HARRISBURG (May 6, 2019) — The Pennsylvania Bar Association Administrative Law Section will present its James S. Bowman Award to Harrisburg-based Kristen W. Brown, prothonotary of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, on May 16 at an awards luncheon at the association’s Annual Meeting in Lancaster.
The James S. Bowman Award honors a lawyer who is making a significant impact on the practice of administrative law and who is demonstrating leadership in mentoring administrative law practitioners.
Brown has written on a variety of legal issues for lawyers and laypersons alike. One of the most notable examples is her work her as an author on all editions of Pennsylvania Appellate Practice, a multi-volume analysis of state court jurisdiction and the Rules of Appellate Procedure that is now part of West’s “Pennsylvania Practice” series.
Dedicated to educating the next generation of lawyers, Brown has guest lectured on appellate practice at Dickinson School of Law and Widener University School of Law and taught public sector labor law at Widener. She also participates in a variety of continuing legal education programs, most recently speaking about statutory appeals, appellate practice, the impact of making court documents accessible via the internet, and election law and procedures.
Brown previously served the Commonwealth Court as a deputy prothonotary for law and a legal assistant to the prothonotary, and clerked for the visiting judges and the late James S. Bowman, president judge of the Commonwealth Court, for whom this award is named. She also formerly practiced before the court as assistant counsel in the Governor’s Office, Bureau of Labor Relations.
Brown is a member of the PBA Administrative Law Section and its Workers’ Compensation Law Section.
Brown received a B.A., cum laude in Spanish, from Dickinson College and a J.D. from Dickinson School of Law, now part of Pennsylvania State University.
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.