Retired Richmond lawyer George H. Hettrick, a Life Member of The Virginia Bar Association and a tireless advocate for pro bono services, died Nov. 24. He was 81.

Mr. Hettrick earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell University in 1962 and his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1965.

He joined the firm now known as Hunton Andrews Kurth upon graduation, but he performed military service before beginning his legal career. He was a captain in the United States Army from 1965 to 1968 in Wurzburg, Germany.

Mr. Hettrick returned in 1968 to Richmond and to Hunton, where he practiced until his retirement in 2018. For the last 30 years of his time at the firm, he was chair of the firm’s pro bono committee.

The firm achieved 100 percent participation from its lawyers in pro bono projects. Hunton has pro bono offices in both Richmond and Charlottesville, and the firm offers pro bono fellowships for young attorneys interested in a public service career.

Mr. Hettrick served on the Virginia Access to Justice Commission and on the advisory board of the Greater Richmond Bar Foundation, where he worked on the treatment team at the drug court in Richmond. According to his family, he considered his work on the drug court and his service as a board member of Lawyers Helping Lawyers, to be his biggest accomplishments.

He earned many accolades during his career. The VBA honored him with its Roger D. Groot Pro Bono Publico Service Award in 1994. He received the Lewis F. Powell Jr. Pro Bono Award from the Virginia State Bar in 2015; he was honored as a Person of the Year by the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 2017.

The Greater Richmond Bar Foundation created the George H. Hettrick Leadership Award in his honor in 2015. The award recognizes lawyers who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to aiding underrepresented groups.

Survivors include his wife, Lee Ann Hettrick; a son, Edward Lord Hettrick; a daughter, Heather Hettrick Brugh; and six grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Bliley's Funeral Home, and are to be announced. Condolences can be made at www.blileys.com. The family requests that any donations be made to Lawyers Helping Lawyers, which now is Virginia Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program, at vjlap.org/get-involved/donate/.