Life Member John M. Oakey Jr.  (right) received the Benjamin R. Lacy, IV Volunteer of the Year Award from the Greater Richmond Bar Foundation. Oakey became a partner with McGuireWoods LLP in 1969. Since retiring in 1999, he has assisted hundreds of low-income families, military veterans and nonprofit organizations with free legal service. In 2010, the VBA honored Oakey with its Roger D. Groot Pro Bono Publico Service Award. Several of the nonprofits Oakey has served through the Pro Bono Clearinghouse nominated him for this year's Lacy award, the foundation said.

J. Rudy Austin, W. David Paxton and S.D. Roberts Moore were recognized as Local Litigation Stars in the 10th edition of Benchmark Litigation. This is the fourth consecutive year for these partners at Roanoke-based Gentry Locke to receive the honor. According to Gentry Locke, rankings are determined through extensive research and interviews with litigators and their clients. "Stars" are those recommended consistently as reputable and effective litigators by clients and peers. Austin was recognized for general commercial and insurance practices. The guide recognized Paxton for those two specialties and labor and employment work. Moore's practices in labor and employment and product liability were specified. Austin and Moore are VBA Life Members. Paxton has been a VBA member since 1983.

A. Benjamin Spencer, the law school representative on the VBA Board of Governors, is a new author in the multivolume reference book series Federal Practice and Procedure. The University of Virginia School of Law announced that Spencer is updating the civil rules of procedure covered in Vols. 5, 5A, 5B, and 5C of the Wright and Miller book series. He published his first supplement to volume 5A this year. A new edition will carry his name in 2018.

Mary C. Horner has joined the Alexandria law firm of MercerTrigiani as an associate. She will be advising community associations on legal matters and providing litigation support. The 2015 graduate of the University of Richmond School of Law previously served as a judicial law clerk for Alexandria Circuit Court.

The Harrisonburg law firm Hoover Penrod PLC received this year's Lewis F. Powell Jr. Pro Bono Award from the Special Committee on Access to Legal Services of the Virginia State Bar.
The nomination letter, submitted by John Whitfield and Molly Bell of Blue Ridge Legal Services Inc., singled out Lawrence Hoover Jr., who helped form the agency in 1977. Several of the firm's 11 attorneys are VBA members. Every lawyer assists with pro bono cases for Blue Ridge Legal Services. They have provided more than $820,000 in legal services over 25 years, Virginia Lawyers Weekly reported.

Cyril F. Coombs appears on the cover of the October issue of Virginia Lawyer, the Virginia State Bar magazine. The cover article, "Changing Lives with Pro Bono," is based on a speech Coombs gave at the VBA-organized Chief Justice's Pro Bono Summit in April.

YLD Chair-elect Jeremy S. Williams and Patice Holland, chair of the Transportation Law Section, are among the inaugural Class of 2016 Up & Coming Lawyers. Virginia Lawyers Weekly selected 14 attorneys in a new program that recognizes lawyers making their mark within their first 10 years of practice. Other honorees who are VBA members are Alyssa C. Embree, Ryan A. Glasgow, Lisa J. Hedrick, Laura Golden Liff and Edward A. Mullen.