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The independent voice of Virginia lawyers Aug. 21, 2017
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Relive or get a glimpse from the Summer Meeting. Suit up for coming CLE opportunities. Take a peek at how construction of your member center is coming along. And much more. Read on!
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Thousands watch the VBA gubernatorial debate. You can too!
Sands Anderson PC and Reed Smith LLP sponsored the ability for the VBA and
PBS NewsHour to live-stream the Virginia gubernatorial debate during the Summer Meeting. About 35,000 viewers checked out the debate on
PBS NewsHour's Facebook page. More than 9,000 others have viewed and hundreds have shared the full-length video on YouTube. And more than 400 were in the in-person audience at The Omni Homestead Resort.
The 90-minute, first-of-the-campaign-season tradition remains available on the
PBS NewsHour YouTube channel, reachable via
vba.org/livedebate or by clicking the play button below. Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of the PBS program, moderated the event that featured Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and Ed Gillespie. Timekeepers were Past Presidents John D. Epps and "Pia" Trigiani.
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Commemorative plaque installed
A bronze plaque (lower right) commemorating the 1888 founding of The Virginia Bar Association has been installed on the garden wall outside the Grand Ballroom Foyer of The Omni Homestead Resort. VBA past presidents commissioned the plaque and presented it to the membership during the Summer Meeting. Whittington Clement, the 1993 VBA president, provided remarks for the occasion.
Read an excerpt of Whittington Clement's remarks
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Summer Meeting Award goes to justice
Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn accepted the Summer Meeting Award during the Saturday reception at The Omni Homestead Resort. The annual award recognizes exemplary merits by a person or group in the context of current Virginia legal interests. Justice Goodwyn's outstanding commitment to the rule of law and dedication to the work of the Supreme Court's Access to Justice Commission, which he co-chairs, make him worthy of this distinction.
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Sponsors support Summer Meeting success
The VBA thanks 20 businesses and organizations that contributed to making the Summer Meeting everything it could be. In addition to the debate live-stream sponsors, and Premier Member Benefit Virginia Barristers Alliance, Inc.;they are:
CSX Corp.; Dominion Energy; Equity Concepts, L.L.C.; Hogan Lovells U.S. LLP; Hunton & Williams LLP; LexisNexis; McCandlish & Lillard P.C.; McGuireWoods LLP; MercerTrigiani; Norfolk Southern Corp.; The Omni Homestead Resort; Pender & Coward, PC; SunTrust Bank, Legal Specialty, Private Wealth Management; TimberlakeSmith; Troutman Sanders LLP; Union Bank & Trust; Whitham, Curtis & Cook P.C.; and Williams Mullen.
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12 earn tournament accolades at Summer Meeting
Will Saunders (67) and Glenn Pulley (70) took first and second, respectively, in low net 18 holes in the golf tournament during the Summer Meeting. Daniel Sarrell (75) and Pete Johnson (78) placed first and second, respectively, in low gross scores for 18 holes.
In tennis mixed doubles the team of Simon Davidson and Russ Aaronson captured first, and Patricia Connally and Steven Gould took second.
The 1.7-mile fun run saw Dan Sullivan and Suzie Coffey take first place in the men's and women's categories. Children's medals went to Chase Davidson and Ryan Davidson.
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Summer Meeting exhibitors announce drawing winners
Sixteen exhibitors supported the VBA with displays and representatives available to discuss their products and services with meeting registrants. Winners of the VBA-sponsored "bingo card" raffle among entrants who visited all the exhibitors were Lee Osborne, who received a FitBit, and Judge Ian Williams and Grant Morris, who each won a Bluetooth portable speaker.
Premier member benefit Virginia Barristers Alliance, Inc., awarded a $50 Panera gift card to Lee Osborne of Woods Rogers.
First-time exhibitor Cognicion awarded a $50 Visa gift card to Doris Henderson Causey of Central Virginia Legal Aid Society and a $50 MasterCard gift card to Scott Kowalski of Petty, Livingston, Dawson & Richards.
In addition to VBAI and Cognicion, exhibitors were Lawyers Helping Lawyers; LexisNexis; Liberty University School of Law; Mode5; PeopleView Legal Business Advisors; Regent University School of Law; Planet Depos; Proxios; SunTrust Bank, Legal Specialty, Private Wealth Management; the VBA; Virginia CLE; Virginia Historical Society; VLF/VBA Rule of Law Project; and VP Superior Document Services/SDS Discovery.
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VBA on Main construction update
Construction on VBA on Main, your professional hub, continues apace with drywall installation and finishing, primer paint and behind-the-scenes work with designer SMBW for signage and accents. Your member center should be substantially complete in mid-September. The VBA staff expects to box up and move offices to space adjacent to VBA on Main next month. There may be additional finishing touches to add after the move. Expect to see notices about an open house in November. As details emerge, we will keep you informed.
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VBA Journal comes out soon
The fall issue of the VBA Journal, due out Sept. 1, delves into construction indemnity clauses and looks at the VBA's long tradition of presenting debates among statewide candidates.
Enjoy the satirical "A Modest Proposal for the Improvement of Divorce in Virginia," photos from the Summer Meeting and spring events, and the illuminating columns of division leaders, President David S. Mercer and Professor Spratt's Writer's Block.
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The VBA benefits from donations to The VBA Foundation
Support VBA charitable and educational pursuits through The Virginia Bar Association Foundation. If you haven't contributed yet this year, please consider doing so before year's end. Your support of The VBA Foundation makes it possible to enhance several VBA activities. Thank you for your generosity.
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Upcoming events
SEPT. 14-16 - Register and book rooms now for the
47th Annual Conference on Labor Relations and Employment Law. This multiday event will take place at the Hilton Norfolk The Main. The special conference room rate expires Aug. 22, so book now.
SEPT. 15 - The Real Estate Section is adding a one-hour CLE to its
free fall social with cash bar in Charlottesville. It all happens from 3:30-6 p.m. at Michael Shaps Wineworks Extended.
RSVP today.
SEPT. 25 - Register now for the Joint ADR Committee
symposium in Richmond that seeks to offer 5 hours of CLE and CME credit. See what's on
the agenda for "A Place at the Table."
SEPT. 27 -
VBA Legislative Day is when section and committee representatives, the lobbying team and the VBA Board of Governors gather to present and hear 2018 legislative proposals.
Proposal forms for law changes should be submitted to Yvonne McGhee by email no later than Sept. 13.
SEPT. 28 - The Omni Richmond Hotel is the site of the one-day
19th Annual Corporate Counsel Fall Forum. Planners anticipate that this seminar will provide 7.0 MCLE Credit Hours (2.0 Ethics). Registration is open. Sign up by Sept. 14 and get an extra discount on top of VBA and section member price breaks.
Find more fall CLE opportunities by clicking the Calendar button below. And remember that
VBA Online CLE is another way to enjoy VBA presentations and earn MCLE credits when and where you want to learn.
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How do federal judges make it to the bench?
VBA members are invited to attend the DC Women's Bar Association program "Pathways to the Bench: The Federal Court System" at the WBA-DC member rate. The program Sept. 18 at the American University Washington College of Law will feature U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema (EDVa) and Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Barbara M. Keenan. Your promo code to receive the discount is: Judge.
Learn more and register here
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Insurance corner: Did you know?
Did you know that some carriers that offer Business policies include expanded limits for those property and liability coverages that often specifically impact a law firm? We would be happy to help analyze your firm's exposure and provide insurance solutions. Please contact Virginia Barristers Alliance Inc. (VBAI) or call 1-800-358-7987 and let's get started. Who better to help you than an agency founded by Virginia lawyers, for Virginia lawyers?
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YLD programs again garner top national honors
The American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division bestowed four first place finishes among bar associations of our size on the VBA's Young Lawyers Division and its programs. This year's Awards of Achievement recognized the time, effort and skills expended by the YLD in Service to the Bar, Diversity, and Newsletter categories, as well as for overall efforts in the Comprehensive arena.
This continues a long-standing tradition of the VBA's YLD submitting its projects for evaluation and recognition by its peers, and earning the same. The ABA YLD shares winners' programs throughout its affiliate network as a means of encouraging project development of well-planned and executed programs that contribute significantly to the public and the betterment of the legal profession, as well as a forum for an exchange of ideas.
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Summer
Opening Statement is available
The VBA Young Lawyers Division has published its
summer issue. In addition to several pages of photographs, the content includes these articles:
- VBA on Main: Ally to the YLD
- Document Review and Federal Rule of Evidence 502(d)
- ADR and Virginia Law Schools
- C'mon Get HIPAA: When Lawyers Become Business Associates
- Products Liability and the New (to you) Product: Case Example - Firearms
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Veterans Issues Task Force needs lawyer volunteers
Each year, about 270 military veterans and service members request assistance with a legal matter through the website,
vba.org/veterans. In the most recent nine months, 214 requests for assistance were received. Only 30 of those requests were placed with an attorney who has volunteered through the Veterans Issues Task Force to serve those who have served us. Won't you sign on to help? Fill out the short form at
vba.org/volunteer.
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Online Certificate in Military and Veterans issues program
William & Mary Law School's Puller Veterans Benefits Clinic has created what it calls a first-of-its-kind online program to earn a
Certificate in Military and Veterans Health, Policy & Advocacy. The four-course, nondegree certificate program is designed for attorneys, law students, advocates and others. CLEs and CEUs are pending. VBA members receive a 10 percent discount on tuition.
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William & Mary Law School receives $5.2 million gift
A gift in memory of the late
Judge R. William Arthur, totaling $5.2 million, will support scholarships for law students and other William & Mary Law School priorities. It comes from the estate of Judge Arthur's wife, Dorothy. She previously gave more than $335,000 to establish a load repayment assistance endowment at the law school in her husband's memory. Judge Arthur graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1938 and earned an LL.D. there in 1940. Before he served as a circuit court judge from 1969 until his retirement in 1985, he was Wytheville town attorney and in private practice in Wytheville from 1940-1969.
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Member news
Life member
Joseph W. "Rick" Richmond Jr. received the Lifetime Service Award from the Charlottesville Albemarle Bar Association. A past president of the CABA, Richmond also served on the Bar Council of the Virginia State Bar and as chair of the Council of Local Bar Associations. In 2014, after several years practicing with the law firm of Richmond & Fishburne in Charlottesville, he became of counsel at McCallum & Kudravetz, P.C., also in Charlottesville.
Chri
stina Cullom has joined Pender & Coward in Virginia Beach. An experienced litigator and former prosecutor, she focuses her practice in local government, insurance defense and civil litigation. She defends state and local government entities in cases involving constitutional violations, tort claims and employment discrimination.
Life member
Hamilton Bryson wrote chapters on Sir Francis Bacon and Frederic William Maitland for "The Formation and Transmission of Western Legal Culture: 150 Books That Made the Law in the Age of Printing."
Wendy Collins Purdue, dean of the University of Richmond Law School, has had volume two of her book "Procedure and Private International Law" published by Elgar.
A Virginia healthcare law firm with offices in Richmond, Norfolk and Fairfax has changed its name to Rawls Law Group, P.C. It formerly was known as RawlsMcNelis. Rawls Law Group, P.C., will continue to focus on its healthcare law practice and its federal tort claims and vaccination injury practices. VBA members at the firm are
Christina M. Dwyer, Anisa P. Kelley and
Joseph T. "Ted" McFadden Jr.
Grace Morse-McNelis and
Dr. Ramon Rodriguez III have joined the healthcare group at Sands Anderson PC. They were with RawlsMcNelis. Morse-McNelis has a diverse background as an attorney in medical law and as a former medical professional. Rodriguez represents healthcare providers before board of medicine.
Terri G. Amernick, who focuses her practice on business law, mergers and acquisitions, and tax law, is now with Linden Legal Strategies PLLC in Richmond.
In Memoriam
Robert "Lee" Stephens Jr. died Aug. 11 at home in Irvington at age 59. He practiced law in Irvington with Lee Stephens Law, PLC, as general counsel (and president) of the family-owned and -operated Tides Inn, and in Richmond with Spotts Fain and Williams Mullen.
Life Member
Frank Talbott III, formerly of Danville, died July 21 at age 88. He retired from the practice of law in 2010. He served as of counsel with Woods Rogers PLC, worked as vice president and general counsel of Dan River Mills, as general counsel to the Virginia Manufacturers Association, and practiced law with the Danville firm of Meade, Talbott & Tate. He also served as president of the Danville Bar Association.
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Free informational webinar tomorrow
The ABA Retirement Funds Program, a VBA member benefit, will present "The Role of Self-Directed Brokerage Accounts Within Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans." The free webinar is at 1 p.m. EDT tomorrow, Aug. 22.
Click here to register.
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The Virginia Bar Association is the first and largest statewide voluntary bar for lawyers, judges and law professors.
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