Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
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Contact: Communications and Development
Attorney Robert Heim Named Chair of Free Library Board of Trustees
Robert C. Heim, Chair of the Litigation Department at the Philadelphia law firm of Dechert LLP, was unanimously elected Chairman of the Free Library Board of Trustees at its June meeting. Mr. Heim succeeds the Reverend Dr. W. Wilson Goode, Sr., who served as Chair for six years and will continue as a Trustee.
"It is an honor to follow Wilson Goode as Chair of the Library Board," remarked Mr. Heim. "Dr. Goode brought to the Library a love of books and a passion for knowledge in every form. His concern for our branch libraries and especially the needs of our children and seniors will long be remembered. And his leadership in arranging for the City’s initial financial support for the Parkway Central expansion and his work on that campaign has been critical. With his support, the support of our superb Foundation led by Bill Sasso, and the arrival of our new Director and President this fall, our Library system will continue as one of the finest anywhere."
Mr. Heim is a past Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association and past President of the National Conference of Bar Presidents. He is an elected Fellow of both the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. He was appointed by the late United States Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist to the Judicial Conference of the United States Advisory Committee on Civil Rules. He is currently Chair of the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board and serves as Chair of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts. He has lectured on both trial and appellate advocacy and taught appellate advocacy at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, from which he graduated serving as Law Review editor.
Mr. Heim has long been active in the Philadelphia community. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the non-profit Center City District and as a Board Member of the MBF Center, a non-profit provider of computer training for physically impaired children. He was appointed by former Philadelphia Mayor Edward G. Rendell as Vice Chair of the Charter Reform Commission and was appointed by former Mayor John F. Street as a Trustee of the Free Library of Philadelphia in 2003. He received the Learned Hand Award in 2002 for distinguished service to the legal profession and the community.
Mr. Heim and his wife, Eileen Kennedy Heim, reside in center city Philadelphia.
07/21/2008
Department of External Affairs, Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
(215) 567-7710, FAX (215) 567-7850