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Henrico Bar News
October 2017
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Henrico County Bar Association
P.O. Box 70147
Richmond, Virginia 23255
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From the Desk of Brian J. Schneider, HCBA President
With Governor McAuliffe's proclamation of October as "Pro Bono Month," in conjunction with the State Bar's Pro Bono Conference and Celebration, we hope that each of you will take the time to reflect on the good fortune we enjoy in our shared profession and that you might find the time to donate your talents to those in need. Whether you look to resources such as those here on our website for organizations in need, or draw upon a cause you believe in, lending your service in this way could be the difference maker to a person who could use a hand.
On October 4, 2017, the HCBA was happy to be able to put on the CLE titled "Cybersecurity for Law Firms," with lunch and support offered through our friends at SELTEK, Inc. More about this presentation can be found below. As we approach the year-end reporting deadline for continuing legal education credits in Virginia, I also wanted to make you all aware that on October 30, 2017, the HCBA will be sponsoring its annual 2-hour Ethics CLE in the Henrico County Board Room. This year's program will feature Jim McCauley, Legal Ethics Counsel for the Virginia State Bar. We hope you can join us.
In the meantime, Happy Pro Bono Month!
Brian J. Schneider
President
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Breakfast with the Circuit Court and General District Court Judges
On Tuesday, September 12, 2017, the HCBA held its annual Breakfast with the Circuit Court and General District Courts Judges, as well as the courthouse family, at the Henrico County Courthouse. In attendance on behalf of the bench were Judges Harris, Wallerstein, Chucker, Steverson, Dunkum, Honey and Bondurant.
After some initial remarks from HCBA President Brian Schneider, Judge Harris offered kind words about the civility and professionalism exhibited regularly by the members of the Henrico County Bar. Judge Harris invited those in attendance to work with the judiciary to continue to improve the community's access to justice.
Judge Chucker then offered a few words regarding appearing before the General District Court. After sharing the recent good news of pay raises for court staffs across Virginia, Judge Chucker also asked that those practicing before the General District Courts to let the court know if they are running late due to competing schedules in other courts.
We would like to thank our friends at Planet Depos for sponsoring this enjoyable event.
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| Brian Schneider, Malcolm Thomas and Judge Dunkum |
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| Wade Anderson, Andrew Newby and Audrey Burges |
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| Judge Bondurant and Mike Gill |
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| Judge Steverson, Eddie Whitlock and Jennifer Wheeler |
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| Ed Riley, Tania Kregar and Judge Honey |
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Mike Gill, Judge Wallerstein, Judge Harris
and Shannon Taylor |
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| Judge Chucker addresses the Bar |
For more pictures from the Breakfast, please
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Breakfast with the Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court Judges
On Friday, September 22, 2017, members of the Bar enjoyed Breakfast with the Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court Judges in Courtroom 6 of the JDR Courts Building. The breakfast was sponsored by Collaborative Professionals of Richmond.
The Hon. Stuart Williams, the Hon. Denis Soden and the Hon. Randall Johnson joined us over coffee, bagels and doughnuts. Judge Williams informed us that the Clerk's office has several new hires and should be running at full speed soon once everyone is trained on the various procedures preformed by the clerks, including but not limited to filing paperwork, scheduling hearings, maintaining the Court's files and in-court duties. Natalie McClearn, president-elect of the Bar and a member of the Collaborative Professional of Richmond, explained their objective to help divorce clients reach agreements on the assortment of issues arising when couples separate, with the ultimate goal of resolving disputes outside of a courtroom. Recognizing that divorce creates problems other than the legal variety, the organization is made up of mental health and financial professionals in addition to lawyers. The group offers expertise on matters such as co-parenting, budgeting, monetary and legal advice to their clients.
Judge Soden introduced Julie Smith, the judges' secretary, whom many lawyers have talked or emailed with but never met face-to-face. He praised her organizational abilities and thanked her for everything she does for the judges. He then (much to her embarrassment) led the crowd in an enthusiastic sing-along of Happy Birthday to Ms. Smith!
The Association thanks the judges and members for attending, and Collaborative Professionals of Richmond for their generous sponsorship.
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| Mike Huberman, Andrew Kolp and Tim Davidson |
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| Denise Letendre, Karen Dottore and Audrey Burges |
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| Judge Williams and Linda Lambert |
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| Judge Williams updates the Bar |
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Judge Soden leads the Bar in singing
Happy Birthday to Julie Smith |
For more pictures from the Breakfast, please
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Member Spotlight
Full Name: Denise Letendre
Employer and Position: Henrico County Attorney's Office, Assistant County Attorney
College: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-New Brunswick
Law School: University of Virginia School of Law
Years in Practice: 4
Hobbies and Interests: Open water swimming, kickboxing, hiking
Favorite Movie: Erin Brockovich
Favorite Book: Just Mercy:
A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
Favorite Pro and College Sports Team: St. Louis Cardinals (my hometown team) and I'm a long suffering UVA and Rutgers sports fan
One Thing You Might Not Know About Me: While I interact with my fellow members of the bar in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court most often, representing the Department of Social Services is only a small part of my practice. I work with the County's Departments of Public Utilities and Public Works, Building Inspections and Human Resources as well. I've had many attorneys I typically see in JDR get very confused when they see me in General District Court prosecuting building code violations!
Best Thing About Practicing Law in Henrico: Members of the bar are generally friendly and easy to work with and all of the judges are encouraging of young lawyers and are patient.
Funniest Experience as an Attorney: During my first motions hearing in Circuit Court, the judge was grilling me about a case I used in my argument when we had to evacuate the building because a bomb threat had been called in. In some ways I was "saved by the bell," because when we went back in, the judge stopped pressing me on the issue and granted my motion. It wasn't particularly funny at the time, but it was certainly a memorable way to begin my career!
Advice to Young Attorneys: Keep your arguments as simple as possible. Especially in courts not of record, judges don't have time for superfluous language and "kitchen sink" arguments. Get to the point on your best arguments, and then be prepared to change strategies if the judge isn't responding well to what you initially argue.
Full Name: Drew David Sarrett
Employer and Position: The Sarrett Law Firm PLLC - Owner a/k/a chief-cook and bottle-washer
College: College of Charleston Honors College
Law School: George Mason University School of Law
Years in Practice: 6
Hobbies and Interests: Reading, running, fly fishing, and hiking
Favorite Movie: The Departed
Favorite Book: All the King's Men
Favorite Pro and College Sports Team: University of Florida...I was born in Gainesville, FL and both my parents graduated from and worked for UF.
One Thing You Might Not Know About Me: I make killer banana chocolate chip pancakes.
Best Thing About Practicing Law in Henrico: Being able to walk to my office from home.
Funniest Experience as an Attorney: Comical "praise" from clients. One of them told me this week that she knew to hire me because I was a "total geek." When it comes to compliments, I take what I can get!
Advice to Young Attorneys: I still consider myself to be a young attorney, but here goes: You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. Build a network of trusted advisers, personally and professionally, and rely on that network. Ask for help and help when asked. When in doubt, read (or re-read) the statute. Use the VSB Ethics Hotline as needed. Preparation matters but realize that everyone is just totally winging it, all the time. Showing up is 80 percent of life.
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Save the Date
Ethics CLE
Monday, October 30, 2017
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Henrico County Board Room
Click
here to register for this event.
Holiday Reception
Thursday, December 7, 2017
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Willow Oaks Country Club
Spring Luncheon
Thursday, March 22, 2018
12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Westwood Club
Annual Spring Reception
Thursday, May 10, 2018
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens
Please check the Calendar of Events on our website at
www.henricobar.org for the most up to date information.
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October is Pro Bono Month!
The Henrico County Bar Association reminds you that October is designated as Pro Bono Month by the Governor. Please consider volunteering your time to provide legal services to those in need. The justice gap in Virginia is apparent. For every one legal aid lawyer in Virginia, there are 7,237 Virginians living in poverty, compared to the ratio of 349 Virginians to every private sector lawyer. Over 80 percent of the civil legal needs of Virginia's poor are unmet.
Consider devoting your time and talents to pro bono work to help bridge the justice gap in the Commonwealth. Rule 6.1 of the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct states that attorneys should devote at least 2% of their professional time to pro bono public legal services. Why not make a habit of volunteering every October? Check out HCBA volunteer public service and pro bono opportunities
here
. If you do not see an opportunity that fits within your practice area or interests, contact Karl Doss, Director of Access to Justice with the Virginia State Bar, at
doss@vsb.org for additional opportunities.
Among Virginia's pro bono activities this month, a Pro Bono Triage Project Launch will take place Wednesday, October 25, 2017, 3:00-5:00 at McGuire Woods. The Greater Richmond Bar Foundation is partnering with Central Virginia Legal Aid to launch the country's first comprehensive system of pro bono referrals to the private bar. At the Supreme Court's 2016 Pro Bono Summit, the Virginia State Bar and Virginia Bar Association committed to launching the prototype for this program in the Greater Richmond area. The mobilization of the program and its potential for replication will be presented to the Virginia Supreme Court at the 2018 Pro Bono Summit. To register for this event, please visit
http://www.grbf.org/triage-project/.
Clerk's Corner
Please check out the Twitter page for the Henrico Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court
@HenricoJDRCt.
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Cybersecurity CLE
On October 4, 2017, 35 of our members enjoyed a free lunchtime CLE sponsored and put on by our friends at SELTEK, Inc. SELTEK is a local, full-service technology firm that offers services including cybersecurity, eDiscovery and digital forensics. SELTEK is available to assist firms identify, assess and eradicate potential security threats.
SELTEK's Patrick Logan presented the informative CLE on "Cybersecurity for Law Firms". He discussed top cybersecurity threats to law firms, such as ransomware and phishing, and provided a number of suggestions for how to protect your firm's data. Mr. Logan provided real-world examples of cybersecurity breaches and how they could have been prevented, as well as what he believes will be the most significant future challenges to cybersecurity.
The HCBA would like to thank SELTEK, Patrick Logan and Business Development Manager Gini Mallory for offering this CLE and lunch free-of-charge to our members.
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Patrick Logan from SELTEK, Inc. educates Bar members
on cybersecurity |
Drug Court News
The Henrico County Drug Court Program just finished celebrating Recovery Month. Every September, SAMHSA sponsors Recovery Month to increase awareness and understanding of mental and substance use disorders and celebrate the people who recover.
We kicked off our celebration by participating in the McShin Foundation's Annual Recovery Fest & Annual State Championship BBQ Cookoff on September 9. On September 12, along with Henrico County Mental Health & Developmental Services (HMHDS) and the Sheriff Department's Orbit Program, we received a Proclamation from the Henrico County Board of Supervisors recognizing September as Recovery Month. This proclamation called upon Henrico citizens to acknowledge this year's theme, "Join the Voices for Recovery: Strengthen Families and Communities". On the very next day, in collaboration with HMHDS, we hosted a viewing of "A New High". This documentary film chronicles participants of a substance use disorder treatment program as they are introduced to the virtues of recreational events and how they build support and resiliency for recovery in new, exciting and unorthodox ways.
We wrapped up our month of celebration with two final events. We had a graduation ceremony on September 29 which recognized Ja'Relle Goodman, Sabrina Johnson, Mark Oden and Jesse Shaw for successfully completing our program. This ceremony was officiated by both Judge Gary A. Hicks and Judge John Marshall. We had remarks by our county manager, John Vithoulkas, and a keynote presentation by a 2011 alumnus, Angelia Berry. Ms. Berry gave empowering remarks to our audience and graduates about the hard work to sustain recovery from an opiate use disorder and the benefits of maintaining a substance free, recovery lifestyle after completing a treatment program. September 30 not only closed out our month of celebrating recovery but it also kicked off our Inaugural Henrico County Drug Court 5k!
The race was held at Deep Run Park and proved to be a huge success. It was won by none other than Joey Huberman, son of our very own Michael Huberman, Chief Deputy Commonwealth Attorney. It was a beautiful day with almost 100 registered participants. All proceeds are being allocated to support pro-social events for our alumni in efforts to help them continue along the road of recovery after graduating our program. We would like to thank all of our supporters and volunteers, especially the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, Community Corrections, Henrico Mental Health & Developmental Services and all of the members of Community Partners. We are already looking forward to next year's event which is sure to be even bigger and better.
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| Mike Huberman, Joey Huberman, Shannon Taylor and Bernard Greene |
Welcome New Members
Joshua L. Ellis
Robert L. Isaacs
Fredrick S. Kaufman
Thomas C. Mason, III
B.J. McGee
Ryan Murphy
Thomas W. Parker, Sr.
Coreen A. Silverman
Joley L. Steffens
Sara D. Vaughn
Sheryl L. Herndon
is proud to announce the formation of her new firm, Herndon Law, P.C. Her practice is devoted to elder law.
Christopher H. Macturk is founding attorney of the new firm, Evolution Divorce & Family Law, PLLC. Find out more at their website -
If you have recently changed jobs or been promoted, please share your news with the Henrico Bar. We would like to post your announcement in our newsletter and update your member profile. Announcements can be emailed to Mary Lou Wellman at
admin@henricobar.org. Please include your name, firm or employer's name, new title and areas of concentration.
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Officers and Directors
President
Brian J. Schneider
President-Elect
Natalie T. McClearn
Vice President
Ryan C. Young
Secretary
Emily P. Bishop
Treasurer
Michael R. Gill
Jeffrey P. Miller
Andrew R. Newby
Susan L. Parrish
David A. Stock
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