MEETING MINUTES

Monday, May 3, 2010

Attendance

Present were: Judge Lovecchio, Judge McCoy, Court Administrator, Kevin Way, Prothonotary, Richard Callahan, Michael Collins, Roan Confer, Jr., Robert Cronin, Charles Greevy, III, Bradley Hillman, William Knecht, Edward Mitchell, John Person, Michael Wiley, David Wilk, E.J. Rymsza.

Old Business

Court Website

The implementation of a court website remains a work in progress.

Family Court Forms

Judge McCoy has updated form orders for family court matters. They are published on the LLA website. She has also again met with family court lawyers to discuss procedures for processing family court matters.

Register and Recorder Forms

Revisions for forms for filing in the Register and Recorder’s office to delete personal identification information such as social security numbers are a work in progress.

Local Rule 205.2

Is being reviewed by the rules committee for deletion of the portion pertaining to lettering on both sides of the paper.

Numbers of Copies

The rules committee is also reviewing the local rules on the numbers of copies of filings needed by the Court and the Prothonotary.

Mortgage Foreclosures

Modification of procedures for mortgage foreclosures are being implemented. The main object is to make property owners aware of federal programs which provide relief. A pro bono representation program similar to the PFA pro bono program is being considered. The Philadelphia model is being studied.

Attendance of Jurors

A newspaper article on juror attendance has been published. Second mailings of questionnaires to some of the jurors who did not respond to the first questionnaire have been mailed. Possible criminal sanctions for failure to respond or attend have been considered but not implemented.

Underage Drinking Alternative Disposition

Judge Butts will be issuing an order which will clarify the role of the arresting police officer in determining availability of the alternative disposition program for persons charged with underage drinking. The police officer can refer an individual to the program but will not be permitted to veto the availability of the program. The final decision will be with the Court.

Prior Record Scores

The implementation by the Court of a policy for the obtaining of prior record scores for defense counsel is a work in progress. The Jnet (clean sheet) should be provided by the District Attorney’s office. If it is not, defense counsel should file a motion to compel its production.

New Business

Cell Phone Policy

Signs have been posted prohibiting cell phones on the second floor of the courthouse. The signs were posted at the direction of the Court on an emergency basis because of security concerns involving pending criminal trials including a capital murder trial. The Court recognizes the need for attorneys to have and use cell phones. A policy will be adopted which takes into consideration the needs of attorneys.

Consistency in Family Court

Judge McCoy is meeting monthly with family court hearing officers. The purpose is to achieve more consistency in the handling of matters referred to family court hearing officers.

Weekly Judges’ Conference

The Judges meet weekly on Thursdays. Attorneys desiring discussion of an issue can request a judge to raise the topic at a weekly meeting.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be August 2, 2010 at noon at the Ross Club.

Respectfully submitted,

C. Edward S. Mitchell, Chairman