Old Dominion Bar Association
"Virginia's Advocates for Equal Justice"
"Virginia's Advocates for Equal Justice"
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Beverly A. Burton, Esq., President
I am honored to serve as the Old Dominion Bar Association’s
29th President and look forward to working with our
membership to address the challenges that require the
attention of “ Virginia ’s Advocates for Equal Justice”.
Under my leadership, and with your support, the Old Dominion
Bar Association will not rest comfortably on the laurels of its
rich legacy. Instead, we will build on that legacy by
participating meaningfully as a National Bar Association
Affiliate in partnership with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil
Rights Under Law in the effort to monitor and correct voting
irregularities in Virginia . We will build on that legacy by
addressing the restoration of felons’ rights and participating
meaningfully in the effort to reverse the disenfranchisement of
those who are not permitted to participate fully in society after
having paid their debt to society. We will work diligently to
ensure the judiciary in Virginia continues to reflect the citizenry
of Virginia .
The Old Dominion Bar Association will be undergoing
significant structural and administrative changes. As we strive
to improve, we must re-dedicate ourselves to our mission:
To maintain and advance the honor and dignity of the
legal profession and to increase its effectiveness in
promoting and facilitating the proper administration of
justice;
To improve the professional competence of its members
and of other lawyers in the area through educational
means;
To promote reform in the law and in judicial procedure in
the interest of justice;
To uphold and elevate the standard of integrity, dignity,
honor and courtesy among the members of the legal
profession;
To establish and maintain cooperative efforts with the
Virginia State Bar, the National Bar Association, and other
voluntary associations comprised of members of the legal
profession;
To cultivate the support and fellowship among the
members.
The footprints we leave behind are important. It is my goal to
ensure that ours are made with purpose, direction and
meaning. Notwithstanding our legacy, the work continues. I
ask for your support in meeting the challenges I described
earlier as we forge ahead with renewed commitment to be the
best we can be as VIRGINIA ’S ADVOCATES FOR EQUAL
JUSTICE.
Sincerely,
Beverly A. Burton, Esq.
Beverly A. Burton, Esq., President
I am honored to serve as the Old Dominion Bar Association’s
29th President and look forward to working with our
membership to address the challenges that require the
attention of “ Virginia ’s Advocates for Equal Justice”.
Under my leadership, and with your support, the Old Dominion
Bar Association will not rest comfortably on the laurels of its
rich legacy. Instead, we will build on that legacy by
participating meaningfully as a National Bar Association
Affiliate in partnership with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil
Rights Under Law in the effort to monitor and correct voting
irregularities in Virginia . We will build on that legacy by
addressing the restoration of felons’ rights and participating
meaningfully in the effort to reverse the disenfranchisement of
those who are not permitted to participate fully in society after
having paid their debt to society. We will work diligently to
ensure the judiciary in Virginia continues to reflect the citizenry
of Virginia .
The Old Dominion Bar Association will be undergoing
significant structural and administrative changes. As we strive
to improve, we must re-dedicate ourselves to our mission:
To maintain and advance the honor and dignity of the
legal profession and to increase its effectiveness in
promoting and facilitating the proper administration of
justice;
To improve the professional competence of its members
and of other lawyers in the area through educational
means;
To promote reform in the law and in judicial procedure in
the interest of justice;
To uphold and elevate the standard of integrity, dignity,
honor and courtesy among the members of the legal
profession;
To establish and maintain cooperative efforts with the
Virginia State Bar, the National Bar Association, and other
voluntary associations comprised of members of the legal
profession;
To cultivate the support and fellowship among the
members.
The footprints we leave behind are important. It is my goal to
ensure that ours are made with purpose, direction and
meaning. Notwithstanding our legacy, the work continues. I
ask for your support in meeting the challenges I described
earlier as we forge ahead with renewed commitment to be the
best we can be as VIRGINIA ’S ADVOCATES FOR EQUAL
JUSTICE.
Sincerely,
Beverly A. Burton, Esq.
IN THE NEWS...
PILOT APPOINTED TO VSB DIVERSITY
TASK FORCE
Executive Committee member Todd Pilot,
Esq. has been appointed to serve on
the Virginia State Bar's Diversity Task
Force. Attorney Pilot practices
intellectual property law in Alexandria with
the Trademark Institute.
ODBA PRESIDENT DISCUSSES VISION IN
RICHMOND FREE PRESS
President Beverly A. Burton was recently
spotlighted in the June 19-21, 2008 issue
of the Richmond Free Press. She was
featured as the issue's "Personality" and
spoke of the Old Dominion Bar
Association's mission and activities. Click
here to read the Richmond Free Press
article.
Click here to read the story.
http://richmondfreepress.
com/news/currentPageB.p
VINCERETTA CHILES APPOINTED TO
VIRGINIA SUPREME COURT COMMITTEE
Old Dominion Bar Association Executive
Committee member Vinceretta Chiles has
been appointed to serve on the Virginia
Supreme Court's E-filing Advisory
Committee. Attorney Chiles is in private
practice in Richmond, Virginia.
Helivi Holland Appointed to VSB Public
Protection Task Force
Old Dominion Bar Association Treasurer,
Helivi Holland has been appointed to serve
on the Virginia State Bar’s Public Protection
Task Force, which will be studying the
question of “payee notification”, that is,
whether insurance companies should be
required to notify tort plaintiffs that
settlement checks have been sent to their
attorneys. The issue surfaced because of
recently discovered abuses by attorneys
entrusted with settlement funds. A Public
Protection conclave will be held in
Portsmouth on July 10, 2008 to consider
the issue.
Nolan Dawkins Sworn In
Alexandria Juvenile and Domestic
Relations District Court Judge Nolan
Dawkins was sworn in on June 12, 1008 as
a judge of the Alexandria Circuit Court.
Judge Dawkins is the first African-American
to sit on the Circuit Court bench in
Alexandria. He was not selected in 2004 for
the then-vacant seat on the court when his
nomination fell victim to partisan
squabbling in the Virginia General
Assembly. Judge Dawkins is a long-time
member of Old Dominion Bar Association.
Please visit this link for more information on
Judge Dawkins and his investiture: http:
//www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.
asp?article=316167&paper=59&cat=104
ODBA ENDORSES RULES OF
PROFESSIONALISM
In 2006 the Virginia Bar Association
established a blue-ribbon Commission on
Professionalism chaired by legal ethics
authority, Thomas E. Spahn, a partner at
McGuireWoods LLP in McLean. The
Commission has developed a set of
aspirational principles of lawyer
professionalism for submission to the
Virginia Supreme Court. All statewide bar
associations and judges from each level of
courts is represented on the Commission.
Old Dominion Bar Association has
endorsed the Rules of Professionalism.
Executive Committee member Reginald
Barley is a member of the Commission.
Click here for Rules of Professionalism.
2008 ANNUAL MEETING NEWS
The Old Dominion Bar Association hosted
its 68th Annual Meeting at the Sheraton
Hotel West in Richmond May 29 through
June 1, 2008. The meeting began
Thursday evening with a well-attended wine
and cheese reception honoring government
attorneys at the Black History and Cultural
Center in historic Jackson Ward. The
Honorable L. Douglas Wilder, Mayor of the
City of Richmond, was the President’s
Luncheon speaker on Friday, and Hon.
James W. Benton, recently retired judge of
the Virginia Court of Appeals, addressed
conference participants at the Judicial
Luncheon on Saturday. Following the
luncheon, judges in attendance donned
their robes for a group picture. During the
luncheon Judge Benton was presented
with a plaque and will receive a framed
copy of the group photograph, as well.
President of the American Judges
Association, Hon. Eileen A. Olds, a judge of
the Chesapeake Juvenile and Domestic
Relations District Court, was the Annual
Banquet speaker Saturday evening...
To read more about the annual meeting,
click here.
To view photos of the event, click here.
SENTENCING DISPARITY VICTORY
In a 7-2 ruling, the United States Supreme
Court upheld the exercise of judicial
discretion to give shorter prison sentences
for crack cocaine crimes in order to lessen
the disparity with sentences for crimes
involving powder cocaine. The ruling came
in Kimbrough v. United States. Kimbrough
had pled guilty to a crack cocaine charge,
and federal sentencing guidelines called
for a 19- to 22.5-year sentence. Judge
Raymond Jackson instead imposed a 15-
year sentence, citing the case as “another
example of how crack-cocaine guidelines
are driving the offense level to a point
higher than is necessary to do justice.”
After initially being reversed by the United
States Court of Appeals for the Fourth
Circuit, the sentence Judge Jackson
imposed was upheld as appropriate.
Judge Jackson is a judge of the United
States District Court’s Norfolk Division and
a former Old Dominion Bar Association
President. He received the L. Douglas
Wilder Vanguard Award at the 2008 Annual
Meeting in recognition of his contribution to
the quest for equal justice.
To read a CNN news article about Judge
Jackson & the case, click here.
To read more about the Kimbrough case,
click here.
OTHER HEADLINES
MARJORIE ARRINGTON SWORN IN
MARILYN GOSS SWORN IN
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY APPOINTS
THREE AFRICAN-AMERICANS TO
JUDGESHIPS
For more news and events, please click
here.
PILOT APPOINTED TO VSB DIVERSITY
TASK FORCE
Executive Committee member Todd Pilot,
Esq. has been appointed to serve on
the Virginia State Bar's Diversity Task
Force. Attorney Pilot practices
intellectual property law in Alexandria with
the Trademark Institute.
ODBA PRESIDENT DISCUSSES VISION IN
RICHMOND FREE PRESS
President Beverly A. Burton was recently
spotlighted in the June 19-21, 2008 issue
of the Richmond Free Press. She was
featured as the issue's "Personality" and
spoke of the Old Dominion Bar
Association's mission and activities. Click
here to read the Richmond Free Press
article.
Click here to read the story.
http://richmondfreepress.
com/news/currentPageB.p
VINCERETTA CHILES APPOINTED TO
VIRGINIA SUPREME COURT COMMITTEE
Old Dominion Bar Association Executive
Committee member Vinceretta Chiles has
been appointed to serve on the Virginia
Supreme Court's E-filing Advisory
Committee. Attorney Chiles is in private
practice in Richmond, Virginia.
Helivi Holland Appointed to VSB Public
Protection Task Force
Old Dominion Bar Association Treasurer,
Helivi Holland has been appointed to serve
on the Virginia State Bar’s Public Protection
Task Force, which will be studying the
question of “payee notification”, that is,
whether insurance companies should be
required to notify tort plaintiffs that
settlement checks have been sent to their
attorneys. The issue surfaced because of
recently discovered abuses by attorneys
entrusted with settlement funds. A Public
Protection conclave will be held in
Portsmouth on July 10, 2008 to consider
the issue.
Nolan Dawkins Sworn In
Alexandria Juvenile and Domestic
Relations District Court Judge Nolan
Dawkins was sworn in on June 12, 1008 as
a judge of the Alexandria Circuit Court.
Judge Dawkins is the first African-American
to sit on the Circuit Court bench in
Alexandria. He was not selected in 2004 for
the then-vacant seat on the court when his
nomination fell victim to partisan
squabbling in the Virginia General
Assembly. Judge Dawkins is a long-time
member of Old Dominion Bar Association.
Please visit this link for more information on
Judge Dawkins and his investiture: http:
//www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.
asp?article=316167&paper=59&cat=104
ODBA ENDORSES RULES OF
PROFESSIONALISM
In 2006 the Virginia Bar Association
established a blue-ribbon Commission on
Professionalism chaired by legal ethics
authority, Thomas E. Spahn, a partner at
McGuireWoods LLP in McLean. The
Commission has developed a set of
aspirational principles of lawyer
professionalism for submission to the
Virginia Supreme Court. All statewide bar
associations and judges from each level of
courts is represented on the Commission.
Old Dominion Bar Association has
endorsed the Rules of Professionalism.
Executive Committee member Reginald
Barley is a member of the Commission.
Click here for Rules of Professionalism.
2008 ANNUAL MEETING NEWS
The Old Dominion Bar Association hosted
its 68th Annual Meeting at the Sheraton
Hotel West in Richmond May 29 through
June 1, 2008. The meeting began
Thursday evening with a well-attended wine
and cheese reception honoring government
attorneys at the Black History and Cultural
Center in historic Jackson Ward. The
Honorable L. Douglas Wilder, Mayor of the
City of Richmond, was the President’s
Luncheon speaker on Friday, and Hon.
James W. Benton, recently retired judge of
the Virginia Court of Appeals, addressed
conference participants at the Judicial
Luncheon on Saturday. Following the
luncheon, judges in attendance donned
their robes for a group picture. During the
luncheon Judge Benton was presented
with a plaque and will receive a framed
copy of the group photograph, as well.
President of the American Judges
Association, Hon. Eileen A. Olds, a judge of
the Chesapeake Juvenile and Domestic
Relations District Court, was the Annual
Banquet speaker Saturday evening...
To read more about the annual meeting,
click here.
To view photos of the event, click here.
SENTENCING DISPARITY VICTORY
In a 7-2 ruling, the United States Supreme
Court upheld the exercise of judicial
discretion to give shorter prison sentences
for crack cocaine crimes in order to lessen
the disparity with sentences for crimes
involving powder cocaine. The ruling came
in Kimbrough v. United States. Kimbrough
had pled guilty to a crack cocaine charge,
and federal sentencing guidelines called
for a 19- to 22.5-year sentence. Judge
Raymond Jackson instead imposed a 15-
year sentence, citing the case as “another
example of how crack-cocaine guidelines
are driving the offense level to a point
higher than is necessary to do justice.”
After initially being reversed by the United
States Court of Appeals for the Fourth
Circuit, the sentence Judge Jackson
imposed was upheld as appropriate.
Judge Jackson is a judge of the United
States District Court’s Norfolk Division and
a former Old Dominion Bar Association
President. He received the L. Douglas
Wilder Vanguard Award at the 2008 Annual
Meeting in recognition of his contribution to
the quest for equal justice.
To read a CNN news article about Judge
Jackson & the case, click here.
To read more about the Kimbrough case,
click here.
OTHER HEADLINES
MARJORIE ARRINGTON SWORN IN
MARILYN GOSS SWORN IN
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY APPOINTS
THREE AFRICAN-AMERICANS TO
JUDGESHIPS
For more news and events, please click
here.
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