Penn State Law presents a screening of the documentary The Decade of Discovery, followed by a discussion on electronic discovery with The Hon. Thomas I. Vanaskie, adjunct professor of law and federal judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and Philip Sechler, professor from practice. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required to receive CLE credit, which will be offered for the discussion following the hour-long film.

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Vanaskie, a 1978 graduate of The Dickinson School of Law, is a 2014 recipient of the Penn State Alumni Association's Alumni Fellow Award, a permanent, lifelong designation. Established in 1973, the Alumni Fellows Program is designed to invite Alumni Fellows, prominent and outstanding leaders in their fields, to return to specific colleges of the University to lend their expertise through informal contacts with students, faculty, and administrators. This program is part of Vanaskie's commitment to his alma mater, The Dickinson School of Law of The Pennsylvania State University.

The Decade of Discovery documents the story of a government attorney on a quest to find a better way to search White House email, a teacher who took a stand for civil justice on the electronic frontier, and the attendant revolution in the way law is practiced and the government operates. The film charts their 10-year journey and reveals the surprising truth they uncovered.

The Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board has approved this program for 1.0 hours of substantive law, practice, and procedure credit and 0.0 hours of ethics, substance abuse, and professionalism credit. Attendees seeking credit in states other than Pennsylvania will be provided with a Uniform Certificate of Attendance to self-report to their state bar(s). This certificate will be mailed to attendees following the program. 

About The Hon. Thomas I. Vanaskie
Nominated to the Third Circuit Court by President Barack Obama in 2009 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2010, Vanaskie previously served on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, a seat for which he was nominated by President Bill Clinton. He held the seat from 1994 to 2010, serving as Chief Judge from 1999 to 2006.

Vanaskie serves as chair of the Information Technology Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States, the policymaking body for the United States Courts, a position to which he was appointed by the late Chief Justice of the United States, William H. Rehnquist. For the Third Circuit Judicial Council, Vanaskie presently chairs the Automation Committee and sits on the Library Committee. He is also a former member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Judges Association. In recognition of his impact on the judiciary and the legal community, Vanaskie has earned numerous awards and recognitions, including Honorary Master of the Bench of the Herbert B. Cohen Inn of Court in York, Pa., and the Federal Bar Association Middle District of Pennsylvania Chapter’s Presidents Award. 

A 1975 magna cum laude graduate of Lycoming College, Vanaskie is a decorated scholar athlete. In June 2013, he was inducted into the Capital One Academic All-America Hall of Fame for football. Described as a “hard-nosed defender on the football field,” Vanaskie has also been inducted into the Shamokin Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (1993) and into Lycoming College’s Athletics Hall of Fame (1994). He was a 1974 first team Academic All-American selection, a two-time Middle Atlantic Conference defensive back, and earned honorable mention Associated Press All-American College Division honors as a senior.

Upon his graduation from The Dickinson School of Law, Vanaskie served as law clerk to Chief Judge William J. Nealon of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. In 1980, he joined the Scranton, Pa., office of Dilworth, Paxson, Kalish and Kaufmann. In 1992, Vanaskie became a principal member of the law firm of Elliott, Vanaskie and Riley, which maintained offices in Blue Bell, Scranton, and Harrisburg, Pa., as well as in Washington.