HARRISBURG (May 8, 2017) — Sharon R. López, a partner in Lancaster’s Triquetra Law, will become president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) at the conclusion of the PBA Annual Meeting, May 12, in Pittsburgh. She will be the first Latina president in the history of the association that was founded in 1895.
In her current role as president-elect of the organization, López created the Membership Enhancement Blue Ribbon Panel on Millennials, Mothers and Minorities in the Profession, an appointed group of PBA members who are identifying new approaches to increase association membership through outreach, marketing and mentorship.
López is the co-chair of the PBA Membership Development Committee. She is a past co-chair of the PBA Civil & Equal Rights Committee. A member of the PBA GLBT Rights, Minority Bar and the Commission on Women in the Profession committees, López served as the first editor of Open Court, the GLBT Committee’s newsletter. She is the first editor of Houston’s Legacy, the Minority Bar Committee’s newsletter. She also serves on the PBA Diversity Team, Federal Practice Committee and Judicial Evaluation Commission. She is a member of the PBA Civil Litigation, Labor & Employment Law, and Solo and Small Firm Practice sections.
López served as president of the PBA Conference of County Bar Leaders (CCBL) in 2013-14. In 2007, she was elected as the first minority representative to the CCBL Executive Committee. She is a Life Fellow of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation. López is a member of the Lancaster Bar Association and served as the chair of the LBA Diversity Committee. She is a member of the LBA Employment Law Section and is an elected member of the LBA Judiciary Committee.
She served on the boards of directors of Family Service, Community Hospital of Lancaster, and the YWCA of Lancaster, serving as chair of its Racial Justice Committee. She is a founding board member of the Lancaster AIDS Project, which later merged with SCAAN (South Central AIDS Assistance Network) to form AIDS Community Alliance.
López holds an undergraduate degree from Eastern Mennonite College and a juris doctorate degree from the Widener University School of Law (now known as Widener Law Commonwealth). The law school honored her in 2014 for her efforts to promote diversity in the legal profession. She received the Widener University School of Law Alumni Outstanding Service Award in 2008. She was named a “Pennsylvania Super Lawyer” for 2013, 2014 and 2015.
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 27,000 lawyers who are members of the association.