Erie County Bar Association

Did you know today is National Walking Day? It encourages Americans of all ages to get out and stretch their legs and get their hearts pumping. The American Heart Association sponsors this day to remind people about the health benefits of taking a walk. Here are some great ways to make that 30-minutes more enjoyable: Wear comfortable clothes. Make sure to stretch those muscles. Drink plenty of water.... Take your canine pals with you - they need the cardiovascular workout, too! And register for the AKT 5K Run/Walk on May 22!

Today is National Library Workers Day, recognizing the valuable contributions library staff make every day to their communities through their hard work and dedication. A shout out to the Erie County Law Library! Libraries do so much more than house the books we borrow. Today as always, library workers are masters of research. Libraries and their employees continuously utilize the latest technologies to make information, books, and resources more accessible. Often, libraries are the keepers of local history. The names of pioneers and settlers are usually recorded in books and newspapers of the era.

The ECBA facility offers space for rent during normal ECBA business hours. They include use of the specific space reserved (the ECBA has a conference center and three smaller conference rooms), available AV equipment, parking, coffee/tea/water/soda and WiFi. Breakfast and/or lunch can be ordered at an additional cost. Call 814-459-3111 for additional information.

It’s time to say goodbye to March, and hello to April and April Fools’ Day. Loved by many, this holiday gives us the opportunity to share many laughs and pranks with one another. However, for some, April Fools’ Day does not go quite as planned. And as far as the law goes, it takes no breaks for a good laugh. Here are three April Fools’ Day pranks that eventually ended up in court and were no laughing matter. 1. You’ve won a new carnot! On April 1, 2005, a California woman th...ought that she had won a new Hummer from KBDS-FM. But, when she showed up to collect her prize, she was handed a toy replica. When she realized it was all a prank, she sued the station for $60,000the cost of a new hummer. 2. Reassess before causing stress London, Ontario’s community services manager was on vacation when his colleagues at London City Hall thought it would be funny to interrupt his time off and report a major project he was working on was due early. In response, he immediately cut his trip short. He then realized the enormous task with which he was faced, and became so stressed that he began having heart palpitations, collapsed and subsequently took time off work. During his recovery, he decided returning to London City Hall was not worth it and took early retirement. He then sued his former employer for damages. The city now has a by-law prohibiting practical jokes at work. 3. Canned Unicorn, Meet Cease and Desist Bet you didn’t know Canned Unicorn Meat is a thing (we didn’t). ThinkGeek put the magical goodness on sale as a bad April Fools’ Day product. The product contains no actual chunks of the delicious mythical creature. What isn’t fake: the 12-page cease and desist letter they received. The National Pork Board believed calling unicorn the other white meat was in violation of the trademark they owned. Should someone tell them unicorns aren’t real? Not to mention, use of the trademark is protected as parody. ThinkGeek wins this one. As you plan April Fools’ Day antics, remember not to go too far or else you may find yourself in the courtroom.

Pennsylvania residents renewing their license or registration online are reminded to use caution and to make sure they are on the official Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Driver and Vehicle Services website. PennDOT will never ask for any identification documents over the internet or through text messages for any reason. Any website or text message claiming to provide this service is not affiliated with PennDOT. Customers should never submit images of pe...rsonal documents to websites or texts claiming to be associated with PennDOT, officials said. Images could be used for fraudulent purposes. Third-party websites can appear "official," and often pay search engines to appear at the top of search results for common terms such as "renew vehicle registration" or "driver's license." Many third-party sites also charge fees for completing transactions. PennDOT does not charge additional service or convenience fees for completing online transactions on PennDOT's website. The official PennDOT website is www.dmv.pa.gov. PennDOT officials recommend typing that address into your browser's address bar rather than using a search engine. PennDOT's official website will also have the words "An Official Pennsylvania Government Website" in the top left corner.

According to a 1973 Sesame Street calendar, Rubber Duckie’s Birthday is January 13th so around the country it’s National Rubber Duckie Day! A friend of Ernie and Big Bird, Duckie made his debut in a February 1970 episode. The rubber duckie has come a long way from his first concept as a chew toy for children. While the origin of the first rubber ducky is uncertain, many rubber molded toys came about when rubber manufacturing developed in the late 1800s. They produced a variet...y of toys from dolls and various animal shapes, including the rubber duck. In 1928, Landon Smart Lawrence received the earliest patent fora rubber duck toy. His clever design weighted the toy so that when it tipped it returned to an upright position. The sketch included with the patent was that of a duck. During World Wars I and II, rubber was a valuable commodity. Rationing became mandatory and by the 1940s with the advent of plastic, the rubber ducky began being produced in vinyl and plastic. Russian Sculptor Peter Ganine sculpted many animal figures. One, a duck, he later designed and patented into a floating toy which closely resembles the rubber ducky we have become familiar with today. Sales of the iconic yellow rubber ducky we’ve come to know today soared in Britain in 2001. Why? A British Tabloid, The Sun, reported Queen Elizabeth II had a rubber duck in her bathroom that wore an inflatable crown. The rubber ducky became a Toy Hall of Fame inductee in 2013. Founded in 1998, the Hall of Fame has only inducted 52 other toys.

There isn't a better place to call when you need legal advice, guidance, or to hire an attorney than the Erie County Bar Association (PA) Lawyer Referral & Information Service. This LRIS meets the American Bar Association's strict standards for lawyer referral services and has been assisting the community for more than 40 years. Contact our Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) at 814-459-4411 as staff is available to assist you Monday Friday, 8:30 a.m. 3:00 p.m. You can also reach the LRIS at https://www.eriebar.com/LRIS.

The Attorney and Kids Together (AKT) Program of the Erie County Law Foundation is happy to donate sets of laptops, cases and headphones to area shelters for students use. This will greatly help with a student's remote schooling when they are displaced. The laptop donations are made possible by funds raised at the AKT 5K Run/Walk every spring - mark you calendar for this year's run on May 22nd!

The Erie County Bar Association condemns the conduct of those who stormed the United States Capitol yesterday afternoon. The right to assemble and peacefully protest is one of the bedrocks of our American democracy, but what occurred at the Capitol was neither civil nor peaceful. Although we may not always agree with one another or like the results of an election, we cannot let our disagreements manifest themselves in violence. Such violence is antithetical to our democracy, in which it is the province of the courts to resolve disputes. Violence in response to the result of an election undermines our democratic institutions, including our judiciary, and must be condemned. Ideas and policies are developed through civil discourse, and not through violent acts that put people in harm’s way.