May 19, 2026
The Richmond Bar Association Named 2026 Bar Association of the Year
The Richmond Bar Association (RBA) was named the Bar Association of the Year by the Virginia State Bar Local and Specialty Bar Section (LSBS).
The RBA was founded in 1885, is the oldest bar association in Virginia, and the second largest, with 1,401 members representing the full breadth of the Richmond legal community, from solo practitioners and government attorneys to partners at the region's largest firms. In the 2025–2026 bar year, the RBA has hosted approximately 48 programs and events, offered 13 continuing legal education programs, launched a new mentoring program, conducted judicial endorsement interviews for three separate vacancies, and continued its decades-long commitment to connecting the bench, the bar, and the public it serves.
Member Support
The RBA offered 13 continuing legal education programs covering a wide range of topics relevant to Richmond practitioners, including ethics and artificial intelligence, Virginia appellate practice, civil case law updates, immigration status considerations, DEI in the workplace, cybersecurity, injunctive relief, wellness, and pro bono housing law. Ethics credits were offered at no charge to members who paid dues before September 1.
The RBA's nine practice area sections—Bankruptcy, Business Law, Corporate Counsel, Environmental and Energy, Family Law, Litigation, Real Estate, Senior Lawyers, and Young Lawyers—each hosted their own programming throughout the bar year, including socials, CLEs, annual meetings, and judge-focused events. Section programming gave members a more intimate professional home within the larger association and drove meaningful participation well beyond the RBA's signature events.
Signature events drew strong attendance across the bar year. The holiday cocktail party welcomed 219 attendees, the [2025] spring cocktail party 172, the awards luncheon 113, the [2025] Law Day Luncheon approximately 100, and the summer associate breakfast 80. The annual Bench-Bar Conference brought together 160 judges and attorneys for a half-day program focused on bench-bar relations and the administration of justice.
In January, the RBA launched a new formal mentoring program in collaboration with the Young Lawyers, Corporate Counsel, and Senior Lawyers Sections. The program currently has 24 active mentor and mentee matches, pairing attorneys across career stages and practice areas for year-long engagement.
Community Outreach
The RBA's most distinctive community outreach contribution is its judicial endorsement process, a rigorous, merit-based program that has operated continuously since 1983. For over four decades, the RBA's Judiciary Committee has interviewed candidates for judicial vacancies across all state and federal courts serving Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield, and sometimes Hanover County, providing the bench, the bar, and the public with an independent assessment of judicial candidates based solely on character, temperament, professional aptitude, experience, diligence, and public service.
The process is governed by a formal, written plan for endorsement, which requires a two-thirds majority vote and a minimum of six affirmative votes for any endorsement. Candidates found highly qualified are certified to the appointing or electing authority, and the Judiciary Committee and RBA President send letters of endorsement to the members of the appropriate General Assembly committees. In the 2025–2026 bar year, the Judiciary Committee conducted interviews of 27 candidates across three separate judicial vacancies.
The RBA's annual Law Day Luncheon brings together members of the bench and bar to honor the rule of law and celebrate the legal profession's role in the community. The 2025 Law Day Luncheon drew approximately 100 attendees. The 2026 Law Day Luncheon featured Chief Judge M. Hannah Lauck of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia as the keynote speaker.
Pro Bono
The RBA's pro bono programming reflects a genuine and sustained commitment to access to justice in the greater Richmond community. The Pro Bono Committee meets bi-monthly and coordinates the RBA's pro bono efforts in active partnership with five legal aid and community organizations: the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, the Greater Richmond Bar Foundation, the Legal Aid Justice Center, the University of Richmond School of Law, and the Virginia Poverty Law Center.
In December 2025, the RBA hosted a Pro Bono Housing Training CLE at Williams Mullen, providing members with the skills needed to represent low-income tenants facing eviction.
The RBA's Pro Bono Court Watch Days, launched in the summer of 2025, are among the most innovative pro bono initiatives the Association has undertaken. Held in collaboration with the Legal Aid Justice Center, which provides a pre-courthouse breakfast for attendees, Court Watch Days send RBA member attorneys and law students to observe proceedings at the Richmond Courthouse to identify the justice gaps and encourage attendees to get involved in pro bono work. Two Court Watch Days have been held to date in the current bar year, with additional sessions planned. The program represents a meaningful (and replicable) model for voluntary bar associations seeking to make an impact on access to justice in their communities.
The LSBS will present the 2026 Bar Association of the Year Award at the Annual Meeting in Virginia Beach.