First, Colin J.S. Thomas, Jr., our chair, reports on some of the accomplishments of the Senior Lawyers Conference.

We continue our remembrances about deceased, distinguished senior lawyers, who exemplified the qualities so important to our profession and to our society: James E. Edmunds by Carol B. Gravitt; Francis V. Lowden, Jr., by Jack W. Burtch, Jr.; The Honorable William S. Moffett, Jr., by The Honorable George M. Cochran; the Honorable William F. Parkerson, Jr., by The Honorable Ralph L. Axselle, Jr.; and Fielding L. Williams, Sr., by Robert E. Eicher. We hope that these lights from our past will guide our way in the future.

We share the wisdom of two well-known senior lawyers, The Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor and The Honorable Mortimer M. Caplin, as presented in their respective May 2003 commencement addresses at the George Washington University Law School and the University of Virginia. These insights by senior lawyers provide guidance to us all in keeping the values of our profession strong.

In a matter of interest to all of us (tax cuts), we present the editor's synopsis of H.R. 2, the "Jobs and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003," that President Bush signed into law on May 28, 2003, as Public Law 108-27.

Professor Joanna Grossman of the Hofstra University School of Law provides topical insights in her article, "A Victory for Families, But Hardly a Panacea: The Supreme Court Holds That the Family and Medical Leave Act Applies to States."

An important Virginia case with First Amendment and criminal law implications was decided by the United States Supreme Court on June 16, 2003. Please see the article on Virginia v. Hicks.

In May 2003, under the leadership of Robert A. Cox, Jr., the Senior Lawyers Conference presented a successful retirement planning seminar for lawyers, which is described at the end of this newsletter.