Event Information:

• Date and Time: June 18, 2025 |10:00 AM-12:00 PM Eastern. (Registration at 9:40)
• Location: Jury Assembly Room, Room 3300, 3rd floor, Joseph F. Weis Jr. Federal Courthouse, 700 Grant St. 

Program Description:

Every year, thousands of incarcerated individuals file civil rights claims in federal district courts asserting that their Constitutional rights have been violated. The prisoner typically does not have an attorney and is proceeding pro se. These pro se prisoner civil rights cases are exempt from the Western District of Pennsylvania’s mandatory ADR program, but some cases are referred to mediation by the presiding judge.

Cases are referred only after the presiding judge determines that there is some factual and/or legal basis for the complaint and that the ADR process might be helpful to resolving the case efficiently and fairly. Once referred, attempts are made to locate an attorney who will represent the prisoner pro bono during the ADR process and a mediator who will conduct the ADR session pro bono.

This training will equip both attorneys and mediators with the skills and understanding necessary to participate in the ADR process. Program topics will include an overview of 42 U.S.C. §1983 claims, common legal and factual issues in prisoner civil rights cases, and special mediation techniques and considerations that apply to pro se prisoner litigants.

Who Should Attend:

Attorneys and Alternative Dispute Resolution professionals who are considering acting as pro bono counsel or pro bono mediators for a pro se prisoner civil rights case.

Participating professionals can positively impact underserved communities by providing services to indigent litigants, build dispute resolution skills through practical experience, and handle intellectually challenging issues of Constitutional law.

Presenters:

• Chief Magistrate Judge Richard A. Lanzillo, U.S. District Court, Western District of Pa.
• Magistrate Judge Kezia O. L. Taylor, U.S. District Court, Western District of Pa.
• Selena J. Shultz, Esq., LL.M., The Conflict Lab
• Chase Defelice, Esq., Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
• Alicia Nocera, Esq., Mediation Council of Western Pennsylvania
• Howard J. Schulberg, Esq., Schulberg Mediation

WBA CLE Registration & Cost:

Register and pay by June 13, 2025. The program qualifies for 2 Substantive Credits of Pennsylvania CLE provided by the Women’s Bar Association of Western Pennsylvania (a registered provider that reports all CLE credits).

CLE cost is $40.00. Credits are provided at the reduced cost of $20.00 for Law Clerks, 2025 WBA Members, and Attorneys who commit to provide their services pro bono for a pro se prisoner civil rights case mediation in the Western District of Pennsylvania within one year of the CLE date.

Attendance without CLE is at no cost, but you must register. To register and pay go to: https://wbawpa.com/event-registration/ or send your check for the appropriate fee written to the WBA to WBA, P.O. Box 23620, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 (note your name and PA Bar Id. No. on the memo).

Send an email to info@wbawpa.com if you have any questions. The Court cannot accept payment for CLE credits and plays no role in offering, providing, or reporting CLE credits to the Pennsylvania Bar.

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