About Us

Mission:

The Justinian Society is an educational, non-profit organization of lawyers whose ancestry is Italian. It is engaged in activities directed toward achieving its purposes which are:

1. To foster a spirit of good fellowship and mutual cooperation among its members;
2. To maintain the honor and dignity required of the legal profession;
3. To maintain a high standard of ethical conduct among its members and with other members of the bar;
4. To promote and encourage the more profound study of the law, the due administration of justice and reform in the law;
5. To coordinate their efforts in the discharge of their civil and professional responsibilities to the community.

In addition to being concerned with maintaining the highest standards of the legal profession, the Society seeks to support highly qualified Justinians for public office, including the judiciary.

History:

The Justinian Society was founded in 1935 by forty-seven attorneys of Italian ancestry in Philadelphia. The Founders were Filindo B. Masino, Esq., Vincent G. Panati, Esq., Vincent C. Veldorale, Esq., Joseph Alesandroni, Esq., and Michael Marchesano, Esq. The first Board of Directors was Joseph F. M. Baldi, Esq., C. James Todaro, Esq., Americus G. Rosa, Esq., and Henry W. Deluca, Esq.

Today, the Justinian Society is engaged in activities directed toward fostering a spirit of good fellowship, maintaining honor and dignity of the legal profession, performing civic duties, administering justice, and promoting the study of law. The Society has implemented several committees to better serve Italian-American jurists, barristers, and the community at large. These committees include, the Anti-Defamation Committee, Long-Range Planning Committee, Public Offices Committee, Membership Committee, Scholarship Committee, History Committee and Continuing Legal Education Committee.

The Anti-Defamation Committee serves to eradicate prejudice that may exist against Italian-Americans in the legal profession. This Committee is concerned with displays of negative imaging and stereotyping of Italian-Americans and promotes a positive image of members of the Society as well as responds to attacks which portray our members and the Italian-American legal community in an unfavorable light because of our ethnicity.

Each year, the Justinian Society awards two scholarships for law related studies. The Jules Fioravanti Scholarship is awarded annually to a graduate of LaSalle University who is planning to attend law school. This scholarship was named after a former chancellor and beloved member, now deceased, of our Society. The second scholarship is open to law students within our region.

The Society is actively involved in the Philadelphia Bar Association and contributes to the Philadelphia Bar Foundation and VIP on an annual basis. In addition, The Society promotes the election of its qualified members on the board of governors as well as other major positions within the Philadelphia Bar Association.

The Society also holds quarterly luncheons honoring members of the bench and bar as well as members of our community, and annual golf outing, the joint sponsorship with the Criminal Justice Section of the Bar Association of the Cesare Beccaria Award, and the Christmas Party which is the best attended event of the year.