Message from the Chair
from: Charles E. Adams
Chairman of the General Practice Section
Unlike all other Sections and Conferences of the Virginia State Bar, which limit themselves either by specialization in a particular field of law or by the status of its members, the General Practice Section remains open to all attorneys and jurists in the Commonwealth whatever there field of expertise or their level of experience. In fact, the Section affirmatively seeks a diversity of knowledge and seasoning among its members in an effort to gain useful insight across the broadest spectrum of the actual practice of law in Virginia.
We do not denigrate the benefits of attempting to achieve a master of a particular field of law or in finding useful solace among your peers, but we strongly believe that a practical knowledge of the General Practice of Law is beneficial to all lawyers and judges irrespective of their specialties or years before or behind the bench.
As modern life becomes ever more complex, the interdependence between the various legal discipline becomes ever greater. For example, an increasing number of attorneys find(s) that specializing in domestic law makes sense due to that field’s complexity and ever-changing nature.
The General Practice Section also serves as a home for those lawyers who offer representation in many or most areas of the law without limiting themselves to one or two areas of specialization. Although these “jack of all trades, masters of none” practitioners are found across the Commonwealth, a large percentage of them practice in more rural areas of the State, especially South and West of Richmond. Naturally, fewer potential clients in more sparsely populated locales result in less of a need for specialization in these areas. Therefore, rural attorneys practicing away from Richmond, Northern Virginia and Tidewater often handle a wide variety of cases ranging, euphemistically, from the cradle, i.e. adoption and custody to the grave, i.e. estate planning and administration. The Board of Governors of this Section wants attorneys meeting this description to know that we want to be your home, and would welcome any suggestions about how better to serve your needs.
Nevertheless, a zealous advocate cannot regularly adequately represent a client in a domestic matter without some knowledge of other areas of the law potentially affecting their client’s best interests such as criminal, tax and bankruptcy law. Although that domestic petitioner does not necessarily need to have an intimate familiarity with the Tax Code to properly litigate a contested divorce, he should know enough to recognize issues requiring that the client seek advice from a specialist in that area of the law. Likewise, an attorney attempting to collect bad debts for his client should have some understanding of the Bankruptcy Code to at least avoid potentially costly violations of the automatic stay and to aggressively seek judicial legal remedies for outstanding debts despite inchoate threats to file a bankruptcy petition by either the debtor or her counsel. Ever mindful of this inter dependence among all areas of the law today, the General Practice Section attempts to bring members with expertise across the legal spectrum to gather for their mutual benefit.
The Board of Governors and I would like to reiterate that the purpose of The General Practice Section is primarily to assist its members in more effectively representing their clients. In order to accomplish this goal, we use various methods such as this very Newsletter to provide valuable insights into the general practice of law from experienced attorneys. I trust you will find it useful as well whether you practice in Northern Virginia or Southwestern Virginia. If any of our members have suggestions about improving our service to the Section, I encourage you to contact me to discuss your suggestions at your convenience.