About the Award
The Traver Scholar Award is awarded by the Real Property Section of the Virginia State Bar and Virginia CLE® to honor men and women who embody the highest ideals and expertise in the practice of real estate law. Traver Scholars are Real Property Section members who have made significant contributions to the practice of real property law generally and the Section specifically and have generously shared their knowledge with others. The award is named for the “father” of Virginia real estate lawyers, Courtland L. Traver, whose outstanding legal ability and willingness to share his knowledge and experience was an inspiration to others.
Criteria
Nominations have closed for 2025-2026.
Nominees must be a member of the Real Property Section.
Nominations may be made by any member, by members of the Real Property Section (RPS) board of governors, and by area representatives. Nominations from the section's general membership will be sought and considered, provided that any such nomination must be received by a board member or area representative and forwarded to the nominations committee in a timely manner. A nomination will be accepted only if accompanied by a statement of qualifications of the nominee.
Example commendation for nomination may include:
- speaking at CLE seminars,
- writing articles for The Fee Simple,
- being involved in the section as an area representative or serving on a committee,
- working to enhance the statutes of Virginia with regard to real estate matters, or
- any other relevant means of sharing knowledge of real estate matters in Virginia.
Current Recipient
2026
Kevin T. Pogoda
Pogoda is the first Vice President and Virginia State Manager for Old Republic National Title Insurance Company. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Real Property Section, and is the editor of A Virginia Title Examiners' Manual, 6th ed., as well as author of the VLTA Pre-Licensing Study Manual and the VLTA Virginia Certified Title Examiner course. He has written for The Fee Simple, The Examiner, and various VaCLE publications, including Virginia Real Estate Transactions.
In his capacity as Virginia State Manager, Pogoda regularly speaks as an instructor before various groups, including attorneys, real estate agents, title examiners, and title settlement agents. He is also a past president of the Virginia Land Title Association and is the proud recipient of VLTA’s Distinguished Service Award for 2017.
Pogoda worked in several firms located in New Jersey, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. While in private practice, Kevin’s experience included SEC compliance, Indian gaming law, commercial litigation, labor and employment law, and not-for-profit litigation. Kevin has passed the bar exams for California, New Jersey, Virginia, and Maryland.