President's Page:
A New Path, A Unique Alliance
Frank A. Thomas III

Many of us were surprised in January to find out that Reciprocal of America (ROA) and its affiliate the American National Lawyers Insurance Reciprocal (ANLIR) had gone into receivership. While it is not clear as to how many persons in the private practice of law have been affected by this action, some estimates place it as high as 25 percent.

ANLIR policyholders, lawyers defending ANLIR policy holders, and claimants against ANLIR policyholders face a future which is uncertain at best. Due to the nature of the financial relationship between ROA and ANLIR, there is a serious question as to what assets, if any, will be available to provide for the ongoing defense of claims against ANLIR policyholders or the payment of claims. ANLIR policyholders have scrambled to get new coverage and, while they have been advised to file for a refunds of unearned premiums, the prospects for actual refunds seem to be dubious at best.

The discussion of how this came to pass and who might be responsible has already started. While this is a matter of interest to me, it is not the focus of my discussion here.

Like it or not, malpractice insurance is as much a necessary part of the practice of law as computers, books, legal assistants and legal pads. Until the law schools and genetic engineers can produce a perfect lawyer, lawyers will make mistakes and their clients will suffer as a result. Both lawyers and their clients need the security of knowing that neither of them will be put in undue financial peril as a result of those mistakes.

While in the past we have not endorsed a malpractice carrier, ANLIR has been a longtime VBA sponsor and financial supporter. It has also provided significant financial support to programs such as Lawyers Helping Lawyers. It has also been supportive of other statewide bar organizations. Finding an old friend in such immediate and serious financial trouble is disturbing. Yet, the most disturbing aspect of the entire situation is the situation in which both Virginia lawyers and their clients find themselves. The sudden and unexpected loss of coverage as well as funds to pay for existing claims is a sudden and traumatic jolt to many ANLIR insureds.

At the moment it appears that the only substantial assets ANLIR may be able to recover are those which its receiver may get from the ROA receiver. The VBA is supporting the ANLIR receiver in its efforts to recover assets from the ROA receiver. We have written letters supporting the ANLIR receiver to both the Deputy Insurance Commissioner and the full State Corporation Commission. We stand ready to take additional action if needed and if it is otherwise appropriate. We are doing so because those assets are necessary to provide funds to pay for claims against Virginia lawyers and to defend against those claims. While we expect a number of VBA members are ANLIR insureds, we have no records to substantiate the number of our members that may be affected. However, the impact on the VBA membership as such is not the reason for this action.

In many ways, the decision to support the ANLIR receiver was an easy one. To the extent the ANLIR receiver is successful, more funds will be available for the benefit of Virginia lawyers and their clients. Who better to take such a position than a voluntary statewide organization which has as its members lawyers of every discipline and practice?

It has been the consistent practice of this Association, however, never to rely on benefits to lawyers alone in taking a stance on policy. We have always looked to larger benefits to the public in which to ground our actions. Our support of the ANLIR receiver is grounded in the VBA’s mission to assist in the administration of justice. While no one expects lawyers to make mistakes and each lawyer prays desperately that he or she will not make a mistake that will injure a client, in point of fact it happens. One only has to look at the healthcare situation in states where medical malpractice insurance has become prohibitively expensive or unavailable to appreciate the potential impact of the absence of insurance. The funds to be recovered by the ANLIR receiver will provide compensation to those who have been injured and a defense for those against whom claims have been made. Each of these plays an essential part in the administration of justice insofar as it affects lawyers and their clients.

As noted, while the VBA has enjoyed support from ANLIR and other insurance carriers, it has never endorsed a malpractice insurance carrier. The ANLIR situation has caused us to reassess that situation. Many of you are aware of the Virginia Barristers Alliance, our new insurance affiliate. We are pleased to announce that the Virginia Barristers Alliance is now prepared to assist our members and others in obtaining malpractice insurance coverage. We are particularly proud that we have developed an arrangement that allows for choice among several potential malpractice carriers. We think that not being limited to a single endorsed carrier will be to the benefit of all concerned as lawyers will be able to find an insurance carrier which matches their particular needs.

The Virginia Barristers Alliance began with modest expectations of being yet another benefit program we could offer our members. It has quickly metamorphized into much more than that. For many firms, and lawyers, and judges, it offers the opportunity of one-stop shopping – a place where they can find not only malpractice coverage but group health, life, disability and retirement plan benefits. It also offers a wide range of individual insurance products including disability, life and long-term care. In many cases there are significant discounts for VBA members under individual policies.

Many of you will quite rightly recognize that the formation of the Alliance and the active engagement in what is admittedly a for-profit business activity, is a new course for the Association. We have taken this course for two very important reasons.

First, it has become increasingly clear that we can not rely on dues alone to provide economic support for the activities of the Association. Lawyers and their firms have become much more attentive to budgetary matters and discretionary expenditures. While we continue to believe that, because of the Association’s special position in Virginia, it deserves special consideration on the issue of dues, it is no longer a foregone conclusion we will receive it.

The ANLIR situation emphasizes that there is another equally important reason. It is a way in which our Association can be of service to the lawyers of Virginia. By offering a wide range of products and professional advice, we believe the Virginia Barristers Alliance offers a service which is truly unique in Virginia. We are proud to offer it and hope that our members and others will not hesitate to turn to it for assistance with any other insurance or benefits matters.

Some of you may perceive a potential disjunction between the reasons I have advanced for the Barristers Alliance — raising funds to support the good work of the Association and benefiting lawyers — and the grounding of our action on behalf of ANLIR on policy reasons and not just simply the potential benefit to lawyers. You might ask whether this is not simply a high-minded pretext for another fundraising effort. While my answer is no, it is not nearly as emphatic as you might expect.

The work of the Association is first and foremost for the public benefit, both in the formulation of policy and in good works. Our mission statement makes that clear. We have a broad constituency of lawyers that support us in our actions – lawyers from big firms, small firms, academia, courtroom lawyers, lawyers with an office practice, and lawyers in public service of all types. As I have said before, our greatest strength is our breadth and lack of focus on one particular issue or interest. All who hear us when we speak know that we do so without a particular agenda or ax to grind. We do so solely because it is in the interest of the public, as best we can perceive it.

The cost of maintaining a high profile across a wide range of policy issues and supporting a number of good works is not inexpensive. While we are fortunate to have volunteer members who dedicate tremendous amounts of their time to support our efforts, the out-of-pocket costs the Association continues to incur are significant. If we are not prepared to meet these costs, we undermine the Association’s leadership position in both the formation of public policy and in work that benefits the public. None of our current leadership is prepared to accept these alternatives.

The insurance program of the Virginia Barristers Alliance, including malpractice insurance, offers our Association a unique way to join a fundraising activity with something that may be of tangible benefit to our members. We have spent a substantial amount of time and effort in reviewing and structuring the program to produce a program which can be a real benefit to VBA members and others and which is offered in a way which is consistent with the traditions and decorum traditionally associated with the Association. I hope that you will not hesitate to contact the Virginia Barristers Alliance for your own insurance needs. We also hope that you will provide us with any suggestions or observations you might have regarding your experience with the Virginia Barristers Alliance as we are committed to making it a program of which we all can be proud.

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The 2003 Legislative Report:
A VBA Look Back at the 2003 General Assembly

Nearly 3,000 bills and resolutions — 2,825 to be exact — were introduced in the 2003 session of the General Assembly. The Virginia Bar Association reveled in a number of strong successes and only a few setbacks with one major disappointment (the tabling of H.B. 1612). VBA members who have paid 2003 section dues have received legislative summaries tailored to their practice areas; here, we present an overview of VBA proposals and other bills of interest. Links to current information on bill status may be found at www.vba.org. For more information on these and other legislative actions, please visit the Virginia Legislative Information System at leg1.state.va.us.

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Behind the Scenes/The VBA Legislative Year:
Law Reform Is a Year-Round VBA Activity

What does The Virginia Bar Association REALLY do about law reform?

Quite a bit, actually. While most Association members know about the VBA’s law reform efforts through VBA News Journal articles and the legislative summaries distributed to VBA section members, there are many others who have been strenuously involved in legislative studies, preparing proposals, speaking before General Assembly committees, and offering their legal knowledge to legislators.

With the overall decline in the number of lawyers serving in the General Assembly, the VBA’s willingness to serve as a resource to the legislature has become more important in recent years. Law reform is not perceived as a two- or three-month job anymore; it’s year-round. And even though real law reform work may lack the glamour of TV’s West Wing or Mister Sterling, VBA members who have given their time and talent to the Association’s legislative efforts report that they come away with positive feelings of changing Virginians’ lives for the better.

So what does the legislative year look like behind the scenes, month by month? Read on and find out.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY/EARLY MARCH:
The General Assembly Session
• The General Assembly meets.
• The VBA lobbies for its bills, against bills with which it disagrees, and monitors other bills of interest.
• Legislative information is sent out regularly to section and committee chairs via calls, legislative mailings and the Internet.
• Who’s involved? Staff, retained legislative representatives, selected section and committee leaders.

LATE MARCH/EARLY APRIL:
Legislative Summaries
• Legislative summary packages, custom-tailored to VBA interests, are prepared and distributed to some 5,600 VBA section members and committee chairs immediately after the session.
• Who’s involved? Bill outcomes are provided by Legislative Services; VBA-specific value-added analytic work by staff, production and distribution by staff.

APRIL/MAY/JUNE/JULY/AUGUST:
Digestion & Renewal
• Review session outcomes.
• Identify topics.
• Develop legislative proposals.
• Undertake policy studies.
• Who’s involved?
• Sections
• Committees
• Staff
• VBA Leaders
• This “quiet time” of the legislative year actually is a time of intense discussion and activity, particularly for groups conducting studies or planning major proposals.

More Digestion & Renewal
• The process continues through the summer months in preparation for presentation and selection in autumn.

JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER:
Presentation & Selection
• Prepare legislative proposals, complete studies and present work products to VBA Board of Governors for review and approval.
• Who’s involved? Sections, committees, staff and Board of Governors.
• What goes forward? The VBA attempts to play a constructive role in the public policy process of the Commonwealth in as objective a way as a group of lawyers can be. We engage the legislative process, pro or con, on those matters where we can offer credible expertise, reliable work products and/or helpful competence and perspective.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER/JANUARY:
Sponsorship & Introduction
• Prospective General Assembly members are identified as bill patrons.
• Studies are filed and bills are introduced under very strict deadlines.
• Who’s involved? Select section and committee chairs, staff and retained legislative representatives.

• In January and February, the cycle starts again. . .

Orchestration
Our Executive Vice President, Breck Arrington, acts as Legislative Manager during the year, working with section and committee chairs; remaining in contact with General Assembly members and staffs; keeping the Board of Governors and membership informed through VBA communications and legislative mailings; and coordinating the VBA retained legislative representatives, all with the purpose of ensuring a full and productive agenda for VBA law reform participation.

Our Legislative ‘Team’
In addition to the Executive Vice President, involved VBA staff members include Caroline Cardwell, Director of Communications and former Legislative Information employee, in recognition of the importance of law reform to VBA communications; Jeremy Dillon, Staff Assistant for Administration, who functions as a legislative assistant; and Brenda Dillard, Director of Programs. Retained legislative representatives include Tony Troy and Anne Leigh Kerr of Troutman Sanders LLP, David Shuford of LeClairRyan, PC, and Rob Jones of The Trebor Group.

An Important Note
The Virginia Bar Association does not make political contributions except as individuals (officers, staff) may do so with their personal funds. Our effectiveness depends upon the force of our ideas, the persistence of our efforts and the goodwill of the officeholders who respect the objectivity and reliability of our work.

For More Information
Want to learn more about the General Assembly and the legislative process? Visit the General Assembly’s website at legis.state.va.us. The Virginia Legislative Information System at leg1.state.va.us is user-friendly and has online records as far back as the 1994 Assembly session. For information on Virginia government and other entities of the Commonwealth, be sure to bookmark www.vipnet.org with its wealth of Virginia links. Congressional activity may be accessed at thomas.loc.gov, the Library of Congress website. VBA

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Young Lawyers Division:
Wills for Heroes Project Gets a Successful Kickoff in Arlington
Stephen D. Otero

The Wills for Heroes project to provide wills, durable powers of attorney and advanced medical directives to first responders on a pro bono basis got off to a successful start in Arlington County in February. The project is the result of the collaborative efforts of the VBA Young Lawyers Division, the George Mason University School of Law, the Arlington County Bar Association, the Virginia State Bar Young Lawyers Conference and the ABA Young Lawyers Division. In addition to the in-kind donations of these lawyers, Virginia CLE, Lexis-Nexis, the Fellows of the Virginia Law Foundation, Hunton & Williams and McGuireWoods, LLP have provided legal forms, software, laptop computers, printers, and grant money that is essential to the program.

In mid-February, Professor Leslie Woodruff, a trusts and estates professor at George Mason University School of Law, and Elizabeth Wildhack, Chair of the Arlington Bar’s Trusts and Estate Section, presented informational sessions for firefighters at each of the firehouses in Arlington County. On February 22 and 25, Professor Woodruff, young lawyers from the VBA and the VSB, and others presented a CLE to well over 60 volunteer attorneys and 65 law students, explaining several form legal documents for Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, as well as the software program that will enable the forms to be tailored according to each first responder’s family circumstances and wishes. VBA young lawyer John Bristow was instrumental in creating these forms with Professor Woodruff and Ms. Wildhack and loading them into the software program in a workable manner.

During the training programs, volunteer attorneys signed up to meet with firefighters at Arlington County firehouses and customize the legal forms during the first two-week phase of the program. VBA young lawyer Heather Dawson was instrumental in organizing the volunteer attorneys and law students for these on-site sessions. Despite inclement weather which kept the firemen on-duty and made it difficult for the volunteer attorneys and law students to get to the firehouses, more than 30 firefighters received wills, durable powers of attorneys and advanced medical directives during this initial phase. The next phases of the project will include additional visits to firehouses as well as sessions with police, sheriff’s deputies and other emergency personnel in Arlington County. The VBA and VSB young lawyers plan to begin rolling the program out to other jurisdictions in the Commonwealth later this year.

The Wills for Heroes project is an enormous undertaking. In Arlington County alone, the project could service as many as 1,200 emergency personnel. Fortunately, the program has a dedicated group of individuals who have helped to organize it and get it started, and it has received a tremendous amount of support from both local and statewide bar associations, as well as a number of other organizations. In order to be successful, however, the program will need a great number of attorneys to volunteer their time and expertise for the good of the cause.

Accordingly, I encourage you to contact volunteer coordinators Heather Dawson at heather.dawson @ofplaw.com or Carson Sullivan at csullivan@mcguirewoods.com if you or your friends or colleagues might be interested in assisting with this worthwhile collaborative effort.

VBA/YLD-UR Law School Council forum looks at legal aspects of revitalizing cities
The VBA/YLD University of Richmond Law School Council sponsored a symposium, "Legal Aspects of City Revitalization: A Lawyer's Role," on March 25. Panelists included David Belkowitz of Hirschler Fleischer; Michael Buseck of Williams Mullen; Professor Michael A. Wolf of the UR School of Law; T.K. Somanath, executive director of the Better Housing Coalition; and George Emerson, owner of Emerson Construction and Emerson Builders. The panel engaged in spirited discussion about the lawyer’s role in development projects, including obligations attorneys have to their clients and communities as related to property development and affordable housing. Forty law students and young lawyers attended the event. VBA/YLD members Katja H. Hill of LeClair Ryan and Megan C. Rahman of Troutman Sanders LLP co-chair the UR Law School Council.

VBA/YLD Leaders for 2003

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Across the Commonwealth

VBA leadership gathers for March conference
From reviews of recent legislative actions, to peeks “behind the scenes” of The Virginia Bar Association’s staff and standing committees, and beyond to the mechanics of planning sections’ work, new and veteran VBA leaders got a thorough orientation at the Association’s annual Leadership Conference on March 18.

The conference, chaired by Board member Ann Burks, featured a new format, with general information presented by a series of speakers in the morning, followed by two sets of concurrent breakout sessions in the afternoon. Law reform, programs, membership and finance were among the featured topics; a major addition to the agenda was the new set of “Best Practices Guidelines” for section chairs created by the Standing Committee on Operations.

“The vitality of our sections and committees is the vitality of the VBA,” said President-elect Ted Ellett. “The Operations Committee has been working on this to develop guidance and make it easier for you to do your job.”

Former Chief Justice of Virginia Harry Carrico addressed the conference. “If we are to be successful in our efforts, it is imperative that we act as a team... Teamwork with responsible leadership is our goal, and the VBA has been blessed with great leaders.”

‘Governing by Commission’ is theme of Administrative Law Conference
The ninth annual Administrative Law Conference, sponsored by the VBA Administrative Law Section and the Virginia Code Commission’s Administrative Law Advisory Committee, will focus on the theme of “Governing by Commission” when participants gather at the Omni Richmond on April 22.

Former Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder of Richmond will speak at the conference luncheon, and Professor Jim Rossi of the University of North Carolina School of Law will deliver the keynote address, “Institutional Design in State Administrative Law.”
“Major Tax Reform is Coming to Virginia Next: What Will It Look Like?” will be discussed by former Congressman Thomas J. Bliley Jr., Delegate Robert F. McDonnell, State Senator Emmett W. Hanger Jr., and Dr. Thomas R. Morris, president of Emory & Henry College. Former Virginia Attorney General Randolph A. Beales will moderate the program.

An update on the Joint Commission on Administrative Rules will be offered by State Senators Walter A. Stosch and Frank W. Wagner, Delegate Christopher B. Saxman and David H. Hallock Jr., assistant to the governor for policy.

“Virginia’s Water Commission: Allocating and Managing a Precious and Sometimes Scarce Resource” will be the subject of State Senator William T. Bolling, Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources David K. Paylor, former Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Director Dennis H. Treacy, Division of Drinking Water Director Robert B. Taylor, and moderator Henry R. Pollard IV.

Former Virginia Attorney General Anthony F. Troy will speak on ethical issues in administrative law .
John M. Holloway III of Richmond, an associate in the firm of Hunton & Williams, chairs the VBA Administrative Law Section.

Annual Health Law Legislative Update scheduled for April 30 at GAB
Recent developments in health law legislation will be the subject of the Fifth Annual Virginia Health Law Legislative Update and Health Law Extravaganza, sponsored by the VBA Health Law Section in conjunction with the VSB Health Law Section, on April 30 at the General Assembly Building in Richmond.

Scheduled programs include “Marketing and Legal Ethics,” by Thomas E. Spahn of McGuireWoods LLP; a panel discussion of legislative issues by Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Services Jane H. Woods, Mary Lynne Bailey of the Virginia Health Care Association, Patrick W. Finnerty of the Department of Medical Assistance Services, Ann Hughes of the Medical Society of Virginia, Mark C. Pratt of the Virginia Association of Health Plans, Rebecca Snead of the Virginia Pharmacy Association, E. Kim Snead of the Joint Commission on Health Care, and Susan Ward of the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association; and a presentation of “Anatomy of a Peer Review Proceeding,” starring lawyers Gregory T. St. Ours, Edward B. Lowry and Robert T. Adams with Dr. Jon S. Palmintier.

Patrick C. Devine Jr. of Norfolk, a partner in the firm of Hofheimer Nusbaum, PC, chairs the VBA Health Law Section; former
VBA President Thomas C. Brown Jr. of McLean, a partner in the firm of McGuireWoods LLP, chairs the VSB Health Law Section.

25 Virginia students compete in Model Supreme Court
Twenty-five students representing 15 Virginia high schools appeared before the Supreme Court of Virginia on April 1 in the 28th Annual Model Supreme Court, the culmination of the annual Model Judiciary Program, co-sponsored by the VBA Young Lawyers Division and the Virginia YMCA.

The purpose of the program, created in 1975, is to provide high school students with an opportunity to learn about Virginia’s judicial system by playing the citizenship roles of attorneys, jurors and witnesses in simulated trials. Approximately 2,000 Virginia students participate in the Model Judiciary Program each year.

David J. Ervin of Collier Shannon Scott PLLC in Washington, D.C., chairs the Model Judiciary Committee. Hon. Harry L. Carrico, chief justice of Virginia, serves as the committee’s honorary chair.

Students participating in the final round were as follows: Rachel Poliquin and Joy Walton, St. Catherine’s School; Leigh Hilton, Spotswood H.S.; Mostafa Abdel Karim and Zao Huang, Fairfax H.S.; Monica Fritz-Monollo and Andrew Rudiger, First Colonial H.S.; Sonja Patel and Christina Wright, Princess Anne H.S.; Anthony Elopre and Sarah Merryman, Prince George H.S.; Sarah Brodfuehrer and John Cerva, Robert E. Lee H.S.; Katie Schumann, Dayspring Christian Academy; Eric S. Jensen Jr., St. Christopher’s School; Amanda Breever and Ideen Solhtalat, Bishop Ireton H.S.; Akash Patel and Jenny Peterson, Broad Run H.S.; Hannah Dudley, Altavista H.S.; Mary Beth Sorrentino and Alex Gaver, Cox H.S.; Kevin Green, Trinity Episcopal School; Steven Gayle and Shana Rodgers, Bayside H.S.

Five journalists have received The Virginia Bar Association Award for Journalism in the Field of Law and Justice for 2002, presented during the Virginia Press Association Annual Meeting at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott on March 8.

The awards recognize published articles which foster greater understanding of the inherent values of the American legal and judicial system; inform and educate citizens as to roles in society of the law, the courts, law enforcement agencies and the legal profession; disclose practices or procedures needing correction or reform so as to encourage and promote efforts to improve our laws and the administration of justice; and aid the legal profession and judiciary in attaining the goals set by the Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the Code of Judicial Conduct. This year’s competition was open to all writers employed by VPA member newspapers at any time during 2002.

Troy Graham (now of the Philadelphia Inquirer) and Mark St. John Erickson of the Daily Press received the award in the Group II category of newspapers with a circulation of 40,000 or more. Their work, “Four Lives. One Last Chance. A Year In Drug Court,” followed four Peninsula residents through the Newport News Drug Court for 12 months.

Emily Battle, Jeff Sykes and Kevin Crossett of The News & Advance in Lynchburg received the award in the Group I category of newspapers with a circulation of 40,000 or less. Their winning entry was a series of articles investigating and focusing on gang-related crime in the Lynchburg area, and on local responses to it.

Reporters receiving honorable mention include Frank Green, Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Laurence Hammack,The Roanoke Times (Group II); Teresa Brumback, Leesburg Today; Ron Brown, Chelyen Davis, Kelly Hannon and Michael Hewlett, The News & Advance (Group I); Teresa Brumback, Leesburg Today; Ron Brown, Chelyen Davis, Kelly Hannon and Michael Hewlett, The News & Advance (Group I); Susanne Williams, Dolan’s Virginia Business Observer (Group I); and Rita Frankenberry, Inside Business (Group I).

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News in Brief

VBA member Robert J. Grey Jr. of Richmond, a partner in the firm of Hunton & Williams, has been nominated as President-elect of the American Bar Association, effective August 2003. Grey chaired the ABA House of Delegates in 1998-99.

Continuing announcements of VBA members appointed to Virginia boards and commissions: Sara Redding Wilson, Richmond, Commonwealth Competition Council; Mark E. Rubin, Richmond, Interagency Dispute Resolution Advisory Council; Thomas F. Farrell II, Richmond, Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates; Hon. Robert L. Calhoun, Alexandria, and Hon. Randolph A. Beales, Richmond, Senate Ethics Advisory Panel.

Deborah M. Casey of Norfolk, a VBA member and a partner in the firm of Vandeventer Black LLP, has been inducted into the Community Association Institute’s College of Community Association Lawyers.

Farhad Aghdami of Richmond, a partner in the firm of Williams Mullen and a VBA member, was recently named a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.

John M. Oakey Jr. of Richmond, a VBA member and a retired partner in the firm of McGuireWoods LLP, has received the John C. Kenny Pro Bono Award of the Bar Association of the City of Richmond.

Elizabeth L. White of Norfolk, a partner in the firm of Kaufman & Canoles and a VBA member, received the Speaker of the Year Award of the Southeastern Virginia Chapter of the Community Association Institute.

Linda A. Newcomb, formerly with the Court of Appeals of Virginia, has joined the VBA staff as Administrative Secretary.

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The VBA Summer Meeting: An Early Preview

For the first time, The Virginia Bar Association is joining forces with the West Virginia Bar Association to produce and promote the Summer Meeting, to be held July 10-13 at The Greenbrier.

This joint meeting will offer timely and informative continuing legal education programs, fascinating speakers, relaxing social events and opportunities to network with West Virginia attorneys as well as other VBA members.

All work and no play? Not a chance! Whatever your taste in leisure activities may be, The Greenbrier provides a varied selection of recreational options for your free time during your stay.

Schedule and registration information will be mailed to all VBA members later this spring. Watch for more details in the June issue of the VBA News Journal and at www.vba.org.

In the meantime, mark your calendar and reserve your accommodations for the Summer Meeting by calling The Greenbrier today at 1-800-624-6070.

We’ll see you there...

Copyright 2007 The Virginia Bar Association