Awards of Merit are offered in five divisions:
- 50 members or fewer
- 51-250 members
- 251–450 members
- 451 or more members
- Multi-bar projects
- Sustained projects
Additional certificates of achievement may be awarded in each division if deemed appropriate by the judges.
CLSBA-member local and specialty bars are encouraged to submit successful or unique NEW programs undertaken since May 1, 2023, or sustained projects that meet the judging criteria. If a bar completes several projects during Law Week, all the projects may be included in one entry or each project may be entered individually. A local or specialty bar association may submit more than one entry but no more than four.
The judging committee reserves the right to withhold an award in any division if it feels no noteworthy bar programs were entered. The executive committee of the Conference of Local and Specialty Bar Associations reserves the right to recategorize the current bar size divisions.
Each entry should include the following information:
- The project’s objectives and intended scope.
- Nature and extent of planning and organization.
- Evidence of effectiveness and success of the project.
- Extent of membership involvement.
- Expenses and funding of the project.
- Replicability and adaptability of the project to other local or specialty bar associations.
- Suggestions to other bars that may attempt a similar project.
- If similar projects have been undertaken by another bar association or if this is a continuing project by a bar association, explain how this effort distinguished itself (i.e., effectiveness, scope, participation).
Supporting exhibits such as photographs, newspaper clippings, pamphlets and other printed material may be included in the association’s entry. If you wish to submit a recording for review, please include a link to the recording uploaded to YouTube.
All entry material will be added to the Virginia State Bar’s Resource Library for use by all local and specialty bar associations.
Winners will be notified by telephone by Friday, May 10, 2024.
A press release will be sent to local and statewide media announcing Awards of Merit recipients.
The executive committee of the Conference of Local and Specialty Bar Associations will select people experienced in bar activities to serve as judges.
Entries will be judged according to:
- Degree of innovation and originality.
- Level of difficulty in implementing or sustaining
the project.
- Success of the project including scope, importance and
duration of benefits derived by the public or profession.
- Replicability and adaptability of the project to other local or
specialty bar associations.
- Extent of membership participation.
Sustained Projects
For sustained projects, additional criteria are:
- growth of project and
- the duration of the project must exceed five (5) consecutive years.
If a sustained project has previously received an award under this category, another five years must have lapsed and growth of project since last award received must be noted.