In the special session of the 2012 General Assembly this week, lawmakers elected Teresa M. Chafin to the Court of Appeals of Virginia. In a session that continued into the early morning on Tuesday, May 15, the House and Senate also appointed 11 new circuit court judges, 11 general district court judges and 12 juvenile and domestic relations district court judges. See the list ...
Attorney David Gogal from the Fairfax Bar Association recently presented The Virginia Bar Association's Rule of Law Project about the rights and responsibilities of American citizens to seventh-grade civics students at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in Falls Church City Public Schools. (Photo by Lisa Korte)
Tim Isaacs, director of education for the project, says presentations this spring have been made at schools in Middlesex, King William, and King and Queen counties, as well as Hampton and Newport News. He and project Law Coordinator G. Michael Pace Jr. will teach delegations from Afghanistan on May 31 and present on June 27 at the University of Virginia Center for Politics' Global Perspectives on Democracy.
Another VBA member captures an award
William L. Schmidt of Fairfax "embodies the highest tradition of personal and professional excellence." This summer during the annual Virginia State Bar meeting, he will take home the 26th Annual Tradition of Excellence Award from the VSB's General Practice Section. The honor recognizes attorneys who have devoted significant time, effort or funds to activities that benefit their community and enhance the esteem of general practice attorneys in Virginia.
H-SC center honors Pace with Patrick Henry Award
G. Michael Pace Jr., founder and ongoing law coordinator of the Rule of Law Project initiated through the VBA, will receive the Patrick Henry Award from the Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest at Hampden-Sydney College. The award from Pace's undergraduate alma mater recognizes his outstanding career as a dedicated public servant. The managing partner of Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore in Roanoke also has served as the 2008 president of The Virginia Bar Association and as a board member of the Virginia Law Foundation.
The Virginia Supreme Court's Rules of Evidence become effective July 1, 2012. The rules were authorized by bills approved in the General Assembly, and signed into law by Gov. Bob McDonnell on April 9. The rules, 18 years in the making, were among the 1,600 bills the governor considered as a result of the 2012 legislative session. The bill's adoption will leave Massachusetts as the only state in the nation without rules of evidence 37 years after the Federal Rules of Evidence were adopted. Virginia's rules change no doctrine or case law, and statutes related to evidentiary issues will remain in the Code of Virginia, with cross-references in the rules.
VBA Online CLE: It’s to your credit
VBA Online CLE marries the strength of the Association’s educational programming, coordinated by VBA sections, with today’s on-demand world. The result is our latest benefit: recorded CLE at member-discounted pricing. Choose from the seven video or podcast presentations in the inaugural catalog and earn mandatory CLE starting at $50 for 1.5 credit hours. Read more …Browse the catalog and make a purchase.
After a year of thought, debate and fine-tuning, a blue-ribbon panel has released the “VBA Best Practices Guide” on client engagement. The study group formed after attendees at a Law Practice Management Division presentation on the billable hour last year encouraged further discussions on billing and fees. At a session during the 122nd Annual Meeting this past January, a panel featuring a few of the in-house and outside counsel in the study group described areas of lively discussion that led to this 10-page guide. These best practices touch on the initial engagement, billing policies and guidelines, billing methods and the end of the engagement between an attorney and a corporate client.
Fain takes a minute to explain how the legal profession is an integral part of our local communities in a “60 Seconds With” feature and video, in the December 26 Metro Business section of the Richmond Times-Dispatch
In two weeks, 157 law firms and legal departments across Virginia raised the equivalent of more than 1.4 million pounds of food to help food banks statewide.
The Young Lawyers Division is seeking volunteers for and will host a phone-a-thon on May 14 from 3-5 p.m. at the VBA office to encourage YLD members to renew their membership. Pizza and beverages provided; bring your cell phone. RSVP to Branden Patrick.
Several Virginia firms have honored the service that their colleagues have given to The Virginia Bar Association with a special gift as Honoring Past Presidents Sponsors. The VBA is in the process of contacting all firms of past Association presidents to enlist their support in this program. Any firms interested in participating are encouraged to contact
John L. Walker, III, at (804) 420-6463.
Contact us: The Virginia Bar Association, 701 E. Franklin St., Suite 1120, Richmond, VA 23219 Phone: (804) 644-0041 Fax: (804) 644-0052 Email: thevba@vba.org
The Virginia Bar Association is the independent voice of the Virginia lawyer, advancing the highest ideals of the profession through advocacy and volunteer service.
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Attorney David Gogal from the Fairfax Bar Association recently presented The Virginia Bar Association's 
William L. Schmidt of Fairfax "embodies the highest tradition of personal and professional excellence." This summer during the annual Virginia State Bar meeting, he will take home the 26th Annual Tradition of Excellence Award from the VSB's General Practice Section. The honor recognizes attorneys who have devoted significant time, effort or funds to activities that benefit their community and enhance the esteem of general practice attorneys in Virginia.
G. Michael Pace Jr., founder and ongoing law coordinator of the Rule of Law Project initiated through the VBA, will receive the 
