The VBA Journal is the official publication of The Virginia Bar Association.
Issue link: http://vba.epubxp.com/i/80228
PRESIDENT'S PAGE BY HUGH M. FAIN III PRESIDENT, VIRGINIA BAR ASSOCIATION Legislative efforts, Pro Bono Summit deserve special attention I hope this message finds you enjoying cooler tempera- tures, college football and colorful Virginia foliage. Tis time of year reminds us of how fortunate we are to live in Virginia with her seasonal weather. As I write this, I am about halfway through my term as your president. I never cease to be amazed by the energy and thoughtful participation of our members in the many projects that further the VBA's mission. Te Young Lawyers Division alone, ably led this year by Dan Ortiz, is engaged in 49 proj- ects, such as the Legal Food Frenzy, the Domestic Violence Project, the Law School Liaison Program, Lawyers for the Arts, the Model Judiciary Program, the National Moot Court Com- petition, Pro Bono Hotlines and Town Hall Meetings, to name just a few. But the activity extends far beyond the YLD. Two of our activities deserve special mention: our legislative efforts and the second Pro Bono Summit. I am very proud of the VBA's work on these activities, both of which highlight our Association's commitment to improving the administration of justice and to enhancing access to justice in the Commonwealth. Our recently adopted Strategic Plan reaffirmed the impor- tance of the VBA's commitment to legislative advocacy as we strive to be the independent voice of the Virginia lawyer. Our legislative process begins right after each General Assembly ses- sion ends as we digest the results and start planning for the next session. Our legislative team prepares a legislative sum- mary of the many bills the VBA followed or advocated for or against. During the spring and summer, we ask our sections, committees and commissions to prepare for the VBA's Legis- lative Day, which will occur this year on September 27. Te Board of Governors assembles on this day to consider presen- tations on proposed legislation that the VBA is being asked to support or oppose. We also incorporate the results of the Boyd-Graves Conference into our final legislative agenda. Our legislative team then gets to work shaping up proposed bills and lining up appropriate patrons, and before we know it, we are in the middle of a new General Assembly session. As you can see, much effort is devoted annually to shaping and executing our legislative mission. Tis year, our legislative team, led by Jay Spruill and his col- leagues at Reed Smith, jumped into this busy process midstream and they could not have performed more impressively. In ad- dition to shepherding 19 specific bills that came forward from our sections, committees and commissions, the VBA's legislative team worked tirelessly to secure passage of a bill to permit the Virginia Supreme Court to promulgate Virginia's first Rules of Evidence. Collaborating with our sister statewide bar associa- FALL 2012 t 3