Professional Notices The Richmond Bar Association has named T. O’Connor Johnson , a partner at Hundley & Johnson, as the Association’s Johnson 136th president. Johnson’s practice specializes in personal injury cases involving automobile accidents, traumatic brain injuries, nursing home negligence, motorcycle and trucking accidents, catastrophic injuries, premises liability, among others. Other officers elected at the virtual Annual Meeting were: John W. Anderson of Spotts Fain, PC, president-elect; R. Braxton Hill IV of Christian & Barton, LLP, vice president; Hon. Jacqueline S. McClenney of the Richmond General District Court, honorary vice president; Julie M. Cillo of Owen & Owens PLC, secretary-treasurer; and Daniel E. Lynch of Lynch Seli, P.C., immediate past president. Corey S. Booker of Whiteford Taylor & Preston, LLP, Lisa J. Hedrick of Hirschler and John A. Merrick of Merrick Brock, PLLC were elected to serve on the board of directors. Geoff McDonald , founder and president of Richmond-based Geoff McDonald & Associates is a member of the legal team that recently McDonald won a $40.5 million settlement against Banner Life and related company William Penn Life Insurance of New York, accused of illegally increasing premiums for 7,600 existing life insurance policyholders. Geoff McDonald & Associates joined three other law firms in representing policyholders who received notices from Banner Life that their monthly payments would increase by as much as 1,000 percent. McDonald and co-counsel and partner, Frank H. Hupfl, represented their client who was notified that his monthly premium had increased from $285 to $1,860. After five years of litigation the case was resolved with a settlement that included these terms: 58 % a common settlement fund of $22.5 million awarded to the three named plaintiffs and a class representing over 10,000 members, % an agreement that the insurance companies will forgo similar rate increases for five years and $18 million in equitable, non-monetary relief, and % the collective value of the proposed settlement benefits of $40,749,525. The Richmond law firm of Christian & Barton, L.L.P . has added Timothy G. McCormick as an associate. He will focus his practice McCormick on public utility regulatory matters including energy and telecommunications issues. McCormick previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps both as a combat officer and a litigation attorney. He holds degrees from the University of Maryland School of Law and Saint Joseph’s University. Miles & Stockbridge , a leading business law firm with more than 220 lawyers in the mid-Atlantic region, has announced the Greene launch of an initiative to support Black businesses by providing introductory legal counsel at no cost or a reduced cost. The Miles & Stockbridge Black Business & Start-Up Initiative will focus on helping to eliminate or lessen some of the barriers uniquely experienced by Black entrepreneurs and businesses, such as a lack of funding (particularly as it relates to legal expenses) and a lack of access to a network experienced in the challenges confronting all businesses. «Our Board of Directors met in mid-June to discuss and share what specific steps we, as a law firm, could take inside and outside to address social injustice,” said Nancy Greene , chairman of Miles & Stockbridge. “Using our legal experience and talents to help Black entrepreneurs is a concrete way we as lawyers can be of real help—in our lane—to support the cause of greater economic opportunities and justice for the Black community.” As a starting point, Miles & Stockbridge will work with emerging or start-up companies, owned at least 50 percent by Black owners, meeting one of the following criteria: less than five years of operating history; less than $500,000 of annual revenues, or fewer than 10 employees. Joshua Pretlow Jr. of Suffolk has accepted an offer to become general counsel for the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Pretlow Association of Electric Cooperatives , effective July 1. He has been general counsel for Community Electric Cooperative since 1974, and during his decades of service there, played an integral role as a legal resource to other cooperative attorneys. The position of in-house general counsel was created at the October 2019 meeting of the VMD Association’s board of directors to succeed the decades-long relationship the Association maintained with the firm of LeClairRyan, which has since dissolved. Yi Shen has joined Shannon Mullins & Wright LLP as an associate focusing on Civil/ Commercial Litigation, Construction & Real Estate Yi-Shen matters, Business Law and Wills, Trusts & Estates matters. Shen’s litigation experience includes motions practice, managing discovery, and serving as second chair in civil matters, including breach of contract, real estate, trusts & estates, probate and commercial instruments. He also assists clients with business organization & licensing, real estate, negotiating contracts, probate, and trusts & estates. Kerns & Kastenbaum PLC has moved. The Richmond firm, specializing in litigation, personal injury, and real estate law, is now located at 4900 Radford Avenue in Richmond and at www.kernskast.com online. Kerns & Kastenbaum VIRGINIA LAWYER | AUGUST 2020 | VOL. 69 www.vsb.org
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