The Honorable Lucretia C. Clemons was appointed to the First Judicial District, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in 2016 by Governor Tom Wolf and elected for a full term in 2017. Prior to her election to the bench, Judge Clemons was a partner in the Litigation Department and a member of the Labor and Employment Group at Ballard Spahr LLP in Philadelphia. Her concentration was in employment law and corporate diversity management. Judge Clemons had the distinction of becoming the first woman of color to be promoted from associate to partner at Ballard Spahr. In addition to her legal work, Judge Clemons founded Ballard Spahr’s Minority Associates Group, composed of lawyers of color as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender lawyers. Her leadership was essential in establishing the group’s Minority 1L Interviewing and Resume Writing Workshop, now held annually in several of the firm’s offices. In 2023, Judge Clemons was awarded the Thurgood Marshall Award by the Criminal Justice Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association. The award is the highest honor given by the Criminal Justice Section and is awarded annually to recognize significant accomplishments in improving the administration of criminal justice. She has received numerous additional honors and accolades including: the Recognition and Distinguished Service Award from Temple Black Law Students’ Association in 2019; honored as a “Top Woman in the Law” by The Legal Intelligencer in 2016; the National Diversity Council’s 2014 Most Powerful and Influential Women Award; the Multicultural Leadership Award in 2011; the Philadelphia Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list in 2011, recognizing professional excellence and outstanding community involvement; being named by The Legal Intelligencer and Pennsylvania Law Weekly as a “Lawyer on the Fast Track,” in 2006, an award given to select young Pennsylvania lawyers whose achievements have distinguished them among their peers; and finally those same publications named her a 2006 “Woman on the Verge,” a distinction given to 25 female Pennsylvania lawyers who have risen to prominence. Judge Clemons is the immediate past Chair of the National Bar Association, Clifford Scott Green Chapter, Judicial Council, which is composed of federal, state, and local judges from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware whose foremost objective is the eradication of racial and class bias from every aspect of the judicial and law enforcement process. Judge Clemons is a graduate of New York University (B.S. and M.A.) and Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law (J.D., cum laude), where she served as a staff member of the Temple Political & Civil Rights Law Review. After graduation from law school, and prior to joining Ballard Spahr, Judge Clemons served as law clerk to the Honorable Clifford Scott Green, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In addition to her numerous professional responsibilities and commitments to law-related affiliations, Judge Clemons has been, and continues to remain, actively engaged in numerous other civic activities. In 2021, Judge Clemons was appointed by Archbishop Perez to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Commission for Racial Healing. Judge Clemons is the former Co-Chair of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association. She currently serves as a member of the Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention of the Philadelphia Bar Association. She formerly served on the National Nominating Committee for the National Bar Association and previously served as President of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Women Lawyers Division. Judge Clemons supports her community by active membership in Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority Inc, Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter.

Beth Perez, LSW, Esq. is the Director of Intake and Pro Bono Services at the Support Center for Child Advocates in Philadelphia. Beth is responsible for maintaining a cadre of trained volunteer attorneys and paralegals sufficient to serve over 900 agency clients. She is responsible for recruiting, training and supporting volunteers, for supervising paralegal staff, as well as overseeing Child Advocates’ ongoing outreach to Law Firm practice groups. She manages intake and case assignment to staff and volunteer attorneys of approximately 300 new cases each year, including cases assigned from dependency court, domestic relations court, delinquency court, and criminal court. Additionally, she maintains a small caseload representing children as GAL/Child Advocate in both dependency and criminal matters as victim/witnesses. Additionally, Beth is a member of the Adjunct Faculty at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law teaching a course in Child Welfare Law. Prior to her work at Child Advocates, Ms. Perez was a Child Advocate Attorney in the Child Advocacy Unit of the Defender’s Association of Philadelphia where she represented children in the child welfare system. She received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Dayton, a Masters degree in Social Services and Masters degree in Law and Social Policy from Bryn Mawr College of Social Work and Social Research, and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Dayton School of Law. Beth is also a licensed Social Worker. Her activities include Philadelphia Bar Association YLD Executive Committee; Member Family Law Section Philadelphia Bar Association – Community Outreach Subcommittee; Co-Chair to the Pro Bono Subcommittee of the Delivery of Legal Services Committee; Member of Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA); PBA Zone 1 Co-Chair for the YLD 2022 to present; Zone 1 YLD Delegate to the PA House of Delegates; YLD Liaison to the Children’s Rights Committee; YLD Liaison to the Wellness and Well Being Committee; YLD Liaison to the Women in the Profession Committee; Member of Lawyer Assistance Committee; Member of Family Law Section; PBA Family Law Leadership Program 2024-2025; Young Lawyer Life Fellow for the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation; 2022-2023 Bar Leadership Institute.

Ms. Coatsworth is a partner at Margolis Edelstein. She has litigated hundreds of motor vehicle, dealer fraud and lemon law cases from both the plaintiff and defense sides. Additionally, she concentrates her practice in the defense of professionals such as realtors, home inspectors, accountants and physicians. She also has extensive experience with premises liability and product liability and has handled employment and construction work and several fraternity cases. Ms. Coatsworth has defended dozens of car dealerships and real estate sales people for claims of breach of contract and fraud and violations of various fraud-related statutes such as the Unfair Trade Practices Act, the Magnuson Moss Warranty Improvement Act, the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Lemon Laws, the New Vehicle Damage Disclosure Act, the Automotive Industry Trade Practices Act, the Real Estate Sellers Disclosure Law and the Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act. Additionally, Ms. Coatsworth specializes in representing Greek letter organizations in all manner of claims including dram shop, hazing, and personal injury. She was selected for inclusion in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Stars from 2011 through 2018 and Super Lawyers in 2021-2024. Ms. Coatsworth currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia Bar Association as Immediate Past Chancellor, having previously served as Chancellor, Chancellor-Elect, Vice Chancellor, Assistant Treasurer, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Parliamentarian and Elected Member. Additionally, she is a past co-chair of the Women in the Profession Committee, and she is also very active with the State Civil Litigation Section, Women’s Rights Committee, LGBTQ Rights Committee and the Real Property Section. She previously served on the Executive Committee of the Young Lawyers Division of that organization for six years and held the positions of Secretary and Vice Chair of the Division. She also served as a Trustee of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation and a Board Member for Philadelphia VIP. She serves on the Leadership Council of Community Legal Services and the Advisory Board for Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts. In the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Ms. Coatsworth is the Immediate Past Zone One Governor, and she sits on the Executive Counsel of the Civil Litigation Section as a Past Chair and the Women in the Profession Commission’s Executive Council as Co-Chair on the Nominating Committee. She previously served as co-chair of the PBA Women in the Profession Commission and chaired several of its committees including Annual Meeting, Fall Retreat and Awards Committee. She is also a Past Chancellor of the Louis D. Brandeis Law Society, and she serves on several committees of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania including the Community Outreach Committee and the Jury Diversity Task Force.

Mr. Troy joined the Montgomery County law firm of Kane, Pugh, Knoell, Troy & Kramer, LLP in 1991. He focuses his practice on the defense of professional liability and medical malpractice litigation. He has tried over 100 cases to verdict. Mr. Troy is a graduate of The Dickinson School of Law and was a law clerk to the Honorable Albert R. Subers in Montgomery County before entering private practice. Mr. Troy is a past President of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. He has also served two terms on the Pennsylvania Bar Association Board of Governors, having served as Chair of the Young Lawyers Division and later as Chair of the House of Delegates. He is a past Co-Chair of the PBA Bar Leadership Institute. He has previously served as either Chair or Vice-Chair of the PBA Health Care Law Committee from 2000 until 2010. Mr. Troy was President of the Montgomery Bar Association in 2012. He was President of the Montgomery County Trial Lawyers Section in 2003. In 2011, Mr. Troy was honored by the Montgomery County Trial Lawyers Association by being named “Trial Lawyer of the Year.” He gives several presentations annually to County Bar Associations and private firms on the subject of Avoiding Professional Liability. In 2018, Mr. Troy was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

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.

Lance, a dedicated litigator and counselor, proudly serves Lancaster, Dauphin, and York counties in Pennsylvania. Originally from Brooklyn, NY, and raised in Bay Shore, Long Island, he now resides in Lancaster County with his wife, Courtney, and their 3-year-old daughter, Zoe. Lance’s versatile practice spans civil and criminal investigations, commercial litigation, and Title IX cases, we he assists in the representation of K-12 school and higher education institutions. Additionally, he provides compassionate legal support to juveniles facing criminal charges as a court-appointed attorney in both Lancaster and Dauphin counties. Lance started his practicing legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Lancaster County, where he was appointed supervisor and Chief prosecutor of the Juvenile Court Division. His trial experience—ranging from jury trials to suppression hearings and everything between—earned him respect for his fair and empathetic approach to resolving cases, particularly in shaping brighter futures for youth. Lance’s legal journey includes a summer internship at the United States Attorney’s Office and selection as 1 of 5 in a national search as a NAACP Kellogg’s Summer Law Fellow, in which he worked on high-profile civil rights and environmental justice projects for the legal department of the NAACP. He is deeply involved in professional and civic organizations, He is currently a member of the Lancaster, York, Dauphin, Philly and Pennsylvania Bar Associations. Lance also serves on the boards of director of the Lancaster Law Foundation, Assets of Lancaster, and Leadership Lancaster. Lance’s leadership roles include Chair of the Diversity Committee of the Lancaster Bar Association, Co-Vice Chair of the PBA Minority Bar Committee, Chair at large to the PBA’s Young Lawyer’s Division Council, Zone-3 Member of the PBA House of Delegates, Diversity liaison for the Criminal Justice Section of the PBA, all showcasing his commitment to diversity, mentorship, and justice. Lance’s unwavering dedication to his clients and community exemplifies his belief in the transformative power of the law and its potential to create meaningful change.