For nearly 30 years, Rhonda has been an experienced and accomplished litigator who focused her practice on complex litigation. Currently, she is the Manager of Legal Recruiting for the law firm of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, P.C. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Widener University Delaware law School where she teaches Legal Methods I, II and III. She earned her B.A. from Fairfield University and her J.D. from the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law School. Activities: Rhonda is the Co-Chair of the Professional Guidance Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association and is a member of the Professional Liability Committee and the Civil and Equal Rights Committee (“CERC”), of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. She was named as the CERC DEI Ambassador in the Summer of 2024 and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She has authored numerous articles including pieces for The Bencher Magazine (November/December 2022), and The Pennsylvania Bar Association Quarterly Magazine (January, 2023). She is also a member of the Villanova Law J. Willard O’Brien American Inn of Court. For nearly 30 years, Rhonda has been an experienced and accomplished litigator who focused her practice on complex litigation. Currently, she is the Manager of Legal Recruiting for the law firm of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, P.C. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Widener University Delaware law School where she teaches Legal Methods I, II and III. She earned her B.A. from Fairfield University and her J.D. from the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law School. Activities: Rhonda is the Co-Chair of the Professional Guidance Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association and is a member of the Professional Liability Committee and the Civil and Equal Rights Committee (“CERC”), of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. She was named as the CERC DEI Ambassador in the Summer of 2024 and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She has authored numerous articles including pieces for The Bencher Magazine (November/December 2022), and The Pennsylvania Bar Association Quarterly Magazine (January, 2023). She is also a member of the Villanova Law J. Willard O’Brien American Inn of Court. Starting January 2025, Rhonda will begin serving on the Board of Governors for the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Judge Austin serves on the Bench of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, as a Senior Judge. Prior to assuming the bench, she was a solo practitioner who limited her practice to Orphans’ Court matters. She is also a retired U.S. Navy Captain. She considers herself a career public servant both professionally and personally. Judge Austin serves on the Pennsylvania Bar Association Board of Governors. Judge Austin formerly served on the boards of the Montgomery County Community College and the Willow Grove NAACP, as well as the Advisory Board of Laurel House, a local social service agency that assists victims of domestic violence. She earned her B.S. from Northwestern University and her J.D. from Capital University. Judge Austin has served Montgomery County as an Assistant District Attorney, Assistant Public Defender and Assistant Solicitor.

Trent Hargrove has held positions in the public and private practice of law and served in some capacity for every Pennsylvania Governor and Attorney General between 1980 and 2010. He has practiced in the areas of utilities, real estate, administrative law, and civil rights. The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) named Trent as its chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer in January of 2014. He has an extensive background in DEI issues, processes, and development. He is responsible for overseeing and facilitating the PBA’s efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion within the PBA and Pennsylvania’s legal profession. Trent served as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s first Chief Diversity Officer where he was charged with the management of a major new initiative to evaluate the Commonwealth’s diversity programs and implement best practices. Trent worked in the Governor’s Office of General Counsel in several positions and multiple agencies including serving as Chief Counsel to the Pennsylvania Department of General Services. In this capacity, he was the chief legal advisor to the Secretary of General Services and other Department personnel. Trent also worked as a Chief Deputy Attorney General for Civil Rights Enforcement in the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and served on the United States Attorney General’s Hate Crimes Working Group for State and Local Law Enforcement Training. He assisted the Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission and conducted training for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Trent also chaired the Governor’ Alliance for Law Enforcement and Community Relations. Trent has also worked as in-house counsel and in a large firm environment where he concentrated in the areas of real estate, municipal and public land development and finance, administrative law, and retail leasing. Trent is a native of Harrisburg and attended Harrisburg public schools and the McDonogh School. He is a graduate of Bucknell University where he earned a Bachelor Arts degree and the Penn State Dickinson School of Law where he earned a Juris Doctor degree.