Publisher's Notebook

The Federal Bar Association threw a party last night, ostensibly honoring all the federal judges who work in Richmond. But it turned out to be a final farewell to U.S. Magistrate Judge Dennis W. Dohnal, who is retiring from the bench next week.

Dohnal is wrapping up 12 years on the job and will become a mediator with The McCammon Group.

U.S. District Judge James Spencer saluted Dohnal for his work and his efficiency. The judges in the Eastern District take their reputation as the “rocket docket” seriously and want to keep the #1 ranking as the fastest trial court to move cases from filing to resolution.

He thanked Dohnal for his hard work, all done with grace and a sense of good humor, long one of Dohnal’s distinctive traits.

Spencer said the Richmond federal judges passed the hat and collected enough money to give Dohnal a healthy gift card to a marine shop so he can buy something for his boat.

The judge also said the group wanted to buy Dohnal a case of his favorite wine as a going-away present.

Spencer went to a tony wine shop and asked the clerk if they carried the particular brand. The clerk was “offended,” he said.

Where can I find that, Spencer asked.

“Food Lion?” the clerk offered.

Spencer (who judiciously didn’t name the wine) said they bought Dohnal three bottles of his favorite and completed the case with a few others that were a little more “aspirational.”

Given his moment, Dohnal cracked that he often wondered what it would be like to attend his own funeral; with all the nice comments, it might have seemed that way.

FBA President Rick Witthoefft noted that Dohnal’s work at a variety of legal causes was tireless. He chaired a Virginia State Bar group that spent several years in the late 1990s working through changes to the ethics code that became the Rules of Professional Conduct in 2000.

Dohnal’s other good-guy works have been chronicled for 20 years or more in this newspaper. He served on numerous panels. He spearheaded an effort to raise court-appointed pay in Virginia. He was tapped as one of Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s “Leaders in the Law” in 2010. The other members of the Class of ’10 voted him as “Leader of the Year.”

What’s next? He and his wife Alicia are taking a trip to Hawaii (it’s been 42 years since his last visit). On Feb. 13, he reports to McCammon for mediation training.

Part of that training includes a session on mediation ethics. But that should be a crib course.

The author of the course materials: One Dennis W. Dohnal.

On May 18, 1988, I interviewed Dr. Rick Kern, director of the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission, for an article about a draft of new guidelines the commission was proposing.

Why the date? It was the day I started working here. Rick was the first interview I had for my first story published in Virginia Lawyers Weekly.

Rick Kern died last Sunday, Dec. 13, after a long battle with cancer. He was 58. The Richmond Times-Dispatch has an obituary in this morning’s edition.

Gov. Bob McDonnell issued a statement praising him: “Virginia has lost a brilliant scholar, devoted public servant and leading criminologist today. Dr. Kern was nationally and internationally known for his work in offender recidivism and risk assessment. He left a lasting legacy on Virginia’s criminal justice system, having lead in the development of the truth-in sentencing laws when Virginia abolished parole in 1994.

The governor added his condolences to the family. “While their personal loss is painful and immediate, they can rest assured that Rick Kern’s contributions to public safety in Virginia will have a lasting impact on generations to come.”

Indeed. RIP.

Richmond lawyer Craig T. Merritt (right) received the George Mason Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, Virginia Pro chapter last night.

The annual award recognizes an individual for his or her contributions to Virginia journalism.

Merritt, a partner at Christian & Barton, has been involved in a number of First Amendment and government access cases over the years.

He has often provided his counsel pro bono to groups that don’t have the resources to mount a fight.

Accepting the award at the SPJ reception at the 2300 Club in Richmond’s Church Hill, Merritt cited Mason’s willingness to fight the fights worth fighting for. For example, Mason originally opposed Virginia’s ratification of the Constitution, because it lacked a Bill of Rights.

Those rights, trumpeted by Mason himself in earlier writings, made their way into the Constitution in the first 10 amendments.

The Central Virginia Legal Aid Society held a tribute luncheon for outgoing executive director Henry McLaughlin yesterday.

McLaughlin fought the good fight for 32 years, serving as the leader of CVLAS since 1981. He is leaving to open a private practice in Richmond dedicated to helping people fight foreclosure.

Former first lady Anne Holton, herself a former legal aider, led a parade of speakers who praised McLaughlin and his work. Tom Slater, who will become president of the CVLAS board later this year, noted that McLaughlin spent his career “helping people achieve a better life.”

As an aside, it’s worth adding McLaughlin was one of Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s “Leaders in the Law” last fall; in fact, the Leaders Class of 2009 selected him as the “Leader of the Year.”

When given the chance to make remarks himself, McLaughlin simply gave a heartfelt thanks to everyone and chose instead to talk about the future of CVLAS, introducing Steve Dickinson, who will take over as executive director.

And perhaps true to form, on his last day at CVLAS, McLaughlin no doubt left the luncheon and went to his office to get back to work: Marty Wegbreit, senior managing attorney, noted that McLaughlin had a writ panel argument at 4:00 p.m. yesterday in which he would be “trying to save another homeowner from foreclosure.”

Hats off, sir.

Gov. Bob McDonnell yesterday announced the winners of the annual Outstanding Faculty Awards, given by the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia.

One of the 12 recipients for 2010 is William & Mary law professor Paul Marcus (right).

Marcus has been at the College since 1992, after serving as dean at the University of Arizona and practicing in L.A. He been putting his mark on the school and the community ever since.

For the OFA, he gained the full support of Dean Davison Douglas and numerous colleagues and former students. Marcus was the first recipient of the Kelly Chair in Teaching Excellence at W&M, and in 2006, he earned the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, the College’s highest honor for service.

Among other community activities, he founded the Law and Literature program at the Central Virginia Regional Jail, and he handles numerous pro bono appointments on the side. The Williamsburg chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters tapped him as “Volunteer of the Year” in 2004.

Hats off.

Here’s a preview of coming attractions for the Virginia Bar Association winter meeting later this week.

Good Guys, Part 1. The VBA will give its William B. Spong Jr. Professionalism Award to two men, Bill Van Buren of Norfolk and Tom Spahn of McLean.

The Spong Award recognizes leadership by example that inspires the legal profession and the public, according to the association.

Van Buren was VBA president in 2006 when he appointed Spahn to chair a special commission to put together Principles of Professionalism for Virginia Lawyers. The commission went to work and the Principles were released last spring. They have been endorsed by the Supreme Court of Virginia, many other state and federal courts in the commonwealth, every statewide bar group and many local bars.

Good Guy, Part 2. John Oakey will receive the VBA’s Roger D. Groot Pro Bono Publico Service Award at the meeting. The Groot award, named for a late Washington & Lee law professor, is given in recognition and appreciation of outstanding pro bono and community service work.

Since he retired from McGuireWoods, Oakey has devoted much of his time to pro bono work. He has represented clients through the Richmond Legal Aid Housing Program, prosecuted child support cases, represented domestic violence victims and handled court appointments. Also, Oakey has served in the leadership of the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, the Legal Aid Justice Center and the Greater Richmond Bar Foundation.

Well done, gentlemen, and cheers!

Richmond lawyer Andy Nea will be honored later this month by the Richmond Bar Association when he picks up the RBA’s John C. Kenny Pro Bono Award for 2009-2010.

The association gives the Kenny award annually to an individual or law firm that shows dedication in furthering the delivery of pro bono legal services to the poor and underserved in the metro Richmond area.

Nea, who is the pro bono partner at Williams Mullen, has given thousands of hours of his own time on pro bono work and he coordinates the activities of more than 300 lawyers in Virginia, North Carolina and DC.

Among the groups for whom he has worked or given his time and leadership: Habitat for Humanity, the Boy Scouts of America, the Legal Information Network for Cancer, Lawyers for Warriors, the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society and the United Way.

Also, he is a member of the board of directors of the Greater Richmond Bar Foundation.

One nomination noted that Nea was instrumental in creating the “Firms for Service” organization, which was started with the purpose of encouraging pro bono work from all of Richmond’s law firms.

And another nomination perhaps said it best: Andy “does not see his service to the community as a requirement of his profession – rather, he views his service as a duty of the heart. He embodies the spirit of service, and opens the doors for others to serve – and receive services – like no other.”

The award will be presented at the RBA’s Jan. 21 luncheon at the Omni. John Luke, the chairman and CEO of MeadWestvaco, will be the featured speaker that day.

Here’s to one of the good guys: Ed Weiner.

Weiner was honored by the Fairfax Bar Association luncheon today with the FBA’s James Keith Public Service Award. Among the reasons: As Judge Stan Klein said in presenting the award, “Ed is a tireless fundraiser for the Fairfax Law Foundation.”

Each year, Ed’s law firm, Weiner, Rohrstaff & Spivey, holds the annual Law Day Weiner Roast around Law Day and the Jazz 4 Justice program, a joint effort between the foundation and the music school at George Mason. Klein noted that these programs have raised more than $100,000 for the foundation and more than $25,000 for music scholarships at GMU.

Weiner has been active in numerous other charitable efforts, which help, as the judge noted, “make Fairfax an even better place to live.”

Klein concluded by noting that you can find Weiner at the Union Mill Shopping Center every Saturday this December, “ringing the bell for the Salvation Army.”

Hats off.