June Newsletter - Happy Pride!

This month, shareholder Helen Casale was profiled in the Philadelphia Business Journal's Business of Pride series. The profile highlights Helen's efforts in undertaking initiatives in support of the LGBTQ+ community. Helen reflects on her legal work and advocacy for the community, including, most recently, submitting an amicus brief in the pivotal matter that will clarify parents' rights and who qualifies as a parent in Pennsylvania. Read the full profile here.

In honor of Pride Month, we recognized how the firm, our staff and our attorneys support the LGBTQ+ community. Shareholder Jerry Shoemaker noted the firm's dedication to supporting LGBTQ+ attorneys and their engagement with affinity organizations that promote LGBTQ+ rights. Associate Chelsea Nichols shared that the firm has cultivated an environment where everyone feels comfortable and encourages participating in diverse groups that connect other LGBTQ+ attorneys. Finally, marketing director Claire Flaxman expressed the ways in which she is an ally for those in the LGBTQ+ community.

Rounding out Pride Month, and as part of the Hangley Aronchick Impact Series, a social media campaign that reflects on cases that have made a meaningful impact within our firm and the community in celebration of the firm's 30th anniversary, we recalled the decision that legalized same-sex marriage in the Commonwealth. To read more about Whitewood v. Wolf, click here.

The firm welcomed Sue Choi, our Philadelphia Diversity Law Group Inc. summer fellow. Sue is currently pursuing her law degree at Temple University - James E Beasely School of Law, where she is an active member of the Intellectual Property Law Society and Health Law Society. Prior to her time at Temple, Sue earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Biology from Cornell University in 2018.

We are pleased to announce that Hangley Aronchick is recognized in the 2024 edition of Chambers and Partners USA, the preeminent legal rankings of attorneys and law firms. This year, our Antitrust, Insurance Coverage, Litigation and Bankruptcy practices were ranked among the best in Pennsylvania, and we had 10 attorneys honored with individual rankings. To see which attorneys and practices were included, click here.

On May 8, 2024, Governor Josh Shapiro signed into law Act 2024-12, which establishes a formal arbitration process for resolving family law disputes in Pennsylvania. The new law takes effect on July 7, 2024. Arbitration is an alternative to traditional courtroom litigation, where the parties agree to have their divorce, support and other family law issues decided by a neutral third-party arbitrator instead of a judge. In her blog post, family law attorney Dori Green provides several advantages and potential disadvantages to arbitration, and concludes that the new arbitration law is a positive step in giving Pennsylvania families more options for resolving their disputes outside an overloaded court system. Read the blog post here.

Finally, several members of Team HASPS had an exciting evening recently cheering on the Phillies! We're looking forward to hosting more team bonding events--and rooting for the Phillies this summer!