Friday, April 24, 2009

Thu, 15 Feb 2007

Minority undergraduate and high school students will learn about careers in law and the law school experience from distinguished legal professionals and current law students at “Opportunity Calling 2007” hosted by Liberty University School of Law on Saturday, March 3. The event will feature a keynote address by Robert J. Grey, Jr., partner in the Richmond office of Hunton & Williams and past president of the American Bar Association (ABA), and will include two panel discussions.

Rita Davis will moderate a panel of legal professionals who will discuss their experiences entering the field of law and in their areas of practice. Ms. Davis is President of the Richmond Chapter of the Old Dominion Bar Association and Member of the Board of Governors of the Virginia State Bar Young Lawyers Conference (YLC). She is an associate at the Richmond office of Hunton & Williams. Other panelists confirmed thus far are Jimmy F. Robinson, Jr., immediate past president of the YLC and partner at LeClair Ryan in Richmond, and Hope Townes, Assistant City Attorney in Lynchburg.

A second panel, comprised of Liberty law students, will address preparation for law school and their law school experiences. Both panels will include question and answer sessions. A luncheon and Mr. Grey’s address will take place between the two panel discussions.

Mr. Grey has worked to increase diversity in the legal profession throughout his career and years of service in the ABA. He served as its president from 2004-2005 and was the first person of color to serve in a top ABA office. His law practice focuses on administrative matters before state and federal agencies. Based on this and other experience, he continues his practice in mediation and other forms of dispute resolution on the state and national level. He represents corporate and industry interests in the legislative arena and counsels businesses with concerns before elected and appointed government officials.

Mr. Grey devoted his term as president of the ABA to creating better justice through better juries via the American Jury Initiative. The Jury Initiative was composed of the Commission on the American Jury and the American Jury Project. The Commission was dedicated to educating the public on and reinvigorating the nation’s commitment to jury service. The American Jury Project modernized and consolidated varying sets of juror standards into a single model document that reflects the demands of contemporary trials. This work will continue under the auspices of the new American Jury Project. In addition to promoting ABA initiatives to review, unify and update its programs to increase diversity in the legal profession, Mr. Grey has worked to advance the ABA’s international rule of law efforts and to safeguard the profession’s independence.

He earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law and his Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. An active volunteer in the community, Mr. Grey has chaired the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Richmond Partnership and Youth Matters, and was president of the Richmond Crusade for Voters.