Many Kline & Specter attorneys help out in various ways in the community through volunteering. Here are some:
Charles “Chip” Becker, who heads the firm’s Appellate Division, was president of the Germantown Jewish Centre.
Nadeem Bezar is on the advisory board of the Field Center for Children's Policy, Practice and Research, which brings together the resources of the University of Pennsylvania to enhance and assure the well-being of abused and neglected children. He is on the boards of directors of Community Legal Services and Philadelphia Legal Assistance, which provide legal assistance to low-income Philadelphians. He is also on the board of the Commercial Sexual Exploitation Institute at Villanova Law School and is a member of the board of directors of the Juvenile Law Center, the nation’s oldest non-profit law firm for children. Bezar is a member of the Philadelphia Commission on Asian American Affairs. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Colin Burke offers pro bono legal advice through the bar association and attends meetings at community centers and libraries to provide advice for a variety of legal issues. He has run a West Philadelphia clinic where petitions are completed to expunge or seal criminal records to help improve individuals’ chances for employment. Burke is a recipient of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Craig M. Perry Service Award given to an attorney who has devoted substantial time and energy to community-oriented activities, including pro bono and charity work. Burke also serves on the board of directors at Archbishop Ryan High School, his alma mater.
Elizabeth Crawford hosts the Holiday Toy Drive for the Support Center for Child Advocates for the firm. The organization helps abused and neglected children throughout the Philadelphia region, most of whom are separated from their parents and living below the poverty level.
A number of Kline & Specter lawyers are involved in coaching sports. Among them, Dominic Guerrini volunteers as a coach for the Marlton Recreation Council, where he coaches baseball as well as boys and girls soccer, while David Inscho serves as commissioner of Taney Youth Basketball and is a Little League coach.
Priscilla Jimenez is past president of the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania, where she mentors minority law school students. She is a member of the board of directors of the Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations of Philadelphia, Inc. (Concilio). Jimenez also is Diversity Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association and a Pennsylvania Association for Justice governor to the American Association for Justice. She is a member of the editorial board for the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association’s publication The Verdict. Jimenez volunteers as the clinic coordinator at a free Kensington legal aid clinic run by Christian Legal Clinics as their bilingual attorney. She is also on the board of the HBA Legal education fund and the Philadelphia Area Diversity Law Group.
Tom Kline serves as chair of the Board of Advisors of the Kline School of Law and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of Drexel University, Complex Transactions Committee as well as a member of the Academic Affairs Committee. Kline served for 21 years as a member and chair of the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission in the merit selection of federal judges. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Penn Law Inn of Courts. He has served for two decades on the Board of the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association. He serves as member of the condominium Board where he lives.
Emily Marks serves as a board member with Children Matter, which works to help children by developing initiatives and advocating for quality health care, child care, public education and family stability. Children Matter lobbies to increase awareness among Pennsylvania elected officials on the importance of investments and policies benefiting children.
Philip Pasquarello, who as a student at Kline Law won the national “Top Gun” mock trial competition, coaches mock trial teams at St. Joe’s Prep and the Kline School of Law.
Shanin Specter teaches at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he has taught "Trial Advocacy," "Practice of Law," "The Civil Justice System as an Agent of Change," "How to Ask a Question" and "Evidence and Trial Practice." Specter also has taught at UC Hastings College of the Law, UC Berkeley School of Law and Stanford Law School. Specter serves on the board of two national non-profit organizations: the National Museum of American Jewish History and US Squash. He and his wife, Tracey, made the lead gift to a $40 million project that transformed a historic armory into the Arlen Specter U.S. Squash Center. The 65,000-square-foot facility is host to the sport’s annual U.S. Open. Specter further is active with Big Brothers Big Sisters and has mentored a young man in the program since age eight to his current post-college years.
James Waldenberger is an adjunct professor at Kline Law, teaching “Introduction to Trial Advocacy.”
Kline & Specter and its attorneys also contribute to more than 100 charities and institutions. (See Charities)