Upcoming Events

2020 Third Circuit Judicial Conference
May 13 - 15, 2023
Hilton Philadelphia at Penn's Landing
Click for more information

Notice from the Court

Tentative selection of Stacey L. Meisel
Download the Notice (PDF)
Tentative selection of Jerrold N. Poslusny, Jr.
Download the Notice (PDF)
Tentative selection of Laurie Selber Silverstein
Download the Notice (PDF)
Tentative selection of Vincent F. Papalia
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Tentative Selection of Ashely M. Chan
Download the Notice (PDF)

Welcome to the Bar Association
of the Third Federal Circuit

Welcome to the Bar Association of the Third Federal Circuit (3CBA) web site, the Association for lawyers who practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Federal Circuit. With hundreds of members, including 98 Founding Members and 18 Founding Firms, the 3CBA’s mission is to work with the Court to:

  • Improve the standards of federal practice
  • Develop improved rules of practice
  • Promote events and educational programs to aid the Court in the administration of justice
  • Facilitate Bench/Bar relations with the Third Circuit

We hope that you will join us and become an active member of our growing association. Click here for information about how to join the 3CBA. Since our formation in 2007, the 3CBA has presented state of the art appellate programs in every corner of the Circuit – from Pennsylvania to the Virgin Islands – covering topics such as electronic filing, appellate motions practice, brief writing, and effective oral argument. Most recently, we are providing CLE presentations for the 2017 Third Circuit Judicial Conference on "Professional Ethics in Appellate Advocacy" and "What Attorneys Hope Judges Know and Vice Versa." We have also developed the Third Circuit Practice Guide and publish "On Appeal," a periodic newsletter keeping our members informed of recent developments. Please feel free to contact any of our officers or Board of Governors, who welcome your input. We look forward to working with you, to getting to know you, and to your active involvement in our Association.

Programming

Courtroom in the James A. Byrne U.S. Courthouse

The Third Circuit Bar Association’s Programs and Continuing Legal Education Committee (Programs Committee) seeks to bring quality educational programs on federal appellate practice to venues throughout the Circuit, often partnering with other organizations and associations in this effort. The Committee also organizes receptions and other less formal events to encourage interaction and conversation among appellate lawyers and judges in the Circuit. Additionally, the Committee organizes or coordinates with the staff of the Circuit Executive’s Office on CLE presentations for each Third Circuit Judicial Conference since our Association was formed, and also sponsors Conference welcome receptions, breakfast meetings, and luncheon speakers.  

The Committee welcomes practitioners throughout the Circuit as members or organizers of or speakers at individual programs. Anyone interested in helping (or who just has a program idea) is invited to contact Matthew Stiegler, Nilam A. Sanghvi, or Ilana H. Eisenstein.

The Programming Committee has organized the following 3CBA and Third Circuit Judicial Conference programs, among others:

Third Circuit Bar Association programs

  • Effective Third Circuit Advocacy – multiple locations throughout the Circuit (often with local bar groups)
  • A View from the Bench:  Third Circuit Judges Present Notable Cases of the Last Year – Pittsburgh, PA (with the Allegheny County Bar Association)
  • Appellate Waivers and Interlocutory Appeals – Harrisburg, PA
  • Watch Out for the Waives:  How Good Lawyers Waive Good Arguments on Appeal – Pittsburgh, PA 
  • Appellate Mediation in Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA 
  • The Nuts and Bolts of Practice Before the Third Circuit – Atlantic City, NJ (with the New Jersey Bar Association’s Federal Practice and Procedure Section and Appellate Practice Committee, and the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey)
  • The New Virgin Islands Certiorari Process – U.S. Virgin Islands
  • Unique Perspectives of the Judge Turned Advocate – Philadelphia, PA (with the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Appellate Courts Committee)
  • Effective Oral Advocacy – Wilmington, DE

Third Circuit Judicial Conference programs

2017

  • Professional Ethics in the Appellate Process
  • What Attorneys Hope Judges Know and Vice Versa

2014

  • Ethical Issues in Appellate Practice
  • Managing High-Profile Cases

2011

  • Appellate Waivers 
  • Interlocutory Appeals

2009

  • Certification of Questions of Law to State Supreme Courts
  • Ethics in Appellate Practice

2008

  • Dos and Don’ts of Effective Appellate Advocacy
  • Ins and Outs of Appellate Motions Practice
Click here to join the 3CBA or renew your membership.
Online enrollment and payment
are now available.

UPCOMING EVENTS

CLE Opportunity

Meet the New Third Circuit Judges
September 28, 2023
U.S. Courthouse
Philadelphia, PA
Click here to learn more.
Preferred rate for 3CBA members – join or renew here!

CLE Opportunity

Gideon at Sixty:  Reflections on the Path to Fulfilling Its Promise
september 14, 2023
Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg, PA
Click here to learn more.

News & Announcements FROM THE COURT

Amendments to Local Rules
5/02/2023 Public Notice
setting a uniform 5 pm ET deadline for all filings
Press Release

Third Circuit Practice Guide

We are pleased to publish a guide to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The guide provides straightforward answers to some of the more common questions we hear from lawyers whose practices may not take them to the Third Circuit on a regular basis. We are in the process of creating a new updated edition and will post it here when it is completed.

Download the Guide
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