Dear Colleagues,

Congratulations are in order. Your Young Lawyers Conference recently won the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division’s prestigious 2019 Award of Achievement for the best comprehensive programs. This is the second, consecutive year the YLC received this honor, competing against the young lawyer groups of large state bars like Texas, Florida, California, and New York.

Additionally, the YLC won awards for its online newsletter,  Docket Call , and for diversity for the  Oliver Hill/Samuel Tucker Pre-Law Institute.

These awards are a result of your hard work and commitment, and I would like to thank all of our volunteers, program chairs, district representatives, and the Board. I encourage you to become involved in our programs, described below, and look forward to seeing you soon.

Farnaz F. Thompson
Upcoming YLC Events

August 27: Mentorship CLE
October 24 or 25: Wills for Heroes Training
October 28 or 29: Wills for Heroes Program
October 29: Bench-Bar Dinner
Mentorship CLE for
Virginia Lawyers
Tuesday, August 27
Presenting the first Mentorship for Virginia Lawyers program on Tuesday, August 27 in Fairfax, co-sponsored by the YLC and the Senior Lawyers Conference. Join us as we discuss how a mentorship can add value to your practice, the mutual benefits of a mentorship, and how to get involved as a mentor or mentee through the VSB.
Minority Pre-Law Conference
Saturday, October 12
The  Minority Pre-Law Conference Hampton Roads  needs you! The focus of the program is to encourage and support minorities in applying to law school, obtaining financial aid, and exposing participants to various legal professions. It's free and open to the public and will be held at  William and Mary Law School in Williamsburg .
Volunteers are needed to spread the word about the event, for set-up and break-down, to assist participants and escort panelists, and to participate during mentorship networking from 11:20 – 11:50 am.  Email the organizers to volunteer for this fun and rewarding event!
Wills for Heroes in Richmond
Sponsored by the Governor's Office
October 28 & 29
The Wills for Heroes Program provides free basic estate planning documents to first responders and their spouses, which are prepared by volunteer attorneys using the "HotDocs" document assembly program. All Virginia-licensed attorneys are encouraged to participate. NO estate planning experience is necessary!

RSVP by October 15 for a mandatory volunteer training ( 1.5 hours CLE pending ) and to specify your preferred shift(s) for October 28 or 29.
Bench-Bar Dinner
Tuesday, October 29

This year's Bench Bar Dinner is set for the Hilton Hotel in downtown Richmond
at 6 pm. Save the date! And fill out a volunteer form (indicate your interest in the Bench-Bar Dinner) if you can help out.
Diversity Conference's Annual Forum
Tuesday, October 29

Join keynote speaker the Honorable S. Bernard Goodwyn of the Supreme Court of Virginia on September 20 at the Diversity Conference's 2nd annual CLE program highlighting diversity issues in the practice of law. Register online today .
Mentorship Survey

 Get a mentor or become a mentor  – The YLC Mentorship Network ( in partnership with the Senior Lawyers Conference) helps newer lawyers learn from experienced lawyers. Complete a quick survey  before August 31, if you would like to participate. Experienced young attorneys are encouraged to serve as mentors, and lawyers who are in the first few years of their practice are encouraged to ask for mentors.
The National Conference of Bar Examiners is asking lawyers to help them as they study the content and design of the future bar examination. The survey takes about 20 minutes .
YLC Distinguished Attorneys for July
Amanda Hayes, Alice Ahearn, and Ashley Barendse organized an educational and entertaining Judicial Squares CLE (above) at the VSB Annual Meeting in June. They wrote difficult hypotheticals about Virginia civil and criminal procedure, and attorney-contestants determined whether the Virginia judges gave accurate or deceptive answers to the hypotheticals. The Honorable Rossie D. Alston Jr., U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria, was the host and had the audience in stitches.
As a result of Courtney Frazier and Wesley Allen's hard work, the Oliver Hill/Samuel Tucker Pre-Law Institute , a joint initiative with the Diversity Conference, was funded with the generous help of the Virginia Law Foundation and a success again this July.
District Representatives

We are looking for candidates to serve as district representatives to bring YLC events and programs to all parts of the Commonwealth and establish closer ties to our local bar associations. We especially need representatives for southwestern Virginia. If you are interested, please contact Kris McClellan . Representatives are invited to attend the Leaders Institute on August 16-17, so please contact us as soon as possible.
Find the YLC on social media:

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