For the Defense - Vol. 7, Issue 1 - 4

OPENING
STATEMENT
Peter E. Kratsa, PACDL President
I
never was a big Grateful Dead fan (although I did
attend one of their concerts before Jerry passed and
thank God the statute's run on that experience). But,
with apologies to the Dead, " What a Long Strange Trip
It's Been. "
Having begun my tenure as President of PACDL in
the Fall of 2019 and ending it this April, I am advised I
will have been the " longest serving President in PACDL
history. " Well, I guess there is that.
Of course, for just about the entirety of the time I
have been privileged to serve in this capacity, we have
been navigating a pandemic. With the stewardship
of our Executive Director, Beth Winters, and the
incredible efforts of our dedicated committee leaders
and members, PACDL pivoted seamlessly to the virtual
world. In this time of video meetings, I have sometimes
referred to myself as the " Max Headroom " PACDL
President (younger members will have to look that one
up).
While these have been trying times for all of us, I
am happy to report that PACDL has persevered and
continues to thrive in providing our members with
valuable resources, support, and camaraderie. I will
be happy to hand the reins to our new President,
and my good friend, Pat Casey, next month. Pat and
his Executive Committee will no doubt continue the
progress we've made.
I wanted to use my last column to recognize the
work of certain of our committees. First, the Amicus
Committee has been engaged, with much success, in
cases impacting each of our practices and continues
to burnish PACDL's reputation and influence. A recent
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significant victory for defense lawyers and their clients
in the Commonwealth involved the Pennsylvania
Supreme Court finding " Marsy's Law " unconstitutional.
PACDL not only provided amicus support there, but
PACDL members Ron Greenblatt and Len Sosnov were
specifically recognized by the ACLU's Andrew Christy
for their assistance in this litigation. As of my writing
this article more than five PACDL Amicus briefs are
pending. I've said it before: to get an inside look at
the brainpower in this group is both humbling and
inspiring. We should all be thankful for their efforts.
I would also like to recognize the tireless work of
our Education Committee, particularly during these
tumultuous times. Their ability to transition to quality
remote learning has been incredible. Of course, this
quality publication (perhaps except for this column,
which they are obligated to include) is a testament to
the outstanding work of our Publication Committee.
Our Platform Committee has also been busy, recently
proposing that we adopt the prosecutorial misconduct
planks based on the University of Pennsylvania's
Quattrone Center's research study issued in December
of last year.
Finally, I would like to thank Beth and the Executive
Committee for all their support during my presidency.
I consider each of you lifelong friends and your
guidance and support has helped me in doing what I
set out to do at the outset of my presidency: basically,
not screw anything up. PACDL improves yearly due to
their efforts and your engagement.
Fingers-crossed, our Annual Conference will be live
and in-person April 28 and 29 at the Harrisburg Hilton.
I hope to see all of you there.
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For the Defense - Vol. 7, Issue 1

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