Spring into Action Benefit

PMC's sixth annual Spring into Action Benefit will be held on May 2, 2023. We are excited to announce that this benefit will use a hybrid format. The in-person venue will be the University of Pittsburgh's University Club, Ballroom A.

Click here for sponsorship and ticket information, or to make a donation to the event. 

PMC is pleased to welcome Lauren Rikleen as our keynote speaker. Lauren is a board member and executive director of Lawyers Defending American Democracy, an organization devoted to the protection of democracy and the rule of law. She is also the President of the Rikleen Institute for Strategic Leadership, where she consults, speaks, and trains on developing a respectful, diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace culture. Lauren is the editor of: Her Honor – Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women Judges, (American Bar Association 2023), a collection of nuanced and deeply-moving essays from some of the country’s most prominent women jurists. She has also authored 4 books and hundreds of articles in various publications around the country. In-person attendees will receive a copy of Her Honor at no cost. As a former law firm equity partner, Lauren founded the firm’s Environmental Law Practice Group. For 20 years, she was recognized in Best Lawyers in America. She was also recognized in Chambers USA America’s Leading Business Lawyers and in Massachusetts Super Lawyers. Lauren has held, and continues to hold, a variety of leadership roles in the American Bar Association. She co-chairs the ABA Women’s Caucus and is a member of the Standing Committee on Publishing Oversight. The recipient of numerous awards, Lauren received the prestigious American Bar Association’s Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award in 2017, and was named by Public Media’s Next Avenue as one of the 50 Most Influential People in Aging. 

PMC will present the Judge Justin Johnson Award to Judge Doris Smith-Ribner (Ret.). Judge Smith-Ribner served on the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court for almost 22 years and was the first African American woman to serve on the Court. Judge Smith-Ribner was solicitor for Allegheny County City Controller and served as a judge in the Court of Common Pleas in Allegheny County. She is a graduate of University of Pittsburgh and its law school. She has also served on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Disciplinary Board Hearing Committee, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans. Judge Smith-Ribner has been involved in a number of access to justice initiatives throughout her career. She was appointed as a member of both the Pennsylvania Interbranch Commission on Gender Racial and Ethnic Fairness and the PA Justice Reinvestment Work Group. She also organized two prisoner reentry summits in 2011 and 2012. PMC is honored to recognize Judge Smith-Ribner for her devotion to improving the quality of justice and judicial independence.

We will also recognize the winner of PMC's 2023 Law Student Writing Competition at this event and present them with their prize.

Current Sponsors

Champions

Robert & Eileen Kennedy Heim

Proponent

Reformers

W. Thomas McGough, Jr.

Organizers

MSA Safety

Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP

Mark Tamburri & Kimberly Pierson

University of Pittsburgh