Invictus

Chair Latoya Asia with Joe Condo and Judge Manuel Capsalis.

Joseph A. Condo received the Clarence M. Dunnaville Jr. Achievement Award for 2017 at the June Annual Meeting,  Condo was honored for exemplifying the Diversity Conference’s mission of fostering, encouraging, and facilitating diversity and inclusion in the bar, the judiciary, and the legal profession. 

Latoya Asia Capers, chair of the Diversity Conference, noted that Condo has long been   a champion for diversity and inclusion in the legal profession in Virginia. His nominator noted that, “[a]s president of the Virginia State Bar in 2000-01, Joe prioritized diversity and created the Millennium Diversity Initiative, which in turn created an impetus and funding for the Oliver Hill/Samuel Tucker Summer Law Institute and other diversity-focused projects, including the Diversity Conference. For over 20 years, he has been at the forefront of promoting diversity and inclusion on both the state and local level, paving the way for so many to carry on that noble goal.  He continues to be a vibrant force for inclusion and is a leader and mentor for an entire generation within Virginia’s legal profession.”

In addition to serving as president of the Fairfax Bar Association (1985-86) and the VSB (2000-01), Condo served for twenty-one years on the Council of the VSB, and as a delegate to the American Bar Association  House of Delegates for six years.  Condo has chaired numerous sections, committees, and special task forces, including the family law sections of the Fairfax Bar Association and the VSB, and the VSB’s Bench-Bar Relations, Professionalism, and Judicial Candidate Evaluation committees.  He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the Virginia Law Foundation, and the American Bar Foundation. Condo, who  is a principal of  and a family law attorney at Offit Kurman, was also honored to be named the 2017 recipient of the Virginia State Bar’s Betty A. Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award at the June  Annual Meeting.  

Speaking at his installation as president of the VSB in June 2000, Condo said, “People of color will soon comprise over fifty percent of our nation’s population; yet our profession is over ninety percent white. We need to expand access to the profession, so it is more reflective of the diverse society we serve.” 

We congratulate Joe Condo on becoming the 2017 Clarence M. Dunnaville Award recipient, joining past recipients, Clarence M. Dunnaville, Jr. (2012), Darrel Tillar Mason (2013), Martha JP McQuade (2014), Hon. Manuel A. Capsalis (2015), and the Hon. Gerald Bruce Lee (2016).

Governor McAuliffe declared the entire month of October Pro Bono Month in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Celebrate and support the critical value of pro bono services to our profession and to our communities.  Volunteer for pro bono events that provide counsel, advice and representation to low income individuals and the organizations that serve them.  Call your local legal aid office or join Virginia.freelegalanswers.org today!

The 7th Annual Fore Diversity Golf Tournament at the 2017 Annual Meeting was once again a great success.  Beautiful weather greeted our golfers on Thursday, June 15, 2017 at the Virginia Beach National Golf Course.  VSB President Doris Causey was among the honored guests celebrating our mission, our  fellowship, and enthusiastically cheering on our foursomes.  Special thanks and appreciation for the generous support of our Premium Sponsor Hunton & Williams and to our hosts at Virginia Beach National.

2017 Tournament Chair Eva Juncker is ready to hand over the reigns to new blood.  Please consider volunteering as Chair or Co-Chair of the Fore Diversity Golf Tournament for the 2018 Annual Meeting.   No golf experience required !  There cannot be a more fun way to get involved.  

Contact Chair Carole Capsalis if you are interested or for more information.  

By Christina S. Parrish, Esq.*

From late-May to mid-June, high school students across the Commonwealth are dreaming of a summer full of rest, relaxation and summer vacations. This year, a select group of students chose to delay these summer staples in favor of an opportunity to attend the Hill Tucker Pre-Law Institute.

On June 26, 2017, seventeen inquisitive and eager high school students descended upon the campus of the University of Richmond to attend the Oliver Hill/Samuel Tucker Pre-Law Institute. The Institute, an annual program for diverse and academically at-risk high school students across Virginia, provided the students with a positive introduction to the legal system and immersed them in the basic fundamentals of the legal profession through an intensive week of programming and academic exercise.

The Institute featured a robust week of programming. Students enjoyed a guided tour of the Virginia Capitol building. After which, the participants engaged in an exclusive question and answer experience with The Honorable Justice Cleo Powell.  Students mixed and mingled with local practitioners during an evening networking reception in the University of Richmond Law School Atrium. Admissions representatives from several Virginia colleges and universities reviewed the college admissions process and offered helpful advice for students with the goal of gaining admission to law school. Five Richmond area attorneys—Colette McEachin, Doug Smith, Nicole Thompson Stock, Rita P. Davis, and Stacy E. Lee—discussed the array of legal practice areas and the many paths to a successful legal career during a very candid career panel. The students even completed a session on etiquette to prepare for the many business lunches and dinners to come in their future, as well as our closing banquet which featured Dr. Dietra Trent, Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia, as keynote speaker.

While managing a robust programming schedule, the students prepared for a mock trial competition throughout the week. Daily workshops provided an introduction to basic trial advocacy skills, such as opening and closing statements, as well as direct and cross examination. The Honorable Manuel Capsalis and The Honorable Michael Lindner from the Fairfax County General District Court  reinforced their knowledge base with a special session on trial advocacy from the perspective of the bench. With only four days of preparation, the students thoroughly impressed each volunteer practitioner during the mock trial competition and created memories that will last a lifetime.

Beyond the programming and the academic exercises, the Honorable David Eugene Cheek, Sr. from the Richmond General District Court offered the most impactful aspect of the program, imparting on each student the important legacy of Mssrs. Hill and Tucker. The Hill Tucker Pre-Law Institute was named in honor of famed African American civil rights attorneys Oliver J. Hill and Samuel W. Tucker.  In 1940, Mr. Hill began winning cases alongside his colleague and law school classmate, Thurgood Marshall, and was perhaps most recognized for his role in one of the four companion cases in Brown v. Topeka Board of Education.  Samuel W. Tucker, Esquire, after serving as an officer in the armed forces, later joined Oliver W. Hill’s firm and together they successfully and tirelessly combatted massive resistance to implementation of the Brown decision through a number of significant cases. FN 

Judge Cheek shared his personal reflections from working alongside Mr. Oliver Hill and Mr. Samuel Tucker.  He passionately impressed upon each student the legacy left by these two trailblazers and the opportunity afforded each student as a result of Mr. Hill and Mr. Tucker’s combined sacrifices and service as distinguished citizen lawyers.

The Institute is offered at no cost to the aspiring student lawyers, long made possible by law firm donations and grants from the Virginia Law Foundation and by funds raised by the Diversity Conference through its predecessor 501(c)(3) Millennium Diversity Initiative.  In its first year as a fully funded Conference of the Virginia State Bar, the Hill Tucker Institute is perhaps the most rewarding budgeted item for the Diversity Conference as it continues to further its mission of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.  Once again this year, the Diversity Conference is grateful to the Virginia Law Foundation for this year’s grant, without which the continued success of the Institute would not be possible.  

Finally, the success of the Institute would not be possible without a dedicated core of volunteer attorneys from the Young Lawyers Conference, the Hill Tucker Bar Association and the Diversity Conference.  Since its inception, members of the Young Lawyers Conference have served as chairpersons and organizers of the Institute’s programs.  This year the Diversity Conference would like to express its gratitude and appreciation to Co-Chairs Alicia Roberts and Christina Parrish, who dedicated countless hours in preparation for the annual event and then provided guidance and mentorship to the students throughout the week.    

Above all, the Institute represents opportunity. Mr. Oliver Hill and Mr. Samuel Tucker labored to ensure that each participant can not only have a seat at the table, but that they are equipped and emboldened to bring their own chairs. While we recognize that five days alone is insufficient to completely summarize the entire practice of law, we are confident that the Hill Tucker Pre-Law Institute lit a fire of curiosity and inspiration in each student that we hope will continue to burn and grow for years to come.

FN:  http://HillTuckerBarAssociation.com

* The author was a director of the 2017 Hill Tucker Pre-Law Institute along with co-director Alicia N. Roberts, Esq.  Ms. Parrish practices law at the Richmond, Virginia firm of Boleman Law Firm, PC, and is the current president of the Hill Tucker Bar Association.