HARRISBURG (Feb. 23, 2018) — The Conference of County Bar Leaders (CCBL) of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) has honored Wendy Leeper, executive director of the Chester County Bar Association, with its 21st annual Arthur J. Birdsall Award. The award was presented during the 52nd Annual Seminar of the Conference of County Bar Leaders, Feb. 22 – 24, in Lancaster.
The award is presented to a county bar executive who demonstrates professional excellence, who is committed to the success of his or her bar association and who significantly enhances the stature of his or her bar association. It is named in honor of Arthur J. Birdsall, the PBA's county bar services director who retired after nearly 40 years of support to local bar associations.
In her 16 years as executive director, Leeper has grown the Chester County Bar Association to more than 1,000 members. She has also taken the initiative to identify new programs and projects for community outreach, including those that encourage new members and greater participation by established members. In addition, a foundation was established, and its capital endowment has grown to more than $1 million with a much more aggressive giving philosophy. Leeper’s procurement of sponsorships has been a significant asset to the success of the Chester County Bar Foundation and its two annual bench-bar conferences. She also led the association’s “Preservation Campaign,” accomplishing the goal to retire all debt and establish a cash reserve that could guarantee uninterrupted service to members if established revenue streams were disrupted.
Recognized as a leader amongst bar executives throughout Pennsylvania, Leeper served as the president of the Pennsylvania Association of Bar Executives (PABE) from 2016-17 and regularly shares information with her peers at venues like CCBL. As an active member and past treasurer of Pennsylvania Conference of County Legal Journals, Leeper was instrumental in developing a statewide online system for publication of legal notices, which has been a priority among CCBL members. Her work has been recognized with several awards, including the PABE Lifesavers’ Award, the CCBA President's Award and the Chester County Bar Foundation’s Key Award.
The Conference of County Bar Leaders, whose membership includes leaders from county bar associations throughout the state and from the Pennsylvania Bar Association, organizes a yearly educational conference focusing on the exchange of innovative bar association projects and ideas and on the development of mutually-beneficial relationships among bar leaders that improve the legal profession.
Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access to legal services; and serve the 26,000 lawyers who are members of the association.
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Source: Pennsylvania Bar Association, 100 South Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101