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The independent voice of Virginia lawyers             Aug. 16, 2016.
Dear ,
Registration has opened on the first VBA conference of the fall season of CLEs and the Summer Meeting convened just a few weeks ago. Here are some highlights on both, with a sprinkling of other news you can use. Read on.   
Summer Meeting award recipients

2016 Summer Meeting Award recipient 
Marshall M. Curtis, a principal in the Reston law firm  Whitham, Curtis & Cook P.C., accepted the 2016 Summer Meeting Award. The honor recognized his distinguished career of engaged member leadership at the bar and the VBA. His involvement was critical to the 1997 formation of the VBA's Intellectual Property Law Section, now the Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law Section. Curtis also is serving a fourth three-year term on the Law Practice Management Division executive committee.

Read more...

2016 VBA Spong award recipient 
Gambardella
The VBA's William B. Spong, Jr.,
2016 VBA Spong award recipient 
Tripp
Professionalism Award went to two recipients whose leadership and example are inspiring to the legal profession and the public. Honorees Anthony J. Gambardella Jr. and Guy T. Tripp III, leaders in the community of Virginia lawyers who practiced before the State Corporation Commission, were lauded for having "nurtured, inspired and cultivated a generation of practitioners."

The Spong award, first given 19 years ago, has recognized just nine honorees.

Read more...  
Other Summer Meeting winners

Golf at Homestead 2016
Golf Tournament
Hugh M. Fain III shot a 68 to take first place in the category of Low Net for 18 Holes. Second place went to Will Saunders, who scored a 70. Zachary Hunt captured first-place honors in Low Gross for 18 Holes with a score of 70, and Jack Catlett took second place with a 75.

Tennis Tournament
In doubles play during the Summer Meeting, Simon Davidson and Paula Grimsley captured first place in mixed doubles. Second went to Agustin Rodriguez and Tessa Morris. In men's doubles, first went to Simon Davidson and Agustin Rodriguez. Coming in second was the team of Michael HuYoung and Connell Mullins. In ladies' doubles, only first place was awarded in a small field of competitors. Winners were Paula Grimsley and Tessa Morris.  
Summer Meeting exhibitor drawings

Kissinger & Associates reported awarding these door prizes: 
  • Grey Goose Vodka and five free legal nurse consultant hours: Joseph Taylor Jr. with Taylor Law Firm, PLLC
  • Cabernet Sauvignon and five free legal nurse consultant hours: Richard Garriott Jr. of Pender & Coward
  • Five free legal nurse consultant hours: Ray Snead with Edmunds & Williams
Virginia Barristers Alliance Inc. said the winner of a Panera gift card was Robert Flax of Robert L. Flax, P.C.

Smart Start, LLC announced that Seth Ragosta won its drawing for an Alcovisor Personal Breath Tester.

Union Bank & Trust awarded its drawing for lunch and golf for four at King Carter Golf Course in the Northern Neck to Torrey Shuford. 
Sign up now for the VBA's first fall conference

Panel from 2015 conferenceOnline registration recently opened for the VBA's first CLE conference of the fall. The 46th Annual Conference on Labor Relations and Employment Law convenes in Richmond Sept. 29-Oct. 1 and anticipates offering 13 MCLE
Credit Hours (2.5 Ethics).

Learn from leading labor and employment attorneys, immerse yourself in an environment with fellow practitioners from across the state, and enjoy what downtown Richmond has to offer. Sign up by Sept. 2 and receive an early registration discount.

Staying overnight? Book your rooms at the Omni Richmond Hotel. Call 1-800-843-6664 and mention the VBA and the conference name for the group room rate. Watch vba.org/16labor for more details as they become available.
Click to go to VBA events calendar
Upcoming events

Want to be alerted when registration opens or other details become available regarding VBA fall conferences? Express your interest. Join the email list for one, some or all 2016 conferences.
Appellate Practice Section to hold summer social

Sine Irish Pub _ Restaurant 
VBA members who belong to the Appellate Practice Section will be gathering Wednesday, Aug. 17, at Sine Irish Pub in Richmond for drinks and hors d'oeuvres with their colleagues. Members should bring along an appellate practitioner to show them why it's so great to be a member of the VBA and its sections. FREE.

RSVP through the event webpage.  
Legislative proposals

VBA sections and committees should be developing and collaborating on legislation to propose to the VBA Board of Governors next month. Deadline to submit proposals to yvonnemcghee@vba.org at the VBA is Sept. 9. VBA Legislative Day will be Sept. 29 in the Virginia State Capitol.
Insurance corner

Virginia Barristers Alliance Inc. logoDid you know that because people are living longer, life insurance premiums are lower than just a few years ago?

Review your life insurance policies to determine whether your coverage or premiums can be improved.

Virginia Barristers Alliance Inc. can provide a comprehensive review of your coverage. VBAI offers access to more than 50 A-rated insurance carriers. 
Need some extra juice for next year's Legal Food Frenzy?

Wear orange, snap pix, share with FOVFB and earn 2017 LFF points
What will you wear to work on Thursday, Sept. 8? If you want to raise awareness about the presence of hunger in Virginia -- and gain your firm or office 100 bonus points in the 2017 Legal Food Frenzy -- you and your co-workers will don orange. Get the gang together in a sea of orange, take a selfie and share it with  leslie@vafoodbanks.org by Sept. 20 to qualify.

By the way, 2016 winners will receive their trophies this week at a reception hosted by the Office of the Attorney General. The Legal Food Frenzy is a collaborative project of the AG's office, the Federation of Virginia Food Banks and the VBA Young Lawyers Division.       
Member news

Steven Gould's Facebook photo
YLD Chair Steven P. Gould is a principal at the new Danville firm of Byrnes Gould, which offers general counsel services, with a particular focus on employment law, based on a flat, monthly rate. The firm and its approach were featured in the Danville Register & Bee. Gould previously was affiliated with Clement Wheatley, also in Danville.

The Judicial Council of Virginia named Senior Justice Lawrence L. Koontz Jr. of the Supreme Court of Virginia the recipient of the Harry L. Carrico Outstanding Career Service Award. All appellate, circuit and district court judges are eligible for nomination.

Michael W. Robinson, a partner at Venable LLC in Northern Virginia, is serving as president of the Virginia State Bar. 
 
Counsel to MercerTrigiani
Douglas S. Levy has joined Alexandria-based law firm MercerTrigiani as counsel. He has been associated with another law firm, representing community associations, and previously practiced with MercerTrigiani's principals.
Nicole L. Brenner is an associate with Reed Smith LLP in Richmond. She is part of its global regulatory enforcement practice group. 

James M. Hingeley plans to retire Sept. 1 after 18 years at the helm of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Office of the Public Defender. He received the Roger D. Groot Pro Bono Publico Service Award from the VBA in 2014 and served on the VBA Board of Governors, as a chair of the Criminal Law Section Council and a key player in the success of the VBA's Capital Defense Workshop.
Gala, golf tournament to benefit legal aid

The Virginia Law Foundation, the Legal Aid Justice Center and the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society will hold an inaugural fundraising gala Sept. 10 and charity golf tournament Sept. 12 in support of meaningful access to justice for all Virginians. Both events will be held at the Independence Golf Club in Midlothian. Special guest is Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Little Anthony of Little Anthony and the Imperials.

For details and to sign up, visit the Virginia Law Foundation.  
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