HARRISBURG (May 1, 2019) — Anne N. John of Mt. Lebanon, a private practitioner in Uniontown, will become president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) at the conclusion of the association’s Annual Meeting, May 17, in Lancaster.
The PBA has been recognized as the bar association most representative of Pennsylvania lawyers. John’s tenure as president will be guided by the PBA’s mission statement that includes promoting the administration of justice and cultivating cordial relations among the lawyers of Pennsylvania.
“As lawyers, we must be ever mindful to remain worthy of our leadership roles in our communities and properly discharge our obligations as members of the legal profession,” John said. “We, as the PBA, need to continue to offer our members the insights and the tools to properly manage their legal practices and their relationships with clients and their communities.”
John will be promoting the association’s committees, sections and community service projects to engage lawyers in all stages of their careers.
Soon after becoming president, John will launch the PBA Civility and Professionalism Committee to focus on improving collegiality and working relationships among legal professionals.
She also will create a PBA Legal Academics Committee to provide opportunities for the law school academic community to meet and exchange ideas focusing on the continued offering of high quality education for future lawyers.
“We are fortunate to have such a high quality of legal education in Pennsylvania,” said John. “This committee will provide a PBA home for the legal academics community.”
In addition, John will be revamping the PBA Plain English Committee into the Clear Communications Committee to address all forms of correspondence, including electronic media, and forming a work group to identify best practices to help lawyers transition into and out of the profession.
John is a longtime leader with organized bar associations at both the state and county levels.
At the state level, John will soon complete her term as the 2018-19 PBA president-elect and she served as the 2017-18 PBA vice president.
John served as secretary for the PBA Board of Governors from 2013 to 2016.
From 2009 to 2012, John served as a zone governor on the PBA Board, representing Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland County lawyers.
John served as co-chair of the PBA Shale Energy Law Committee from 2013 through 2018, and served as 2017-18 chair and 2016-17 co-vice chair of the PBA Review and Certifying Board. Since 2012, she has served as chair of the PBA House of Delegates Draft Committee.
John served as a member of the PBA Diversity Team at the time of its inception. She also served on the PBA Diversity Task Force and chaired the PBA Leadership Recruitment and Development Committee.
She served as the 2017-18 co-vice chair of the PBA Planning Committee.
She is a current member of and serves on the executive councils of the PBA Commission on Women in the Profession and of the PBA Solo and Small Firm Section.
She is a member of the PBA Business Law Section, PBA Civil Litigation Section, PBA Family Law Section, PBA Federal Practice Committee, of which she serves on its executive council, PBA Finance Committee, PBA Investment Committee, PBA Judicial Administration Committee, PBA Leadership Recruitment and Development Committee, PBA Membership Development Committee, PBA Non-Dues Revenue Task Force and the PBA Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section.
As PBA vice president in 2017-18, John served on the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI), the education arm of the PBA. She has served as a PBI course planner and speaker for the continuing legal education on numerous oil and gas issues, including lease interpretation, groundwater contamination and litigation.
She is a Life Fellow of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation, the charitable affiliate of the PBA, and serves on its Bylaws and Governance Committee and its Events Committee.
Since last year, John has represented Pennsylvania in the American Bar Association House of Delegates.
John is a Hearing Committee member serving the Disciplinary Board of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
At the county level, John served as the 2017 president of the Fayette County Bar Association and previously served as its secretary from 2006 to 2013 and served several terms on its Board of Directors.
Also active in her community, John is a former member of the boards of directors of Advantage Credit Counseling Services Inc., the Better Business Bureau of Western Pennsylvania Inc. and the Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club.
John is a graduate of Dickinson College and Dickinson School of Law.
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 of legal services; and serve the lawyer members of the state's largest organized bar association.