The Philadelphia Bar Association Board of Governors this summer adopted a new three-year strategic action plan for the Association focused on enhanced services for members and ensuring the continued vitality of the nation’s oldest metropolitan bar association.
“The development of this strategic plan was truly a group effort, with valuable contributions from individual members, Section and Committee chairs and the Board of Governors,” said Executive Director Harvey Hurdle. “We would like to thank everyone who took the time to provide insights and feedback during this process. All of the input resulted in a stronger plan that truly reflects the full diversity of our community.”
Chancellor Marc Zucker and immediate past Chancellors Wes Payne and Lauren McKenna all played key roles in bringing this plan to fruition, Hurdle added. “Their strong leadership and cooperation throughout the development of the plan reflects the continuity that will be key to the Association’s success in the future.”
The Association also worked with Jennifer Lewin, director of the American Bar Association’s Center for Bar Leadership, to develop the plan after receiving initial assistance from the consulting group Tecker International.
As the practice of law continues to adapt to changes in the governmental and policy landscape, as well as changes in social interaction and networking patterns,, the strategic plan advances the Association’s critical role as a premier trade association, voice and convener for Philadelphia’s legal community.
“To further our track record of success, the Association must evolve,” Hurdle said. “We must align our governance, operating model, member benefits and services, advocacy, and priorities to reflect where our community is today and where it’s headed in the future.”
The plan preserve and furthers the Association’s mission, promoting respect for the rule of law and equal access to justice, while also identifying key objectives that will create greater accessibility, relevancy and flexibility.
“Our Association has built strong relationships with law firms, businesses, community leaders and public interest organizations, as well as all three branches of state and local government. Those partnerships have helped us to thrive for more than 220 years and to advance policies and legislation for the benefit of our members and their clients,” Chancellor Marc Zucker said. “In 2026, when this plan has fully matured, we hope the plan will have guided us toward greater influence and impact on our system of justice, our profession and our community, and that Philadelphia lawyers will continue to reflect professional excellence and visionary leadership.
The strategic plan outlines seven objectives, along with key strategies and high priority action steps for furthering each goal:
- Objective 1: Engage, inspire, and fulfill the needs of a dynamic and growing membership base (e.g., create community for all different types of members): High priority action steps include creating membership and benefit structures that fulfill members needs and hybrid models for interaction that engage members both in person and remotely.
- Objective 2: Elevate professional excellence and civility while growing the reputation and influence of Philadelphia lawyers and raising Philadelphia’s profile as a destination for legal talent: High priority action steps include fostering greater attorney training and mentoring and creating and fostering collaborative partnerships between the legal profession and business and government leaders.
- Objective 3: Actively seek diversity within leadership, membership, Bar staff, vendors and partners, as well as in the profession, community and courts, by implementing DEI strategies that ensure a welcoming inclusive organization and by advocating DEI more broadly. High priority action steps include creating a Diversity Committee/Division that is open to anyone who self-identifies as diverse, work with diverse leaders and members to create bylaws for the group.
- Objective 4: Promote, advocate and advance access to justice: High priority action steps include continuing to support initiatives that advance the rule of law, provide greater access to justice, and have a positive impact on the legal profession; helping citizens more easily navigate the legal system; offering greater incentives for members to participate in pro bono work, and creating a modest means program through the Association’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS).
- Objective 5: Advance judicial independence and highlight the importance of the rule of law: High priority action steps include continuing to promote the election of qualified judges through the Commission on Judicial Selection & Retention and Campaign for Qualified Judges and continued cooperation with the judiciary at all levels.
- Objective 6: Secure the bar’s long-term financial sustainability: High priority actions steps include expanding the Association’s sponsorship program and continuing to derive increased revenue from the Lawyer Referral & Information Service (LRIS).
- Objective 7: Evolve the Association’s operations and governance to create greater transparency, while balancing innovation and tradition: High priority action steps include encouraging greater involvement in Sections, Committees and the Young Lawyers’ Division and creating a bylaws committee to evaluate and bring to the Board of Governors proposed bylaw changes that would streamline governance, allow for increased flexibility, and allow the Association to be nimbler and more transparent.
You can read the full strategic plan here.
