April 06, 2006
Virginia State Bar Announces Recommendation of New Bar Counsel
The Bar Counsel Search Committee of the Virginia State Bar, chaired by President-elect Karen A. Gould, announced today that it is recommending George W. Chabalewski of Glen Allen to succeed Barbara Ann Williams as Bar Counsel. The recommendation is expected to receive the required approval of the Attorney General of Virginia and the Council of the Virginia State Bar at its next meeting on June 15, 2006, with the appointment to become effective that day.
Williams resigned at the end of January 2006 to return to private practice at McGuireWoods in Richmond after serving as Bar Counsel for eight years. Williams was the third person to serve in the position, following James R. Wrenn Jr. and Michael L. Rigsby.
Chabalewski has served as a senior assistant attorney general for Virginia from 1999 to the present and as an assistant attorney general for Virginia from 1987 to 1999. In his present position he is responsible for defending the state in cases arising under the tort claims act and at common law, as well as in civil rights litigation. He has also represented the VSB in civil litigation, disciplinary and unauthorized practice of law matters.
VSB Executive Director Thomas A. Edmonds said, “Our search committee and human resources director spent a great deal of time reviewing resumes, conducting preliminary interviews with seven well qualified individuals, and meeting at length with three finalists for the position. I am satisfied we have identified exactly the right person to serve as our next Bar Counsel and lead our professional regulation efforts, and I know from his background and temperament that George will get off to a fast start and keep our disciplinary system functioning optimally.???
Gould said of the recommendation, “I am very pleased that George has accepted the bar’s offer to become Bar Counsel. He is articulate, intelligent, organized and motivated. George brings a wealth of experience to the position as a skilled litigator. I feel certain that he will handle the demands of the position with vigor and diplomacy. We were very lucky to have a good group of candidates for the position and, while any of the finalists would have made an excellent Bar Counsel, George’s zest for the challenges of the position, as well as his other attributes, made him the ideal choice.???
Prior to joining the Virginia attorney general’s office in 1987, Chabalewski was, during a ten year period, an assistant states attorney, assistant public defender and public defender in Illinois.
He graduated from DePaul University and received his law degree from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago.
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The Virginia State Bar is the government agency that regulates the legal profession. It is an administrative agency of the Supreme Court of Virginia. It is supported through the licensing dues paid by all Virginia lawyers, and it is governed by a council of lawyers elected or appointed from every judicial circuit in Virginia.
Updated: Apr 06, 2006
