With the introduction of this site, the chapter continues and expands its efforts to serve federal practitioners in Central Pennsylvania and beyond. Much of this site is available to any who seek to use it. Some features are reserved for members of the Federal Bar Association, including digests of recent decisions by the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, past issues of The Middle District Reporter, and similar material. Members may gain access to those parts of the site simply by typing in their membership numbers as they appear on their FBA membership cards. Any members who have misplaced their cards can send an electronic-mail message to our chapter's President, Bridget E. Montgomery (bxm@escm.com), and he'll be happy to provide membership numbers.

The Federal Bar Association is a nationwide organization of lawyers and judges who, whether in the private or the public sector, have a strong interest in federal practice. The Middle District of Pennsylvania Chapter is the largest in the Third Circuit, extends geographically from the New York border to the Maryland border and includes 33 counties. The chapter is a particularly active one. In addition to sponsoring this Web site and The Middle District Reporter, the chapter regularly sponsors continuing legal education courses in various parts of the judicial district (notices of which will appear on this site).

The chapter serves the court, the profession and qualified litigants through its pro bono program, which matches lawyer volunteers to cases in which the judges of the Middle District have decided to appoint counsel. The chapter's younger lawyers' program seeks to involve more recently admitted lawyers and law students in the work of the FBA, and the chapter regularly sponsors a moot-court team at the Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg.

Finally, in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Bar Association's publishing arm, PBI Press, the chapter produces The Middle District Manual, a book that serves as a convenient guide to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The Middle District Manual includes a section describing the preferences of each of the court's judges regarding practice in cases pending before them. The Manual is available to all, and at a discount to chapter members. For more information, or to order a copy, please visit PBI's Internet site at www.pbi.org.

If you are an FBA member, we hope you will find this site a helpful addition to the Internet resources already available. If you are not a member, we hope this site will encourage you to join so that you can enjoy the benefits of membership (you can obtain a membership application by clicking here).