Publisher's Notebook

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.