Third Biennial Educational Conference
Friday, March 3, 2023
Virginia Western Community College
Online registration is now closed!
Onsite Registration Available. Lunch is not guaranteed.
SCHEDULE:
8:30 a.m.:
Registration
(Continental Breakfast Included)
8:55 a.m.:
RVPA Welcome Message
9:00 a.m.:
Mary Russell, Assistant Professor of Law
Appalachian School of Law
Medical Records: Boning up on Development, Retention, and Others things in that Vein
Across 30 years of diverse legal experience in Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia, Mary has guided many clients.
Today, Mary teaches Constitutional Law and State and Local Government at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, VA. Mary also supervises third-year students who have a student-practice license in the Law School’s Medical-Legal partnership (MLP) with Ballad Health system.
Prior to coming to ASL, Mary worked in the Christiansburg-based office of SandsAnderson, P.C. . She worked with clients on government contracts, litigation, medical malpractice, among other areas. She also defended local and constitutional officers in the specific legal challenges facing local mayors, sheriffs, and other officers. Further, Mary defended civil rights cases and represents the Commonwealth of Virginia in healthcare malpractice cases defending medical providers.
Mary has represented social workers and other state employees in state and federal courts. She also has experience advising state agencies around social services, public health, mental health, Medicaid, and other federal/state assistance programs.
Mary’s background also includes representing business and banking clients in numerous settings. From 1998 until 2017, Mary focused much of her practice on bankruptcy. She served as a Panel Trustee for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy cases and also worked on behalf of debtors and creditors in foreclosures, reorganizations, and workouts.
Before joining Sands Anderson, she was a member of the Hale, Lyle & Russell Law Firm in Bristol, Tennessee, and then the managing partner of Russell Law Firm in Bristol, Virginia. Her firms represented the Washington County Industrial Development Authority and the City of Bristol, Virginia School Board, in addition to serving many business clients.
10:00 a.m.:
Rachel L.D. Thompson, Esquire
Poarch Thompson Law
Language Barriers with Clients
Rachel L. D. Thompson, an immigration and adoption attorney, is a partner at Poarch Thompson Law. She serves on the Federal Bar Association’s Governing board as Programs Chair, is the Chair of their Law School Committee, and also speaks annually at its conferences. She was the recipient of the FBA-ILS “Younger Lawyer of the Year Award” (2018) and the recipient of the “Alison Parker Young Woman of Achievement Award” (2016) given by DePaul Community Resources where she serves a board member. She also serves as a board member for Blue Ridge Legal Services. In 2020, she was listed in Roanoker Magazine’s Class of 2020 for “40 Under 40,” was named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine, and nominated by her peers as Legal Elite by Virginia Business. Alongside being one of Poarch Thompson Law’s managing attorneys, she is also an adjunct professor at Liberty University School of Law. Rachel first moved to Southwest Virginia when she attended Liberty University School of Law (Lynchburg, Virginia), graduating in May 2012. The multiculturalism inherent in her native city (Philadelphia) and her family (South African mother and Jamaican father) instilled an early and profound love for diverse cultures, hope in the possibilities of immigration.
Mindi Aguirre, Esquire
Poarch Thompson Law
Language Barriers with Clients
Mindi Aguirre is a native of Roanoke, Virginia. She graduated from Roanoke College before earning her law degree from Liberty University School of Law, graduating in 2020. Mindi began working for Poarch Thompson Law soon after graduation and has excelled in many areas of immigration law including special immigrant juvenile status and removal and deportation defense. Mindi has always been fascinated with the practice of law and knew from a young age that she wanted to go to law school. Mindi has a strong passion for immigration defense.
She is licensed to practice in Virginia and before the Executive Office of Immigration Review. She has represented clients before Virginia State Courts, the Immigration Courts, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Board of Immigration Appeals. Mindi enjoys her Special Immigrant Juvenile cases as she knows her work greatly impacts the lives and futures of immigrant children in the United States.
Outside of work, Mindi enjoys spending time with her husband, friends and family.
11:00 a.m.:
Ben Rottenborn, Esquire
Woods Rogers Vanderventer Black
Behind the Scenes Look at Trial Prep
Ben Rottenborn practices in the Litigation, Government Investigations & White Collar Criminal Defense, and Emerging Growth practice groups at Woods Rogers.
He has extensive experience representing clients in complex civil litigation matters involving issues in fiduciary duty, general commercial law, private equity/venture capital, securities, intellectual property, and products liability. As a litigator, Ben practices at both the trial and appellate levels in federal and state courts around the country.
Before joining Woods Rogers in 2012, Ben was a partner in the Chicago Office of international law firm Kirkland & Ellis LLP. His career highlights include representing venture capital directors in a breach of fiduciary duty lawsuit brought by former shareholders in a technology start-up company. He also defended a Fortune 50 company in a suit seeking specific performance of a $15 billion merger contract. Ben is ranked as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers Virginia.
The Waynesboro, Va. native graduated with highest distinction from the University of Virginia and earned his law degree at Stanford Law School, where he served as president of the Stanford Law and Policy Review. After graduating, Ben served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable David G. Campbell, U.S. District Judge for the District of Arizona.
Ben has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia School of Law.
12:00 p.m.:
Lunch (Included)
1:00 p.m.:
Doug Buchanan, MHCSS Staff Manager
Roanoke Resource
Stress: Here, There, Everywhere
Doug grew up on the Eastern Shore, which is located right above VA Beach. He decided to move to Southwest VA to attend school for psychology. He went to both Radford and Virginia Tech and received my master’s degree at the former. He had a very strong calling to work with individuals diagnosed with severe mental illness and that is exactly what he did! He now works at Roanoke Resource, where he gets the opportunity to help improve people’s circumstances on a daily basis.
2:00 p.m.:
John Johnson, Esquire
The Johnson Law Group, PLC
Ethical Conundrums: Why Bother?
John Johnson grew up in the Roanoke Valley a long time ago. He left Roanoke and attended The Virginia Military Institute and Washington & Lee School of Law. Both he and his wife swore they would never return to Roanoke, yet here they are. John began his practice with Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore in 1991. He was a partner and shareholder with Frith Anderson & Peake, but during the pandemic he had an epiphany while doing hearings by Zoom from his dining room table, and The Johnson Law Group was formed. Over the thirty plus years that John has practiced in Virginia, he has handled a variety of litigated matters in state and federal court throughout Virginia ranging from workers’ compensation cases to catastrophic injuries and constitutional claims involving local governments, but focuses now primarily on family law as well as criminal defense. To the extent John has been successful in the Courtroom, it is because of the hard work behind the scenes of the paralegals with whom he has worked over the years.
3:00 p.m.:
RVPA Closing Message
*NALA CLE Credits Pending*
ATTENTION STUDENTS!
RVPA is pleased to offer six (6) Scholarships to assist eligible paralegal students with the expenses of attending the upcoming Practically Legal Educational Conference.
Please get in touch with Audrey Gray at rvpa2018@gmail.com with any registration questions.
Click on the “Donate” button to donate to support our conference!