Upcoming events

Switch to Calendar View

• NOVABAA CLE: The Do's and Dont's of Fee Agreements

  • When
    May 02, 2024
  •  
    4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  

  NOVABAA's CLE Committee is pleased to announce our CLE on the Do's and Don'ts of Fee Agreements!

  When's the last time that you reviewed your Fee Agreement?  Have any LEOs regarding Fee Agreements come out since then?  Have the rules on Fee Agreements been modified in any way since you borrowed that language that you're using?  You don't know, do you?  

  Well today's your lucky day, NOVABAA Members! Seth Guggenheim worked at the Virginia State Bar as Assistant Ethics Counsel, and Senior Bar Counsel for close to 20 years.  He has seen it all, and can answer your unasked questions.  "Is this provision, appropriate?," "Does this agreement protect me?," "is my language adequate?"  Well wonder no more, Saints!  Seth will be presenting NOVABAA with a CLE Presentation on Fee Agreements that is sure to answer most, if not all of your questions.  Lay awake at night, no longer, Saints!

  Seriously, many attorneys have a "set it and forget it" approach to their Fee Agreements, and only return to the language when circumstances require it.  We hope that you find this presentation is as interesting to you as it is to us.  Given the substantial number of small firm and solo attorneys within our membership, I hope that I see all of our younger attorneys, solo, AND small firm attorneys in virtual attendance.

  The CLE presentation is FREE for ALL NOVABAA MEMBERS*, and I encourage everyone to dust off their engagement fee agreements and come with questions.  This is an excellent opportunity for us to ask questions that we probably have been meaning to get answers to for some time.  We will be applying for one hour of CLE Credit, and once it is approved, we will forward to our registered members.   The Presentation is May 2nd from 4-5pm, and we hope to see you there! 

  * - if you are not a NOVABAA Member, pay your dues, and then it'll be free for you too! :) 

  Show details
• End of Life Decisions: Volume I

  • When
    May 13, 2024
  •  
    6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  
  

  Planning for the End:  The Things You Don't Want to Think About.  Vol. I

  Let's have an honest conversation:  Discussing death is not pleasant.  And neither is discussing the preparation for death.  Lawyers, like anyone else, would prefer to not have these discussions, or even think about the passing of loved ones, and what should happen in the event that they do pass - and they will.

  If you are a member of NOVABAA, the odds are greater than average, that you may be the first attorney in your family.  Similarly, you may be the only attorney that your family and loved ones feel comfortable approaching.  The purpose of this CLE Presentation is to give the VERY basic tools to each of us, and the considerations involved, in ensuring that our loved ones' estates are prepared correctly, and taken care of once they pass.  If you are looking at adding another practice area to your portfolio, this isn't the CLE for you.  If, however, you have aging/ailing parents, loved ones who you want to ensure are protected when they pass on, or if you (an attorney) have a spouse or children, and want to make sure that they are adequately taken care of, then this is the program for you.

  The number of people that die intestate due to the discomfort of having difficult discussions is alarming.  This discussion is split into two separate CLE presentations (credits pending): (A) Volume I deals with estate planning and providing you with the tools to ask the right questions to adequately assist your loved ones; and (B) Volume II deals with estate administration where your loved one has passed, and you are the administrator of their estate, and the things that you need consider in that process.

  Rightfully or wrongfully, as attorneys our family members are going to look to us for guidance as the subject matter experts in these things, presuming that we specialize in estate planning and preparation (even though they obviously know better).  If you've read this far down, it's safe to say that you are not a subject matter expert, and want to at least "do no harm" as you've been deputized into doing the things that you'd rather not be doing.  Truth be told, this is uncomfortable work, and yet so very necessary for us to be conversant on in our families / communities.

  I hope that you decide to participate in this illuminating CLE Presentation, by NOVABAA's own Xue Connnelly, as she assists us in navigating through these very uncomfortable waters.  As with all of our CLE's, it will be free to dues paid members.  If you are having difficulty registering, please feel free to contact me at president@novabaa.org.  If you haven't paid your dues yet, then pay your dues, and it will be free for you, too! :) 

  Show details
• NOVABAA's 3rd Annual EDVA Group Admission Ceremony

  • When
    May 15, 2024
  •  
    10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Location
    United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia - Alexandria Division

  Register

  

  NOVABAA's Group Admission to the Eastern District of Virginia
  
  

  For the third year in a row, NOVABAA has arranged for a group admission in the Eastern District of Virginia for its members!  One of NOVABAA's founding members, Hon. Rossie D. Alston, has graciously agreed to preside over the admissions. 
  

  The ceremony will be conducted on May 15^th at 10 am in Courtroom 1000 of the Federal Courthouse located at 401 Courthouse Square, in Alexandria, Virginia.   If you are interested, you will need to have two sponsors, and there are MANY willing sponsors in NOVABAA’s ranks to help you out!  If you are in need of a sponsor, please reach out to me and I will help point you in some right directions!

  For more information, please contact me ASAP if you are interested.  Applications will need to be submitted by May 1, 2024.  Complete the RSVP attached to this email, and a confirmation email will arrive with a link to the application and further instructions.

  Should you have any questions, please contact Rex.

  Show details
• The DMV Black Bar Associations' Joint Top Golf Event

  • When
    May 25, 2024
  •  
    1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
  • Location
    Top Golf (National Harbor)
  • Spaces left
    10

  Register

  

  
  

  The DMV Black Bar Associations' Second Annual
  Joint Top Golf Event

  Good Morning, Saints!

  For the Second time ever, the Black Bar Associations in the DMV are collaborating together for an EPIC social event that is guaranteed to be fun for all that attend!  The J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association (representing African American attorneys in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties), and the Washington Bar Association (representing African American attorneys in the District of Columbia) are collaborating with NOVABAA for a social outing to kick off the summer at Top Golf in National Harbor!

  This event takes place on May 25th from 1pm to 3pm, and includes food, non-alcoholic drinks, and unlimited "golfing" for each $75 ticket (per person).  We have an initial allotment of 24 tickets.  Meaning that tickets after our initial 24 will be more expensive as we order more bays from Top Golf.  If you attended our last event, you know that this will sell out quickly, and also promises to be an incredible opportunity for attorneys of all ages and backgrounds to meet their counterparts from the other side of the Potomac.  Have you ever wanted to have a contact to send your referrals to in Maryland or DC? Have you ever wished that someone from Maryland and DC would send you referrals?  This is an incredible opportunity to build friendships and establish relationships that will be beneficial both inside and outside the courtroom.

  Tickets will NOT be available on the day of, or at the door.  There is limited space available, and once the space is gone, it's gone.  Each bay holds 6 participants (5 seated, and 1 golfing).  If you wish to be in a particular bay, please contact me at president@novabaa.org as soon as you have purchased your tickets that you can be set up correctly.  AGAIN, this event WILL sell out! RSVP and purchase your tickets, ASAP.  There are close to 1000 members between the three organizations, and when you consider that some will bring spouses, friends, and/or significant others, it is very easy to imagine that this will sell out very quickly.

  This event was a long time in the making, and we hope that you are as excited about it as we are!  We look forward to having an epic event, and we hope that NOVABAA is well represented amongst our counterparts on May 25th.

  Sponsorship opportunities are available!

  Show details
• VSB's 2024 Bar Association of the Year!

  • When
    May 31, 2024
  •  
    7:30 AM
  • Location
    Hilton Garden Inn - Virginia Beach Oceanfront (Nautilus Ballroom)

  Register

  
  

  Y'all, WE did it!!!

  I learned on Thursday that NOVABAA had been selected by the Council for Local and Specialty Bar Associations as its Bar Association of the Year!  This is a tremendous honor!  To be clear, the VSB separates awards for Bar Leaders into Specialty and Local Bar subgroups, so that there is a separate award for Specialty Bar Presidents (such as NOVABAA, Hispanic Bar, APABAVA, NVWAA, etc.) vs. Local Bar Presidents (such as Fairfax Bar, Arlington Bar, Alexandria Bar, Prince William Bar, etc.).  But in the Bar Association of the Year category, there is no such distinction.  Meaning, NOVABAA competed against ALL Bar Associations in Virginia, big, small, local, specialty, established, new - you name it.

  I was floored, but wanted to reach out personally to our founding members and my officers and board members as well to thank them for everything. This would not have happened without their heroic efforts.  Many of our Founding members from 41 years ago are no longer with us, but I do want to take this time to recognize those among us that are still here and active:  Hon. Janice Wellington, Ms. Inga Watkins, Ms. Edna Ruth Vincent, Hon. Rossie D. Alston, Jr., Hon. Gerald Bruce Lee, Hon. Nolan Dawkins, and Hon. William T. Newman, Jr..  To you all, I thank each and every one of you for the vision and foresight to band together after bearing witness to the use of the "N Word" from the podium at one of our local bar association meetings, and create a safe space for us all.  And by "us all," I mean "US," "ALL."  The organization is thriving, and I'm glad you all are here to see it.

  I also want to thank the best d*mn Board on the planet!  I specifically want to thank our VP Lindsay Powell, our (current) Secretary Madison Gibbs, our Treasurer Chidinma Harley, and our (former) Secretary Kiara Swinton.  They all have put up with my foolishness and shenanigans for the past four years.   I also want to put a special thank you in to our 40th Anniversary Planning Committee (in addition to our previously mentioned officers):  Donna Banks, Kellie Budd, Bukky Brown, Andrew Clarke, Natasha Hudgins, LaCresha Johnson, Tamika Jones, Margeaux Thomas.  We met weekly for that event for nearly 6 months!  You all will never get enough credit for the work you did.  I also want to thank the rest of our Committee Chairs: 

  Archives - Antwoine Coleman / Leon Stern
  Black History Month -  Willie Wilson-Herring
  BLSA Liaison - Cameron Williams
  Bylaws - Robert Bryan
  CLE - Kellie Budd
  Community Service - Marcia Payne
  Criminal Justice Diversity Liaison - Lavonda Graham-Williams
  Health and Wellness - Melanie Wright
  Judicial Selection - Rex Flynn / Keith Minson
  Local and Specialty Bar Liaison - Kiah Spinks
  Membership - Aubrey Carew Sizer
  Mentorship - Hasina Lewis
  NAACP Liaison / Social Justice - Makan Shirafkin
  Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce Liaison - Amber Orr
  Parliamentarian - Andrew Clarke
  Professional Development - Chanel Jackson
  Social - Synda Mark
  Website - Patricia Donkor

  
  I don't ask for much (that's a d*mn lie), but I am asking every loyal daughter and son of NOVABAA to join us on stage as we accept this award, at the Virginia State Bar Annual meeting.  Our award ceremony will be at the Council for Local and Specialty Awards Breakfast at 7:30am, at the Hilton Garden Inn, Virginia Beach Oceanfront, in the Nautilus Room. The Breakfast is Absolutely Free!  This award is a once in a lifetime event, and I hope want to see all of us in attendance from our Founding Members to our Law Student Members (and everyone in between!), I want you there!  You can rest assured that for all of you that I see between now and May 31, you WILL be getting pressed about your attendance.  So if you want to avoid the hassle, just go ahead and RSVP Yes now! :)  This goes to ALL members, even if you're on the Bench, when you get "the People's Eyebrow" from me, just know that that's what that means.  (Google "the people's eyebrow" if you don't know what it means).

  If that's not enough to get you there....but wait, there's more!

  NOVABAA also won an Award of Merit for its work with the Fairfax Bar Circuit Court, the Fairfax Bar Association, the Asian Pacific Bar Association of Virginia, and the Northern Virginia Women's Attorneys' Association on the 21 Day Racial Equity Reading Challenge during Black History Month!  So we will be receiving 2 Awards at the Awards Breakfast!  Now you have double the reason to attend, to not only support NOVABAA in its unprecedented win for Bar Association of the Year and also for receiving its second Award of Merit from VSB in 2 years!  I'm not saying that we will be popping champagne bottles in celebration at 7:30am on May 31st.  But I'm also not NOT saying that we will be popping champagne bottles in celebration at 7:30am on May 31st, either! :)

  In all seriousness, I am elated beyond words - and I want all of you to join us on stage at the Breakfast.  I will be harassing each and every one of you (in love of course) to attend and celebrate with us as we hoist up the hardware for these incredible team victories.  NOVABAA, a round of applause to you all, and please pat yourselves on the back.  Whether you were in leadership, or just paid your dues and cheered us on from afar, your effort and energy is what helped us reach this accomplishment.  On behalf of our founding members, I thank each and every one of you for your everlasting support and for tolerating my shenanigans and foolishness for these four years.

  And last but not least - we WILL be throwing a party to celebrate this event! Details will be forthcoming.  Our E-Board is meeting this week to finalize our plans for the Salamander (once those are official, I will be responding to the dozens of emails in my inbox - I promise), and at that meeting we will be discussing the Bar Association of the Year celebration party as well.  Keep your eyes peeled on your email for updates to both of those.  And if you are interested in sponsoring our Bar Association of the Year Party, so that we can have our customary NOVABAA Photo Booth, DJ and Photographer, please contact me at president@novabaa.org.  No Donation is too small!  (We also need sponsors for the Salamander as well - [Did I say that right, Chidinma?]).

  See you in Virginia Beach!
  El Jefe

  Show details
• End of Life Decisions: Volume II

  • When
    June 10, 2024
  •  
    6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  
  

  Planning for the End:  The Things You Don't Want to Think About.  Vol. II

  Let's have an honest conversation:  Discussing death is not pleasant.  And neither is discussing the preparation for death.  Lawyers, like anyone else, would prefer to not have these discussions, or even think about the passing of loved ones, and what should happen in the event that they do pass - and they will.

  If you are a member of NOVABAA, the odds are greater than average, that you may be the first attorney in your family.  Similarly, you may be the only attorney that your family and loved ones feel comfortable approaching.  The purpose of this CLE Presentation is to give the VERY basic tools to each of us, and the considerations involved, in ensuring that our loved ones' estates are prepared correctly, and taken care of once they pass.  If you are looking at adding another practice area to your portfolio, this isn't the CLE for you.  If, however, you have aging/ailing parents, loved ones who you want to ensure are protected when they pass on, or if you (an attorney) have a spouse or children, and want to make sure that they are adequately taken care of, then this is the program for you.

  The number of people that die intestate due to the discomfort of having difficult discussions is alarming.  This discussion is split into two separate CLE presentations (credits pending): (A) Volume I deals with estate planning and providing you with the tools to ask the right questions to adequately assist your loved ones; and (B) Volume II deals with estate administration where your loved one has passed, and you are the administrator of their estate, and the things that you need consider in that process.

  Rightfully or wrongfully, as attorneys our family members are going to look to us for guidance as the subject matter experts in these things, presuming that we specialize in estate planning and preparation (even though they obviously know better).  If you've read this far down, it's safe to say that you are not a subject matter expert, and want to at least "do no harm" as you've been deputized into doing the things that you'd rather not be doing.  Truth be told, this is uncomfortable work, and yet so very necessary for us to be conversant on in our families / communities.

  I hope that you decide to participate in this illuminating CLE Presentation, by NOVABAA's own Xue Connnelly, as she assists us in navigating through these very uncomfortable waters.  As with all of our CLE's, it will be free to dues paid members.  If you are having difficulty registering, please feel free to contact me at president@novabaa.org.  If you haven't paid your dues yet, then pay your dues, and it will be free for you, too! :) 
  

  Show details
• Save the Date - NOVABAA Homecoming '24

  • Start
    August 22, 2024
  • End
    August 24, 2024
  • Location
    Salamander Hotel & Resort

  Register

  

  SAVE THE DATE!
  August 22nd to 24th
  Salamander Hotel & Resort

  
  

  This is simply a Save the Date Reminder for those interested in returning to the Salamander for NOVABAA's Homecoming '24 celebration.  More information will be provided in the near future, however, these will be the dates.

  Most importantly, sponsorship opportunities are available.  We hope that everyone that attended, enjoyed their experience at the 40th!  For those with firms or businesses that would like to sponsor some or all of certain events, you may contact me directly, here to receive our sponsorship material.  We are hoping to get out in front of things much earlier this year now that we have a better sense of what to expect.  Have I mentioned that Sponsorship Opportunities are available?  If you are interested in attending, or learning more, please select RSVP so that our planning committee can have a good idea of the costs involved (this includes if you plan on bringing a spouse/guest, etc).  Again, this is just to assist the Committee with understanding how many attendees will be in the venue, and other logistics.  Once we have a better idea of the scope of the event, and the number of sponsors, we will provide ticket prices along with the agenda and CLE information.  RSVP'ing is not a formal commitment to attending!  It is just very difficult to proceed on such thin margins without some basis to rely on headcount.

  We will be sending out a survey to last year's attendees in the near future to get feedback on what we can improve, and what we should leave behind.
  
  Rex

  Show details