Bill Text: VA SJR441 | 2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Commending the Prince William County Bar Association.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)
Status: (Passed) 2019-02-23 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ441ER) [SJR441 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2019-SJR441-Introduced.html
WHEREAS, in 2018, the Prince William County Bar Association received the Frankie Muse Freeman Organizational Pro Bono Award for providing hundreds of hours of legal services to members of the community in need; and
WHEREAS, presented annually by the Virginia State Bar, the Frankie Muse Freeman Organizational Pro Bono Award is named for the first woman appointed to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights; the Prince William County Bar Association received the prestigious award at a special ceremony in Norfolk on October 17, 2018; and
WHEREAS, the Prince William County Bar Association estimates that its more than 500 members provide more than $400,000 in pro bono legal services each year; the association's longest running pro bono program, which provides legal assistance to survivors of domestic abuse, was established in 1995; and
WHEREAS, over the next 23 years, the Prince William County Bar Association established pro bono programs to support seniors, first responders, survivors of natural disasters, pro se litigants, tenants, veterans, and individuals with low income; and
WHEREAS, the Prince William County Bar Association also established an uncontested divorce program, which allows couples to avoid traditional court proceedings, with attorneys facilitating resolutions to custody, visitation, and support matters; and
WHEREAS, volunteer attorneys from the Prince William County Bar Association have helped nearly 7,000 local students learn about legal responsibilities through programs utilizing the Virginia State Bar's So You're 18 booklets; and
WHEREAS, established in 1941, the Prince William County Bar Association has a long history of service to the legal community and has benefited from an exceptional leadership team, including executive director Alissa N. Hudson, current president Sarah J. Knapp, president-elect Kristina Keech Spitler, past president D. Bradley Marshall, secretary Jacqueline W. Lucas, and treasurer Justin M. Hargrove; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Prince William County Bar Association on receiving the 2018 Frankie Muse Freeman Organizational Pro Bono Award; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Prince William County Bar Association as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the organization's years of exceptional contributions to Prince William County.