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On January 1, 2026 the Supreme Court of Virginia will have its first ever African American Woman Chief Justice.
Today the Old Dominion Bar Association PROUDLY celebrates the trailblazing legal and judicial career of Chief Justice-Elect Cleo E. Powell.
NOVABAA was recognized at the Annual Meeting for the @VAStateBar for winning its ‘24 Bar Association of the Year award. It’s an honor to receive the award, but it was very special to us that (Founder) Judge Gerald Bruce Lee (ret.) was able to join us on stage & accept it with us
This weekend I was installed as the 39th President of the @ODBABarVa by the Chief Justice of the Va Supreme Court, Hon. S. Bernard Goodwyn. It’s still sinking in! Special thanks to our invited guests @BobbyScott@AaronRouseVA@AWGNorfolk@MikeFeggans and all who joined us! ✊🏾⚖️❤️
There’s not a politician in Richmond that would be comfortable with their child being represented by an attorney for $120 on a dui or $445 on a robbery. I’m not as familiar with Public Defender compensation, but I know it’s similarly abysmal. VA do better.
Okay I’m done venting
Respectfully, the fact that the statutory caps for court appointed work remains at $120 for Misdemeanors. $445 for felonies, and $1235 for serious felonies tells us all we need to know about how the Commonwealth values this work.
How many tanks of gas will $120 buy? How far does $120 go in the grocery store? If you wanted to pay your bar dues from solely court appointed earnings, you’d have to be appointed three separate DUI trials to pay your bar dues.
Congrats to the court appointed appellate bar for their pay increase. However the court appointed scale for trial level attorneys is abysmal and embarrassing. $90 per hour, capped at $120 total is outrageous. I wish someone would stand up and justify that.
NOVABAA is delighted to announce that this year 6 of our members were selected by @VALW as Leaders in the Law / Up and Coming Attorneys!
On their behalf, we thank the Virginia Lawyers Weekly for recognizing their incredible talents and how they’ve used them both in the profession and in the community. We are proud of the tremendous things that our members continue to do, and excited that others are seeing what we’ve seen for a long time!
NOVABAA’s recipients for 2023 Leaders in the Law are: Donna Banks, Carla Brown, Marcia Payne, and Margeaux Thomas.
NOVABAA members Veronica Holmes and Natasha Hudgins were selected as 2023 Up and Coming Attorneys.
This week NOVABAA celebrates our 40th Anniversary at the world famous @SalamanderVA. NOVABAA is eternally grateful for the support and love we’ve received from our friends, loved ones, and especially our members. It’s been a wild ride, and we can’t wait to see what the next 40+ has in store. Come join us in celebration of this momentous milestone, as we reflect on the past and toast to the future. Tickets are still available at https://t.co/Emmmsh3ZBC.
This Friday will conclude the end of an era as Arlington's Favorite Son retires from the Arlington County Circuit Court after serving in that post for the past 30 years. The Honorable William T. Newman, Jr., will put down his gavel for the last time this Friday as he moves on to his next chapter.
A native Arlingtonian, Judge Newman grew up in the Nauck neighborhood of then-segregated Arlington County and attended Hoffman-Boston high school until it was shuttered in 1964 due to integration. Judge Newman was thus a member of the first class of the newly-integrated Wakefield high school. It was while at Wakefield that Judge Newman was bit by the acting bug when he played a high school student in a film about Dulles International Airport. He then attended Ohio University, where he flung himself into more serious theatrical roles as he majored in political science and theatre. He was cast as the lead in the renowned play "The Great White Hope" where he earned rave reviews for his portrayal of the boxer Jack Johnson. He decided that he would pursue a career in theatre and see where that took him.
After graduation Judge Newman moved to New York to pursue his dream. He took on several Off-Broadway roles in addition to sporadic appearances in soap operas. He auditioned for the Negro Ensemble Company’s “Ceremonies in Dark Old Men,” and while he did not get the role, he was called when they needed actors for its D.C. shows. He returned to Virginia and picked up roles whenever he could. He auditioned to join the company at Arena Stage and was not selected. Judge Newman decided to pursue law and applied to Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law while he (inexplicably) continued to perform throughout law school in various productions.
Judge Newman graduated from Catholic in 1977 and worked for 3 years at the PTO. In 1987 Judge Newman was elected as the first African American member of the Arlington County Board, and later elected Chair in 1990. In 1993 he was appointed to Arlington’s Circuit Court making him only the second African American to serve there. He was later elected as Chief Judge in 2003.
Words are truly incapable of doing Judge Newman’s legacy its proper justice, nor of conveying the level of influence felt by his presence. His quiet dignity cast a comforting shadow over the courthouse that was felt by all. Judge Newman was NOVABAA’s first President in 1983, and his investiture was in many ways, NOVABAA’s entry on to the larger stage of the Northern Virginia legal community as we co-hosted the reception. Accordingly, we intend to celebrate the conclusion of his judicial career in the same way, with a party celebrating our beloved First President on August 24 at the Salamander Hotel and Resort. (Tickets are still available at https://t.co/OD2jLNzjDB -- Shameless plug!).
Judge Newman is an irreplaceable presence, and someone who will be missed on the 10th Floor as he turns the page to his next chapter. Please join NOVABAA as we celebrate the larger-than-life legacy of Arlington’s Favorite Son, Hon. William T. Newman, Jr..
In 1983 a handful of intrepid African American Attorneys sought to create a safe space and place for themselves in Northern Virginia that would allow them to develop professionally and also serve their individual and legal communities. Forty years later, NOVABAA boasts a membership of over 200 judges, lawyers, and law students from all backgrounds, races and ethnicities. Our mission remains the same: To develop the professional lives of our membership, and to uplift the African American and minority communities of Northern Virginia.
This year's celebration will be like no other. We will celebrate the retirement of on of our founding members, Chief Judge William T. Newman or Arlington County Circuit Court. Judge Newman is a founding member of NOVABAA, and among the first of our membership appointed to the Circuit Court. His judicial career alone spans the last 30 years, where he has served Arlington, and Northern Virginia with distinction. He is a beloved and irreplaceable presence, and we wish to honor him in the only way NOVABAA knows how!
Friday's programing will include CLEs, relaxation, and a President's Luncheon, with a keynote address from the Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court, Hon. S. Bernard Goodwyn. And to cap off the celebration, we will have an 80s themed party (in commemoration of our founding) with NOVABAA's own DJ 5800 on the Wheels of Steel!
This is an event you will NOT want to miss! The World Famous Salamander Resort provides a litany of relaxation and restoration activities if you wish to come and do your own thing at some point throughout the day. They have rolled out the red carpet for us, and we are very grateful for their hospitality. Early Bird Tickets and Discount Rooms are available through June 15. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, go to: https://t.co/OD2jLNzjDB
Last week @VALW released its annual Hall of Fame honorees. This award aims to highlight the contributions of members of the @VAStateBar who have practiced for 30 years or more, or are over 60 years of age. In light of #BlackHistoryMonth, NOVABAA wishes to congratulate the African American recipients of VLW’s Hall of Fame Award. We note that two of the recipients are NOVABAA members: Hon. Gayl Branum Carr, and Hon. Marcus D. Williams!
The African American recipients are as follows:
1. Hon. S. Bernard Goodwyn - Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court
2. Ms. Elaine Jones, Esq. (Retired) - Executive Director of NAACP Legal Defense Fund
3. Mr. F. Blair Wimbush, Esq. (Retired) - Norfolk Southern Corporation
4. Hon. Marcus D. Williams - Fairfax Circuit Court Judge (Retired) - NOVABAA Member
5. Hon. Gayl Branum Carr - Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court District Judge - NOVABAA Member
6. Mr. David P. Baugh, Esq. - Law office of David P. Baugh
7. Hon. Donald McEachin (Posthumously) - United States Representative for Virginia’s 4th Congressional District
Today we are delighted to recognize these honorees, along with the rest of the other inductees in the 2023 class of Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s Hall of Fame!
Congratulations to G. Rex Flynn (@RexFlynnEsq) of The Flynn Law Firm, PLLC in Arlington — the 2022 Specialty Bar Leader of the Year! The award will be presented at the #VSBAnnualMeeting. 🏆 More info: https://t.co/iJuR8TysPu
For those unaware, one of NOVABAA's most beloved members, Lavonda Graham-Williams is leaving us to serve as the City Attorney in her hometown of Portsmouth. This is a bittersweet event for those of us who have come to depend on her friendship, mentorship and kindness.
#NOVABAA
NOVABAA is proud to witness our own Hon. Tania Saylor be the first African American woman appointed in the 223 year history of the Fairfax Circuit Court! 👩🏽⚖️#NOVABAA#DiversityMatters#Justice
This weekend NOVABAA celebrated its 1st annual #BlackHistoryMonth Brunch! We had over 75 judges, attorneys, & law students attend. Most importantly, we presented $5k in scholarships to students at @georgemasonlaw. We're thankful to our friends who came out to celebrate with us!
Today NOVABAA celebrates the career of an extraordinary attorney and leader, Mr. Robert Grey, whose career has taken him from his home in then-segregated Richmond, to becoming a highly sought-after super lawyer later elected as the 2nd African American President of the ABA.