The Philadelphia legal community has seen few years as challenging as 2017, with its top law enforcement officer going to prison for bribery and the city administration often publicly at odds with federal law enforcement officials. The Philadelphia Bar Association’s immediate past chancellor Deborah Gross was there to lead the organization through it all, acting not only as the voice, but also spearheading the group’s efforts to provide legal aid services at a time when those resources appear to be increasingly in need.

During her tenure, Gross, a plaintiffs-side securities, fraud, antitrust and consumer class action attorney at Kaufman, Coren & Ress, was an outspoken chancellor, issuing statements on everything from a condemnation of U.S. Attorney Jeff Sessions to a call for former Philadelphia District Attorney R. Seth Williams to step down after he was indicted on bribery charges. Gross stepped down in December, and Fineman Krekstein & Harris attorney Mary Platt took over as chancellor. (The association is set to host a reception for Platt at the Hyatt at the Bellevue in Philadelphia on Thursday evening.)