The Justinian Society held its annual luncheon to honor the 2008 Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, A. Michael Pratt, Esquire, on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at the Union League of Philadelphia, 140 South Broad Street.

To view photos of this event, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/justiniansociety/

Pratt first became involved with the Philadelphia Bar Association when he was elected to the Young Lawyers Section Executive Committee in 1988. He soon was elected Chair of the Section—the first African-American Chair of the YLS. He later ran for a position on the Association's Board of Governors, and was elected to a three-year term.

While devoting time to building his practice, Pratt maintained a commitment to volunteering on behalf of legal services organizations. But he missed contributing to his local professional community. "I felt I had much to offer," Pratt said. "I also felt I had an obligation to give back." He made the decision to run for a line office, and was elected Vice Chancellor in 2005.

Pratt aims to strengthen the Association's relationship with city officials and offer the resources of the legal community to seek viable solutions for a range of issues affecting the city and the profession. He will work on expanding civics education for public school students, and advocate to substantially increase the Bar's support for legal services.