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Henrico Bar News
October 2019
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Henrico County Bar Association
P.O. Box 70147
Richmond, Virginia 23255
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From the Desk of Ryan C. Young, HCBA President
It has been a pleasure serving as President of our Henrico County Bar Association this year and I look forward to the events during the remainder of my term. One of the main benefits of the HCBA is the camaraderie and relationships between fellow members.
We are also strengthened by the attendance and involvement of our Henrico judges. I would encourage our judges to remain active in the HCBA and remind them that they are always welcome at our events.
I am most thankful for the talented group we have on our Board of Directors, who dedicate significant time and effort into our events and endeavors. With each new year, we get a talented group of lawyers who bring valuable fresh ideas on how to provide value and opportunities for engagement for our members. If you are thinking about becoming more involved with the HCBA, I would suggest contacting me or any of the other members of the Board. Each year brings new opportunities.
Thank you for your continued involvement in HCBA. I invite you to become more active and join us in the many excellent events we have planned.
All the best,
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Pro Bono Week -
October 20-26
In recognition of how important it is to give back to the community, the Henrico County Bar Association continues to partner with the Hunton Williams' Church Hill office in placing no-fault divorce cases and landlord tenant disputes. If you are interested in volunteering for one of these cases, please contact our pro bono coordinator, Mary Hunt, at
Other volunteer opportunities include signing up for
Justice Server to assist the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society with no-fault divorce cases in Henrico County --
www.justiceserver.org.
The
Henrico County Victim/Witness Assistance Program coordinates volunteers for individuals seeking protective orders in the Henrico County Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court. The goal of the program is to protect the rights of victims and witnesses under the Virginia Crime Victim and Witness Rights Act and ensure they receive fair and compassionate treatment while participating in the criminal justice system. To volunteer, please contact Taryn Giroux, Victim Witness Advocate, at (804) 501-1677,
gir02@henrico.us.
The
GRBF-CVLAS Triage Project, launched in 2017, is the country's first effort to create a second ring around Legal Aid, with private pro bono attorneys taking on all matters in 13 practice areas so that Legal Aid can concentrate its limited resources on core specialties.
If you would like more information or to volunteer for one of the Triage practice areas, please contact Ali Fannon at
afannon@grbf.org
or Lisa Bennet at
lisa@cvlas.org
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- Consumer Bankruptcy
- Consumer Auto Contracts and Warranties
- Wage Claims and Other FLSA Issues
- No Fault Divorces/Name Changes
- Protective Orders in Domestic Violence Cases
- Child Support Determination
- Housing Repair and Security Deposit Recovery Matters
- Social Security Insurance Recovery Cases
- Wills, Powers of Attorneys
- General Counsel to Non-Profits
Thursday, October 24 is the 3rd Annual Triage Practice Group Trainings and 11th Annual Pro Bono Award Celebration:
Triage Practice Group Trainings 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Join us for a Plenary session featuring Supreme Court of Virginia Justice William C. Mims, followed by breakout training sessions on focused areas of need: Housing, Eviction Diversion, Protective Orders, No Fault Divorce, General Counsel for NPOs, or attend the Triage/JusticeServer overview session. Come learn how you can personally impact the access to justice gap! (CLE applications will be submitted.)
Pro Bono Celebration 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Following the Triage trainings, we will host our annual Pro Bono Celebration, featuring Keynote remarks from City of Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, honoring the good works of the Foundation's volunteers and recognizing our 2019 award recipients.
Please RSVP by October 20, 2019 by email to
mhoggard@mcguirewoods.com.
Questions? Contact Ali Fannon at
afannon@grbf.org.
Free Legal Answers with the Virginia State Bar has made it even easier to offer pro bono services through their website:
virginia.freelegalanswers.org, an online pro bono website in which low income Virginians can post a legal question on the website and attorneys who register for the website can review the questions, select one, and post an answer. It's free, it's limited in scope, it's convenient, it's anonymous: it's pro bono!
If you would like additional information or have questions about any of these opportunities, please contact our pro bono coordinator, Mary Hunt, at
mhunt@flaor.com.
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Breakfast with the Circuit Court and General District Court Judges
The annual HCBA Breakfast with the Circuit Court and General District Court Judges took place on Thursday, September 5, 2019, at Café 1611 in the Henrico County Administration Building. Many of the judges of both courts were in attendance and approximately 60 members of the HCBA took the opportunity to mingle with them. A big THANK YOU! goes out to Collaborative Professionals of Richmond for sponsoring the event. Mary Hunt gave remarks explaining the services they offer.
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Judge Yoffy, Judge Harris,
Matthew Mikula and Judge Bondurant
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| Ed Riley and Judge Caudill |
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| Judge Wallerstein and John Gilbody |
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| Shameka Hall and Judge Johnson |
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Nael Abouzaki, Casey Coleman,
Sean Breit-Rupe and Mike Huberman |
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| Jeff Miller, Eddie Whitlock and Matt Long |
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| Susan Parrish, Tania Kregar and Judge Marshall |
Breakfast with the Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court Judges
On Friday, September 20, 2019, the Henrico County Bar Association members enjoyed breakfast with the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Judges in Courtroom 6 at the JDR Courts Building. Chief Judge Rondelle Herman was present along with Judges Margaret Deglau and Stuart Williams. Judge Sharon Jacobs also attended her first breakfast since her appointment to the bench earlier this year.
Chief Judge Herman welcomed everyone to the breakfast and reminded them to please be punctual with their court responsibilities. She asked the attorneys to please not overload their schedules. Attorneys should also notify the Court when a different attorney will be covering a case. The Court asked for attorneys to please only fax or mail a notice or motion to the Court because filing both ways creates additional work for the clerks. Finally, the Court notified the attorneys that the electronic voucher system would be coming soon - so keep an eye out!
Judge Herman introduced Shannon Meadowcroft as the new Clerk. Ms. Meadowcroft previously worked in the JDR clerk's office so everyone was excited to welcome her back.
HCBA thanks all the judges and members for attending!
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Russell Stone, Judge Deglau, Mike Huberman,
Kristen Knudsen and Sarah Ulmer |
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| Corey Nicholson, Judge Williams and Britney McPheron |
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| Christopher Leslie, Judge Herman and Adam Rellick |
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Robert Isaacs, Judge Jacobs
and Clerk Shannon Meadowcroft |
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| Jamie Allgood, Mary Hunt and Nancy Cook |
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| Maggie Ransone and Brooke Taylor |
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| Mike Huberman and Linda Lambert |
For more pictures from the Breakfasts, please
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Member Spotlight
Full Name: Soroush "Surge" Moghaddassi
Employer and Position: Associate Attorney at Harman, Claytor, Corrigan & Wellman
College: Clemson University, 2011
Law School: University of South Carolina School of Law, 2014
Years in Practice: 4 years
Hobbies and Interests: Woodworking; Cooking; Attending Antique and Art Shows; Running; Extreme Ironing
Favorite Movie: Fiddler on the Roof
Favorite Book: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Favorite
Pro and College Sport
s Team: Clemson Tigers
One Thing You Might Not Know About Me: For the past 10 years, I've volunteered with the YMCA in South Carolina to help run a model legislature and mock trial program aimed at fostering civic engagement in high school students.
Best Thing About Practicing Law in Henrico: Working at Harman Claytor has been incredibly rewarding: the support and mentorship I've received have helped develop my skills and practice incredibly. This congeniality has also extended to the Henrico Bar and has made it a joy to practice in the county.
Funniest Experience as an Attorney: Every time I hear a judge or an opposing counsel struggle with or avoid saying my name-each experience is funnier than the last.
Advice to Young Attorneys: Adopt some system to stay organized as soon as you can. This includes a system for recording information on your cases so you don't get overwhelmed and you can respond quickly to partners, clients, opposing counsel, and judges. Also, be quick to ask for advice: that's the only way you'll get it.
Full Name: Clayton A. Worthington
Employer and Position: Family Law Attorney at Stiles Ewing Powers P.C.
College: Sewanee
Law School: T.C. Williams School of Law, University of Richmond
Years in Practice: 8th year in practice
Hobbies and Interests: Golf, chasing my 2 year old daughter around the house, trying new restaurants
Favorite Movie: Almost Famous
Favorite Book: Lonesome Dove
Favorite Pro and College Sports Team: Washington Redskins and Richmond Spiders
One Thing You Might Not Know About Me: That I played college tennis for Sewanee.
Best Thing About Practicing Law in Henrico: Every lawyer with whom I have practiced in Henrico can see the forest for the trees. They have been collegial, reasonable and seek to minimize conflict between the parties whenever possible.
Funniest Experience as an Attorney: I have funny experiences in family law all the time. Unfortunately, I think most of them can't be printed here! When I was a brand new attorney, I was asked to pick up a client and bring him to court. When I was taking him home, he asked me to take him to Chick-fil-A on the way home from court. The guy had great taste in fast food, but after that experience, I have focused my efforts on practicing law and tried to limit my hours as a taxi driver.
Advice to Young Attorneys: Don't hesitate to knock on the office door of the senior attorneys at your firm or to catch a senior attorney at the courthouse. Their collective experience and advice will save you a tremendous amount of time in becoming the attorney you want to be one day.
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Save the Date
Holiday Reception
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
bar-ti-zan (formerly The Wine
Loft)
Bench Bar CLE
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Henrico County Board of Supervisors' Board room
Spring Luncheon
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Westwood Club
Please check the Calendar of Events on our website at
www.henricobar.org for the most up to date information.
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Virginia State Bar Fee
Dispute Resolution CLE
On July 29, 2019, the Henrico County Bar Association hosted the Virginia State Bar Fee Dispute Resolution CLE. The panel was led by Edward Whitlock, Esq., Richmond Area Circuit Chair for the Fee Dispute Resolution program, with Donita King, Esq., and K. Matthew Long, Esq., Program Volunteers for the Fee Dispute Program. The panel discussed what the Virginia State Bar Fee Dispute Resolution program has to offer attorneys and explained the process of mediation and arbitration through the program at length. The Henrico County Bar Association thanks the speakers and the Virginia State Bar for providing this valuable information about the program to our members. If you are interested in becoming a program volunteer for the Virginia State Bar, please contact Eddie Whitlock at
ewhitlock@lawplc.com.
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Edward Whitlock, Matthew Long and Donita King
educate the HCBA |
Annual Dues Reminder
If you have not already sent in your annual dues, please do so. Dues statements were mailed in August. If you have not received yours, please contact our administrator, Mary Lou Wellman, at admin@henricobar.org. HCBA membership dues are $90 for the 2019-2020 year. We are offering a reduced rate of $60 for members admitted to the Virginia State Bar in the last three years (July 2016 or later). Payments may be made online through our PayPal address which is admin@henricobar.org
or mailed to the Henrico County Bar Association at P.O. Box 70147, Henrico, VA 23255.
HCBA Seeking Volunteers for Court Docent Program
The Henrico County Bar Association is seeking
volunteers for this school year's HCBA Court Docent Program. The program provides an opportunity for eighth grade Henrico County students to tour the Henrico County Courts Complex. During these visits, the students learn an overview of the judicial process, observe the roles of various court officers, and usually have the opportunity to witness a proceeding. The visit also introduces students to possible career opportunities in the legal justice system. Many of the Henrico judges set aside time to speak to the students about the Virginia court system and provide guidance on the merits of adopting law-abiding lifestyles.
During these visits, attorney volunteers serve as guides through the Circuit Court, General District Court, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. Volunteering for the program is not a longstanding obligation; each volunteer is assigned only one morning visit lasting from approximately 9:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. The visits begin in the morning at the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, where one of the judges speaks to the students about the jurisdiction of the court and how trials are conducted. Then the students take a tour of the Juvenile Detention Center. While the students visit the Detention Center, the attorney volunteer selects an active docket in Circuit Court or General District Court for the students to observe. After the tour of the Detention Center, the students observe a hearing in General District or Circuit Court and hear from one of the judges. Then the students have lunch and finish the visit with a tour of the jail.
Having an attorney volunteer is not only essential for guiding the students through the courthouses and ensuring the visits run smoothly. The attorney also keeps the students engaged by questioning them about their observations and providing an opportunity for them to voice their own aspirations and experiences. If you are interested in volunteering one morning for the Court Docent Program, please contact Susan Parrish at
par082@henrico.us for available dates this fall.
Clerk's Corner
Henrico J&DR Court
Please check out the Twitter page for the Henrico Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court
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Ethics CLE
On Tuesday, October 15, 2019, Jeffrey H. Geiger, Esq., and Cullen Seltzer, Esq., of Sands Anderson presented the annual Ethics CLE entitled, "Legal Ethics Update for 2019". This timely CLE provided updates on Professional Liability claims, Proposed Amendments to the Rules of Professional Conduct, new ethics related case law, and insights into Lawyer Wellness. More than 60 members of the Bar attended this CLE. Members who attended reported that it was very informative and insightful, with Jeff and Cullen being very entertaining, funny, and doing a great job capturing the attention of everyone in the room.
The HCBA would like to thank Jeff, Cullen, and Sands Anderson for this well thought out and informative presentation.
Search for Henrico County Commissioner
of Accounts
The Henrico Circuit Court will accept applications for a full time position as the Henrico County Commissioner of Accounts, which will become effective April 1, 2020. Applications will be received until October 31, 2019. A screening and interview process will follow.
Letters of interest and resumes should be submitted to: Richard S. Wallerstein, Jr., Chief Judge, Henrico Circuit Court, P. O. Box 90775, Henrico, VA 23273-0775.
Search for Bar Administrator
The Board is accepting applications for the part-time position of Administrator. If you know of anyone who would be interested, letters of interest, resumes and references should be submitted to: Mary Lou Wellman, Administrator, Henrico County Bar Association, P. O. Box 70147, Richmond, VA 23255. A screening and interview process will follow.
This position requires an outgoing, organized and responsible individual who can devote 12-15 hours weekly to the job which includes accounting, website maintenance, newsletter preparation and event planning. Applicants will need to attend monthly board meetings and all events (approximately one per month). A working knowledge or Word, Excel and QuickBooks is necessary. Salary is negotiable and dependent upon qualifications.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mary Lou Wellman at
admin@henricobar.org.
Welcome New Members
Jeffrey Bailey
Richard T. Booker
John P. Dunnigan
Lauren K. Grant
Michelle Guifoyle-Douglass
Kenneth C. Hirtz
Rebecca A. Imholt
Greer P. Jackson, Jr.
Matthew G. Jackson
Michael C. Litman
Susan C. Meyer
John W. Montgomery, Jr.
Blaire H. O'Brien
B. Patrick O'Grady
Kimberlee H. Ramsey
Benjamin S. Tyree
Simone T. Williams
Rebecca L. Zimmerman
Sean P. Byrne launched
Byrne Legal Group along with member
W. Davis Powell. The firm focuses on medical malpractice defense and other civil and criminal litigation.
Harman Claytor Corrigan & Wellman welcomes
John P. Dunnigan to the firm's Richmond office as an Associate. John will focus his practice on general civil litigation.
Harman Claytor Corrigan & Wellman
welcomes B. Patrick O'Grady to the firm's Richmond office as an Associate. Patrick focuses his practice on the defense of individuals, small businesses, and insurers in connection with personal injury, premises liability, wrongful death, and business litigation.
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
Ryan C. Young
President-Elect
Emily P. Bishop
Vice President
A
ndrew R. Newby
Secretary
Susan L. Parrish
Treasurer
Samuel T. Bernier
K. Matthew Long
David A. Stock
Sarah E. Ulmer
Jennifer S. Wheeler
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