Virginia State Bar
An agency of the Supreme Court of Virginia
Home > About the Bar > Virginia is for good lawyers.
Virginia is for good lawyers.
It started as a project, but it has become a movement.
Virginia is for Good Lawyers is an initiative to recognize and learn about some of Virginia's finest citizen lawyers. It is also designed to promote community programs for lawyers and to educate and encourage discourse between lawyers and the public.
The existing economic climate has generated more than its share of depressing news. Fortunately there are many Virginia Lawyers who are doing great things in their communities for the betterment of youth, neighborhoods, and the general public. Public service is as critical today as it ever has been. We welcome the opportunity to promote programs and organizations as well as introduce ideas that may be implemented in your community.
Virginia is for good lawyers. We tell good stories about good works.
- The Big Picture video project
- Reflections, a collection of essays
- Raising the Bar, the president's blog
- President Jon D. Huddleston’s columns in Virginia Lawyer magazine
- Related Virginia State Bar News Items
- Press Links
- Virginia State Bar YouTube Channel
- VA4GoodLawyers on Twitter
- The Citizen Lawyer
New content added regularly, all linked from this page. Please visit frequently. Contact us at . Most recent update: 03/11/2010
The Big Picture
The Big Picture, episode 6, Interview with Stuart D. Spirn, Esq. Jon Huddleston interviews Edward Adams, Molly McDonough, Rachel Zahorsky, and John McQuiston in this special episode of The Big Picture. For more information, please visit the Legal Rebels website (video posted 09/26/2009) The Big Picture, episode 4, Interview with Judge Thomas D. Horne and Rhonda Paice, Esq. The Big Picture, episode 3, Interview with Robert B. “Chip” Delano Jr., Esq. The Big Picture, episode 2, Interview with Jay M. Weinberg, Esq. The Big Picture, episode 1, Introduction More videos, including extended interviews, are available on the Virginia State Bar YouTube channel. A collection of essays written by or about Virginia lawyers. The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Virginia State Bar. Babe by The Honorable Johanna L. Fitzpatrick (Ret.) (posted 03/16/10) An education in client-centered law practice by John Crouch, Esq. (posted 03/11/10) All Jokes Aside, the Grumbling is Probably Good News by Christopher Gatewood, Esq. (posted 03/09/10) Friday Night Lights by The Honorable Rossie D. Alston Jr. (posted 02/25/10) Do Not Go To Your Left by David P. Bobzien, Esq. (posted 02/11/2010) Asking Why & Pursuing Justice by Hope R. Amezquita, Esq. (posted 01/26/2010) Just Be Quiet by Brian M. Hirsch, Esq. (posted 01/11/2010) Get Unwired or Come Unglued by Sharon D. Nelson, Esq. and John W. Simek (posted 10/23/2009) What I Learned Outside the Law Office by Joseph A. Condo, Esq. (posted 09/22/2009) Why I Became a Lawyer by James W. Korman, Esq. (posted 08/28/2009) Running the Relay: Passing the Bar and Passing the Baton by Frank Overton Brown Jr., Esq. (posted 08/10/2009) Why I Enjoy Coaching and Umpiring Softball by Hon. Pamela L. Brooks (posted 08/07/2009) Lawyers Are All About Family by Andrea R. Stiles, Esq. (posted 08/06/2009) Practice on the Frontier: Vignettes of Small Town Life by George W. Shanks, Esq. (posted 08/05/2009) Law is More Than a Profession … It’s a Calling by Lynne Marie Kohm, Esq. (posted 07/31/2009) A Passion for the Process by Jack W. Burtch Jr., Esq. (posted 07/13/2009) President’s Message, Virginia Lawyer Magazine - February 2010 (pdf) President’s Message, Virginia Lawyer Magazine - December 2009 (pdf) President’s Message, Virginia Lawyer Magazine - October 2009 (pdf) President’s Message, Virginia Lawyer Magazine - June/July 2009 (pdf) 09/17/2009 | VA4GoodLawyers Twitter presence featured in Daniel Schwartz Legal Rebel Interview 08/26/2009 | President Huddleston’s Latest Big Picture Video Features Law Camp Program in Loudoun County 06/23/2009 | Jon D. Huddleston of Leesburg Is President of Virginia State Bar Virginia Lawyers Weekly *** Not all gloom and doom Legal Rebel Daniel Schwartz features VA4GoodLawyers in ABA Legal Rebels video interview The lawyer's professional role traditionally includes devotion to public service, a facet of the philosophy of the citizen lawyer. Thomas Jefferson was a notable proponent of the citizen lawyer, believing that universities should be instructing law students to be good citizens and leaders of their communities, states, and nations. More about the citizen lawyer philosophy coming soon
The Big Picture, episode 10, Interview with Mike Lafayette, Esq.
President Jon Huddleston interviews lawyer Mike Lafayette, chair of the board at the Positive Vibe Cafe in Richmond, VA. The first of its kind, the cafe serves as a training opportunity for individuals with physical and cognitive challenges and prepares them for entry-level positions in the food industry. Garth Larcen, Executive Director of the Positive Vibe Cafe and its Foundation, Get Lost MD (Muscular Dystrophy), is also interviewed. For more information please visit the site for The Positive Vibe Cafe. (video posted 03/08/2010)
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The Big Picture, episode 9, Interview with Delegate Jennifer McClellan
President Jon Huddleston interviews the Honorable Jennifer McClellan, General Assembly Delegate for the 71st District of Virginia, about her work as a lawyer legislator and gets a tour of the Capitol, where the importance of Thomas Jefferson, the lawyer legislator, and the citizen lawyer are very much alive in the building he designed. For more information please visit the sites for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond, Richmond SPCA, The Oliver White Hill Foundation, Inc., and Delegate McClellan. (video posted 01/19/2010)
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The Big Picture, episode 8, Interview with William Schmidt, Esq.
In this very special holiday episode of The Big Picture, President Jon Huddleston meets up with William Schmidt of Fairfax, VA as Bill rings the Salvation Army bell in Clifton, VA: something Bill has done for seventeen years. (video posted 12/30/2009)
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The Big Picture, episode 7, Interview with Peter Buchbauer, Esq.
President Jon Huddleston introduces Peter Buchbauer of Winchester, VA and discusses Pete's involvement with and leadership of the Knights of Columbus soup kitchen, food delivery, and scholarship programs. For more information, please visit the Knights of Columbus #3572 and the Knights of Columbus Virginia State Council. (video posted 11/05/2009)
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Jon Huddleston meets Stu Spirn, of Williamsburg, VA, on the soccer field to discuss his thirty-plus years building a youth sports program that enriches the lives of area children from all walks of life. For more information, please visit the Virginia Legacy website. (video posted 10/06/2009)
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Jon Huddleston interviews Judge Thomas D. Horne and Rhonda Paice of Loudoun County to discuss their community service, particularly their involvement in Loudoun Bar Association's "Leadership in the Law Summer Camp" held in Leesburg, Virginia. Senior Justice Harry L. Carrico and local lawyers participate. For more information, please visit www.loudounbar.org, www.fauquierbar.com, and www.camphighroad.org (video posted 08/26/2009)
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Jon Huddleston Interviews Robert B. “Chip” Delano Jr., Esq. of Richmond, Virginia about his participation with the Boy Scouts of America. (video posted 07/30/2009)
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Jon Huddleston Interviews Jay M. Weinberg, Esq. at the Virginia Holocaust Museum (video posted (07/14/2009)
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Virginia State Bar President Jon Huddleston introduces The Big Picture (video posted 06/16/2009)
---Reflections
Presidents Message Columns
VSB News Items
12/01/2009 | Virginia State Bar E-News December 1, 2009
11/24/2009 | Huddleston’s Virginia Is for Good Lawyers Project in National SpotlightVirginia is for Good Lawyers in the Press
Looking Back at 2009: Top News Stories by Alan Cooper Published: December 14th, 2009
Enhancing the image of the legal profession seems to be a challenging and not always successful task, but VSB President Jon D. Huddleston ... made significant efforts in that regard this year.
Huddleston has engaged in a campaign to demonstrate that “Virginia is for Good Lawyers” by publicizing the contributions of citizen-lawyers on YouTube and other social media and by encouraging attorneys to contribute articles on the practice of law in the manner of the Edward R. Murrow “This I Believe” essays.
Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Huddleston: Publicize ‘good works’ of lawyers on YouTube By Alan Cooper Published: June 29, 2009
Episodes of The Big Picture have been featured on The Virginia Lawyers Weekly home page
WTOP 103.5 FM
Leesburg Attorney Sworn In As Virginia State Bar President
Loudoun Times-Mirror and LoudonTimes.com (with link to VSB YouTube channel)
Leesburg Attorney Sworn In As Virginia State Bar President by Jana Wagoner June 27, 2009
additional coverage on
www.targetednews.com
www.nvdaily.comThe Citizen Lawyer
Updated: March 16, 2010