, PADC has grown in size, in purpose, in community involvement, in legislative and judicial reform, in court improvements, and in attending to the professional and social needs of its membership. And today, qualified lawyers may join if they have their principal offices not only in Philadelphia but also in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, or Montgomery counties.
PADC offers “the best deal in town” with its membership benefits that include nine monthly luncheons with prominent speakers, accredited programs in continuing legal education, in social activities that include an annual holiday party, an annual membership meeting with golf, and a listserv for members to communicate with each other.
The Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel is recognized as a major advocate and participant in pro bono programs, in professional development, and in assisting in efforts to improve the court system.
PADC is believed to be the longest continuously operating local defense organization in the United States.
PADC is committed to increasing the number of attorneys of diverse backgrounds working at law firms and corporate law departments in the greater Philadelphia region.
PADC calls on all its members and their firms to make a concerted commitment to this resolution in their hiring practice. In collaboration with area educational institutions, governments, professional associations, corporations, and businesses, PADC will develop initiatives and programs that will support the success of these lawyers and encourage them to come to, and practice law in Philadelphia.
PADC is committed to fostering participation of a more diverse group of lawyers in Philadelphia in order to make our legal profession stronger, more productive, and better equipped to address the challenges of the 21st century. PADC believes that diversity includes all individuals who bring a unique perspective or outlook to the practice of law.
To protect and advance the interests of civil defendants; to provide professional growth opportunities for counsel; to disseminate knowledge and information within the defense trial bar; to foster cooperation and good fellowship among members of the bar; to afford avenues of communication with the judiciary; to serve as the voice for civil defendants and their interests in the administration of justice; and to encourage compliance with the highest standards of professional conduct.
The Association provides for four classes of membership: Regular, Young Lawyer, Privileged, and Government. Membership is limited to individuals and cannot be vested in firms or partnerships. Applicants must be sponsored by two Regular Members.
P: 215-509-9474
E: sberger.PADC@gmail.com
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