Governance
Effective immediately, the Supreme Court of Virginia approved two new Legal Ethics Opinions, 1890 and 1891, regarding communication with represented persons and with represented government officials. And effective immediately, the Court amended portions of Rule 3B:2 and Rule 3C:2 regarding uniform fine schedule. The Court also amended a number of Rules to take effect March 15. Full details here .

The Standing Committee on Legal Ethics  seeks comments on proposed amendments to Rule 1.8 ( concerning sexual relations with a current client ), a proposed new legal ethics opinion, and amendments to existing LEO 1850. Comments deadline has been extended until March 20.

The VSB seeks comments by Feb 7 on amendments to the Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia to clarify classes of membership, as well as to add an email address of record requirement , and eliminate ambiguous terminology.

Bar Council , the Virginia State Bar’s governing body, will hold its annual elections by electronic ballot in April for terms beginning July 1. Virginia lawyers who wish to be on the ballot must be active members in good standing of their circuit as of March 15, 2020. Instructions are included at this link if you wish to file for election.

The VSB has many opportunities for lawyers wishing to volunteer as a Bar leader . Please consider being a part of regulating and improving your profession.
 
Corporate Counsel reminder: The Supreme Court of Virginia amended Rule 1A:5 regarding Virginia Corporate Counsel and Corporate Counsel Registrants, effective January 1, 2020. These rule changes do not apply to Corporate Counsel Registrants under Part Two and require no action by lawyers currently certificated under Part One . Read the details here .
The Hon. Junius P. Fulton III of the Norfolk Circuit Court has won the 2020 Harry L. Carrico Professionalism Award , the highest award given by the VSB's Criminal Law section, to "an individual (judge, defense attorney, prosecutor, clerk or other citizen) who has made a singular and unique contribution to the improvement of the criminal justice system in the Commonwealth of Virginia."
The award will be presented at the 50th Annual Criminal Law Seminar in Williamsburg.
Discipline
Philip R. Farthing , license revoked, effective January 21, 2020.
Danielle Madison Holt Lewis , license suspended, effective January 13, 2020.
Randall   Sousa , license suspended, effective January 24, 2020.
Kenneth Steven Kaufman , license suspended, effective January 28, 2020.
Vaughan Christopher Jones , public reprimand, e ffective January 16, 2020
David Colin Jones Jr. , public reprimand, effective January 21, 2020.  
Compliance
Still haven’t finished your 2019 CLE requirements? To avoid suspension, all 2019 CLE hours and delinquency fees must be received by this office no later than 4:45 p.m. EST March 10, 2020 . You may pay your Noncompliance Fee and Late Filing Fees online with a Visa or Mastercard. Please use a verifiable delivery service such as FedEx or UPS close to the deadline. Postmarks are not considered.  Fax or emails are not accepted for 2019 compliance. Instructions for compliance and a blank Form 1 End of Year Report for your use may be found on our website . Your continued good standing is important to us. Please call if you have any questions: (804) 775-0577.
Pro Bono / Access to Justice
Nominate an access to justice hero! The Virginia Legal Aid Award and Oliver White Hill Law Student Pro Bono Award nominations deadline is March 6 by 5 p.m. Nomination information .

The Black Family Land Trust Legal Services Advisory Committee is working to develop a pro bono program for delivering legal services to landowners in need. Please contact Crista Gantz at cgantz@vsb.org if you would like to help.
2020 CLE, Events and Awards
Dean Mark D. Martin
Regent School of Law
Luncheon Speaker
Charlottesville, February 7
James B. Comey Jr.
Author and Former FBI Director
Luncheon Speaker
Williamsburg , February 14






  • Litigation CLEs: Discovery Disputes: How to Avoid Them, Narrow Them, and (if necessary) Litigate Them (Register: Richmond, April 9)
  • Preservation of Error Bootcamp (Register: Arlington, May 8)



  • VSB Annual Meeting, Virginia Beach – June 18-20.
Check out the VSB classifieds if you are looking for a new job or have a position to post. Lawyer job listings of 50 words or less are free for VSB members. Other listings are $1.50 a word for online and in Virginia Lawyer . There’s no less expensive way to reach all 50,000+ Virginia lawyers.
Stay connected to your bar:
This email is a service of the Virginia State Bar. Unsubscribers will not receive notices about changes to the rules of professional conduct, legal ethics opinions, compliance reminders, presidents' messages, or notices from sections and conferences of which they are a member. Read the Bar's digital privacy policy .

NOTE: Do not "update profile" below to change your email with the VSB.