Each year since 1985, the Virginia State Bar Conference of Local Bar Associations holds an Awards of Merit competition to recognize outstanding public service projects conducted by local and specialty bars throughout the state. The competition is divided into groups: those bars that receive an Award of Merit, which is the highest award given for a project; and those bars that receive a Certificate of Achievement, which recognizes projects that also deserve mention. Winners are grouped into divisions, according to the size of the local or specialty bar. This year's recipients include the following:
· The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers/Virginia Chapter received a Certificate of Achievement for its second annual writing contest, open to all law school students attending a Virginia law school, on any aspect of family law. The entry may be an exam paper, moot court brief, demonstration project or work created by a group. The writing is judged on creativity and originality of approach to the subject matter at hand. The winner is presented with an award of $1,000 and a plaque acknowledging the achievement.
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Don Butler and Sharon Lieblich accept a Certificate of Achievement for the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers/Virginia Chapter. |
The contest has grown since its inception in 1997. Judging has been coordinated by Virginia Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Lacey and Sharon Lieblich, a member of AAML, who has chaired the contest committee for the past two years.
· The Virginia Association of Black Women Attorneys received an Award of Merit for "This is For Men," a mentoring program for 5th grade boys at Carver Elementary School in Richmond. The project ran from November 1997 to May 1998, during which time 5th grade boys met with volunteer adult male mentors on one Thursday each month. The program aimed to ease the transition into middle school and to emphasize the importance of education, values and accountability for oneself.
VABWA also sponsors a "Take Our Daughters To Work Day" each year and began "This is For Men" to provide a similar opportunity for young males in the community. This hardworking specialty bar received a Certificate of Achievement in 1997 for its "Take Our Daughters to Work Day."
· The Loudoun County Bar Association received an Award of Merit for its "Courthouse Planning Project," which evaluated existing facilities and developed a plan for a new courthouse complex. In planning for the new courthouse, the Loudoun County Bar Association established a Courthouse Planning Committee to evaluate the existing courthouse facilities and plan for the construction of a new and improved complex. Loudoun County is now the first local jurisdiction in the United States to follow the federal government's Design Excellence model, a model that is intended to promote the construction of courthouses and government buildings of substance that are both attractive and fully functional, while still economical.
The committee has been involved with the project since January 1996. Committee members attended courthouse-related meetings and public hearings, visited civic groups and attended other public functions to present slide shows and answer questions about the project. It also searched for and obtained the architectural team.
· The Henrico County Bar Association received a Certificate of Achievement for its law-related education projects, consisting of "Ask a Lawyer," which provides free consultations in public venues; and "Legal Lessons," which matches volunteer members as mentors to students.
The "Ask a Lawyer" program was held on May 2 at Virginia Center Commons shopping mall in Glen Allen, Virginia and provided free legal consultations to the public. During the one day session, bar volunteers answered questions covering a wide range of legal topics, in addition to distributing public information pamphlets. The second project, "Legal Lessons" was jointly sponsored with Henrico County Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court judges, members of the bar association, and administrators of a local elementary school. School administrators selected students with disciplinary problems and arranged after school meetings with volunteer lawyers and the school principal to discuss and complete games and activities related to improving personal conduct and discipline. As a result of the project, school administrators report that student referrals to the office for improper conduct have decreased dramatically when compared with the previous year, and that tardiness has improved.
· The Arlington County Bar Association and its Committee on the Legal Problems of the Elderly received an Award of Merit for its "Nursing Home Contract Review Project." Working in tandem with Legal Services of Northern Virginia, the bar reviews adult care resident contracts to ensure they properly represent the needs and rights of elderly residents. The project was spearheaded by members of the Committee on the Legal Problems of the Elderly of the Arlington County Bar Association. Committee members collected and reviewed twenty-two contracts from area adult care facilities, representing virtually all nursing homes in the region. Each member received one or more contracts, which was analyzed, using a checklist of contract issues, to ensure proper representation of the needs and rights of elderly residents.
The Contract Review Project is ongoing. Originally designed as a service to area elder law professionals, the group hopes to distribute the publications of its findings statewide, in public libraries, hospitals and other venues.
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far left: Rick Beale and Judy Rosenblatt accept the Award of Merit for the Virginia Beach Bar Association. |
· The Alexandria Bar Association and its Lawyer Referral Service received a Certificate of Achievement for their "Bookmark Project," in association with Legal Services of Northern Virginia. Distributing bookmarks as a way to disseminate information about the availability of legal services to those in need is an idea used in many jurisdictions. The Alexandria Bar Association recognized the potential of a "Bookmark Project" and created one containing material to suit the needs of the local community.
Research revealed that 10% of Alexandria's population is Hispanic. To reach that community, the bar association printed bookmarks with information about legal service agencies in English on one side, and Spanish on the other. Bookmarks were not only placed in visible locations in local courthouses, but the Alexandria Bar recruited courtroom bailiffs to distribute them to members of the public who expressed need or concern about accessing legal assistance. Bailiffs often use the bookmarks to note a person's next court date.
· The Fairfax Bar Association received an Award of Merit for its courthouse "Open House" project. The program consisted of a variety of educational seminars for the public that included fire, SWAT team and police exhibits, tours of the law library and Circuit Court Clerk's office, and demonstrations about accessing information via computers. It also included a mock trial of Curly Pig vs. B.B. Wolf and a mock custody hearing, as well as a real-life "Valentine Wedding," in which the couple was married and sent on a complementary honeymoon weekend. In all, the program provided an excellent opportunity for the public to become better acquainted with their municipal government and court system.
· The Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association will receive an Award of Merit for "Law Matters," a supplement to the Virginian Pilot newspaper published on April 27, 1998, which served to educate the public on law-related topics and, in turn, enhanced the image of the legal profession.
Reaching out to the approximately 220,000 households serviced by the Virginian-Pilot newspaper, the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association designed and published the one-time newspaper supplement containing articles and law-related information. Articles were solicited from bar members and selected by an Association Managing Board, which chose approximately one-half consumer oriented articles and one-half business oriented pieces. The supplement was funded entirely through the sale of advertising to law firms and local businesses and was released in conjunction with Law Week, a time when many organizations hold law awareness and education programs.
· The Fairfax Bar Association will receive a Certificate of Achievement for its public law library pro se workstations, which succeeded in making the library user-friendly for non-attorney patrons.
A 1997 survey of library patrons revealed that only 60% are actually attorneys. In an effort to accommodate and create ease of use for the non-attorney patrons, the bar association created six separate carrels for pro se use only. They contain written materials and information about divorce, family law, employment, elder law, estate planning, and general legal forms. Although the same material is also be located elsewhere in the library, the pro se project has gathered it all in one location for non-attorney library users.
The Conference of Local Bar Associations serves as a major communication link between the state bar and local and specialty bars associations throughout the state. It is through the network of local and specialty bars that ideas and resources are shared among the bars, and information about resources and issues is received from the State Bar.