The VBA Young Lawyers Division recognized the efforts of three members in Williamsburg during The Virginia Bar Association’s Annual Meeting. The award winners are just a few of the many young lawyers throughout the state who voluntarily contribute to the division’s numerous civic and bar projects.

Receiving awards were the following Virginia attorneys:

• Franklin R. Cragle III with Hirschler in Richmond
• R. Patrick Bolling with Woods Rogers in its Norfolk and Lynchburg offices
• Nupur S. Bal with Bowen Long Ten & Bal, PC, in Richmond

All three previously led the Young Lawyers Division. The YLD is a group of about 775 attorney members of The Virginia Bar Association who are ages 40 or younger or new to legal practice. An additional 550 law students benefit from YLD services and access. The YLD promotes professional growth and fellowship while advancing VBA objectives, with a focus on public service and service to the bar. The VBA is the first and largest statewide voluntary bar organization in Virginia.

The leader of the YLD in 2024, Ann Petros of America’s Credit Unions in Washington, D.C., presented the Sandra P. Thompson and the Emerson G. Spies awards during the VBA’s 135th Annual Meeting as well as a new honor, the VBA Mentor of the Year Award.

Sandra P. Thompson Award

Frank Cragle received the YLD’s highest honor. The Sandra P. Thompson Award recognizes outstanding work and long-term service.

For his efforts to improve the YLD and ensure its lasting impact, Cragle’s “service to the YLD has been remarkable over many years,” Petros said in presenting the award Jan. 24. His involvement on the YLD Executive Board began in 2015 and he has worked in various capacities, including heading up its National Moot Court Competition for the mid-Atlantic region. “Under his leadership as YLD chair in 2021, the YLD launched an important diversity, equity and inclusion initiative, including a Black History Month Panel … that immediately sold out,” Petros said.

He worked diligently on the YLD’s law school initiative and encouraged young lawyers to gain experience by volunteering to give substantive continuing legal education presentations at the association’s spring and fall meetings for young lawyers, Petros added.

“After his term as chair, Frank continued to be a very active member of the YLD, offering guidance, assistance and participation,” Petros said. “In fact, he won second place in the 2022 Lawyer Wellness Challenge step competition, accumulating over 131,000 steps during the 10-day challenge.”

Emerson G. Spies Award

This recipient demonstrated enthusiasm, loyalty and dedication in the work of the association during 2024 — the hallmarks of recipients of the Emerson G. Spies Award.

R. Patrick Bolling, who served as YLD chair in 2023, has served as an ex officio member of the YLD Executive Board and as chair of the YLD Committee on Sponsorships and Grants. “He actively promoted the VBA Young Lawyers Division to secure vital sponsorships for our various events throughout the year,” Petros said. She said a directory of information for YLD officers he compiled while chair proved invaluable during her term, and Bolling’s efforts resulted in the YLD receiving grants from the Virginia Law Foundation to support two key projects – the Model Judiciary Program and the National Moot Court Competition.

YLD Mentor of the Year Award

This new honor recognizes a VBA leader who has mentored newer YLD members seeking guidance. Begun as a pilot project last year, six VBA leaders matched with six first-time Summer Meeting attendees. Award recipient Nupur Bal went above and beyond to connect with her mentee.

“As mentor, Nupur Bal embodied the goal of the Mentorship Program, which is not only to provide guidance and help newer YLD attendees feel comfortable at the statewide meeting, but also to help young lawyers grow and succeed as professionals,” Petros said. Bal sat with her mentee at the banquet, met him for lunch by the pool, and spent hours getting to know him ahead of and during the meeting weekend. Afterward, she continued to connect with her mentee regularly and provided advice as he contemplated changing firms. Petros said Bal served as a sounding board when he ultimately did accept a position at a new firm.

Bal was YLD chair in 2015. She is a past recipient of the YLD’s Sandra P. Thompson Award, serves on the VBA appellate nominations committee and has been an at-large member of the Board of Governors since 2023, in addition to her involvement with several charitable organizations. The VBA Board of Governors chose her as its chair for 2025.