The long-awaited Long Term Care Retreat was held earlier this month in Fredericksburg. Although the weather outside was cold and snowy, we stayed warm and comfortable inside the beautiful Publisher Hotel. The agenda was packed with timely and engaging topics presented by some of the most dedicated and accomplished nursing home lawyers in Virginia. Check out some photos here.

Special thanks to this year’s section chair Ellen Bognar for planning an outstanding program. We are also grateful to all who spoke, attended, and sponsored the event - your support made the retreat a VTLA success.

Our Workers’ Comp Retreat changed seasons and met in Richmond this month. Despite the frosty weather, there was a great turnout. It was nice to see so many new and familiar faces! Take a look at photos here.

Retreat Chair Jennifer Capocelli developed an outstanding program full of great speakers and timely topics. Special thanks also need to be given to those who helped plan the event: Julia Childrey, Mingkwan Collins, David Falcon, Berkley Foltz, Brad Goodwin, Stephen Harper, and Joel Young. A special shoutout to Alliance Meds and TrustRx for helping make this year's retreat truly memorable.

• Stephen J. Cannella, Cannella & O’Neal, Richmond
• Mark D. Dix, Dix Law Firm, Richmond
• Horace F. Hunter, Hunter l Everage, Richmond 
• Michael D. Reiter, ChasenBoscolo, Fairfax
• W. David Falcon, Ackerman & Falcon, Vienna
• Robert C.T. Reed, Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen, Richmond
• W. Randolph Robins Jr., Lantz & Robins, Richmond
• Justin M. Sheldon, Breit Biniazan, Richmond
• Andrew K. Thomas, Dulaney, Lauer & Thomas, Warrenton

You can view all of our contributors here.

... and run, don’t walk to hire a winner for your summer! 

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 VTL Foundation Scholarships:  Jurnee Agbowu, William & Mary Law School and the Recipient of the Donald McEachin Memorial Scholarship, Lara Ballout, University of Richmond Law School and Reena Cranmer, Georgetown Law.  

We are currently looking for placement in a Richmond firm for Jurnee this summer.  She is interested in personal injury, civil rights and other plaintiff work and her recent experience includes associate work at Ogletree Deakins and Dominion Energy.  Lara has accepted a summer position at Marks & Harrison.

Interested in hiring an award winner? Please contact Lori O’Toole at lotoole@vtla.com or call (804) 343-1143 ext. 312 as soon as possible.

You may have seen or heard from a familiar face this year in our legislative efforts. Matt Foster from Bangel, Bangel & Bangel in Portsmouth, joined our legislative team this session. A former legislative chair and current convention chair, Matt has hit the ground in a full sprint. His insights, his familiarity with many legislators, and his talent are a huge asset to VTLA’s work.

Thanks for joining the team, Matt!
 

We're only one month away! Answer the Call at VTLA’s Annual Convention from March 18-21 at The Greenbrier. Nationally recognized speakers, as well as colleagues from Virginia, will inspire you to rise up and make a difference. Traditional and new events will help you renew connections and build new ones. So, get inspired. Recharge your passion. Try your hand at new events with a healthy smoothie class, pickleball round robin or mahjong meetups.

More than 50 exhibitors are eager to share their expertise with you. 

Join us at The Greenbrier or virtually. Register with VTLA here. (Our early bird rates expire March 4th.) To reserve your room at The Greenbrier, call 855-453-4858. Hotel reservations should be made by February 25 for VTLA rates. See you soon!

Virginia’s General Assembly reached its mid-point just yesterday and VTLA bolstered our efforts with the help of about a dozen member “lobbyists” for one very cold day last month. Despite terrible weather the preceding few days, bitter cold and slippery sidewalks, our members had unique access to legislators this year for our ANNUAL JUSTICE DAY as a number of other groups cancelled their lobby days. 

A very special thank you to House Civil Law Subcommittee Chair and Falls Church attorney Marcus Simon who briefed the group on important legislation and generously gave of his time to answer our questions. Thank you to all who attended, virtually and in person! 

Big thanks also to our amazing team of legislative volunteers, headed by Matt Foster, Brad Goodwin and Rob Reed, Elliott Buckner, and VTLA’s Executive Council and Board of Governors. It truly is a team effort!

We put out the call and you answered.  The VTL Foundation would like to thank everyone who contributed much needed funds to three regional food banks and thereby helped feed those members of our communities who struggle with food insecurity. Due to your generosity, we contributed $1000 to each of the following food banks: Feed More in Richmond, Feeding Southwest Virginia in Salem and Capital Area Food Bank in Northern Virginia. Thank you for seeing a need and being so willing to help. You make our communities stronger.  

• Mary Ball Bohnaker*
• Seth James Craig
• Kayla Jones*
• Caroline Kropka
• Kelli Leggette*
• James Penny Jr.
• Carroll Arthur Rutter IV
• Manasi Singh
• Andrea Slay*
• Taylor Sproed
• Joshua Stanfield* 
• Mariam Tadros

* Paralegal Member

The VTLA education program has a wide reach. This year kicks off with a webinar for personal injury attorneys, a retreat for Workers’ Comp lawyers, a retreat for Long Term Care litigators and then a retreat advanced family law lawyers later in February. And we’re just getting started!

We are mixing in ways to learn as well - virtual and in person programs, long and short programs - all to meet you where you are and all designed by your colleagues who understand what information you need.

Watch for a webinar in February on defense medical examinations, a May program on pre-litigation strategies, our Auto Retreat this summer, a multi-jurisdicitoonal program for those of you who practice personal injury in bordering states, and so much more. Of course, you will hear about each one as they are ready for your registration, but updated information is always on our Education page.