New Edition of the Newsletter

Here is a link to the new edition of the "Roanoke Bar Review." As many of you know, Sharlene Sherman, the Gentry Locke staffer who produced the newsletter for many years, suffered a health crisis and had to retire. Since I had Microsoft Publisher on my computer, I volunteered to produce the issue. I used one of Sharlene's issues as a template, so she still deserves credit for the sharp layout.

Laying out the issue was an interesting experience. Years ago I was an editor of the W&L Law news and physically laid it out with "sticky paper" at the offices of the Lexington News-Gazette. Doing it 100% on computer is a lot easier, but is still time-consuming and frustrating (at least for me).

The content of the issue is very good, congratulations to editors Linda Gustad and Bryce Hunter. It really lays out all that we have going on.

Until a few years ago the newsletter was only available in "hard-copy;" now the dominant distribution method is direction to the website PDF. We still have about 50 members who pay a premium to be "paper" members; these members still get the old meeting postcards, letters, and hard copies of the newsletter.

Please read the newsletter and let me know what you think.

RBAF Gala and Law Day Celebration

The Gala took place Friday night and it seemed to me that it was a big success. Congratulations to our honorees Bob Glenn (Bo Rogers Lifetime Achievement Award) and Wade Anderson (Young Lawyer of the Year). We had a professional photographer present; you can look at his gala photos online here. Click on "View Events and Purchase," select "RBA Foundation Gala" and enter password "roanokebar."

Thanks also to the Oliver Hill Foundation, with whom we will split the proceeds of the gala. They were a wonderful addition to the night, and the memory of Mr. Hill really brought home what the Rule of Law is all about.

Oliver Hill House Dedicated on May 1

The Oliver Hill House dedication was a lovely, well-attended event. Several RBA members were present. The Roanoke Times and Virginia Lawyers Weekly covered the opening.

The Photo is by Peter Vieth and was taken by him for the VLW Blog. (Peter let me know if I am in trouble for copying.)

History of the Roanoke Bar Association Display Case

Today Cathy Caddy and I put the finishing touches on the RBA display case. You can see it for yourself in the Law Library. It looks really cool if you turn on the lights on the power strip behind it.

Thanks to Cathy Caddy for both the idea and the execution.

The picture is also by Cathy. Click on it-- it is HUGE.

Oliver Hill Open House

On May 1, the date of the Gala, don't forget the Grand Opening of the Oliver Hill House. Here is an article on the State Bar website about the open house, which will take place from 1-4 PM.

Griff Dodson and the Senior Lawyers Conference

The new "Virginia Lawyer" has a great piece by Richmond attorney Frank Brown, Jr. about the Virginia State Bar Senior Lawyer's Conference. It begins with an account of the life and achievements of our late Member (and Past President, 1953-4) E. Griffith ("Griff") Dodson Jr., who passed away in May of 2001 and uses his life as a template for what the Senior Lawyers Conference, established in June of 2001, has accomplished. Once again, a Roanoke Bar Association Lawyer leads the way.

Here is a link to the article.

Mistrial by iphone

Here's a New York Times story about jurors doing research on cases with their mobile devices and causing mistrials.

Gearing Up for the Gala

The 2009 Roanoke Bar Association Foundation Gala and Law Day Celebration is set for Friday May 1 at the Hotel Roanoke. The fundraising and awards event will benefit the Roanoke Bar Association Foundation and the Oliver White Hill Foundation. Our keynote speaker will be Dean Rod Smolla of the Washington and Lee University School of Law. Nationally, Law Day 2009 will be honoring the bicentennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. Locally, we will also honor Roanoke's native son Oliver White Hill, the "Renaissance man of the Civil Rights Movement."

Here is our web page with details. We are eagerly seeking ticket buyers, table sponsors, and other sponsors. Contact me if you can think of a potential sponsor.

General Assembly Update

The Virginia General Assembly is currently in session. It is hard to get a day to day picture of the goings on at any session; this year there seems to be little reporting other than guns, tobacco, and very non-specific "budget shortfall" stories. The best place I have found to get updates of the session is Richmond Sunlight. The session is blogged, there are daily minutes, and there are links and comments.

RBA Rule of Law Project-- SIGN UP ASAP

The following is an excerpt from an email from Mike Pace, President of the Virginia Bar Association and Past President of the Roanoke Bar Association:

The Virginia Bar Association is sponsoring an exciting new project funded by the Virginia Law Foundation, beginning with a pilot program in Roanoke City, Salem and Roanoke County middle schools on February 18, 2009. The purpose of this project is to better educate middle school students in Virginia about the rule of law in America, and the need to protect it in order to preserve the rights and freedoms we enjoy as American citizens. The VBA Rule of Law Project is consistent with the Virginia Standards of Learning, and is funded by a grant from the Virginia Law Foundation.

We need 35 lawyers or judges to make it work. It is unlikely, however that all volunteers will be able to commit to teaching all of the classes with one teacher. To do this comfortably, we need 50 - 60 volunteers.

Each volunteer is asked to attend one training session on either February 3, 4 or 12 from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the sixth floor Conference Center at Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, SunTrust Plaza, 10 Franklin Road, S.E., Roanoke, Virginia.

Please contact Mike Pace by Thursday, January 29 if you would like to volunteer.