VMVLA wins 2024 Merit Award for the Josephine City Project

June 25, 2024, Posted By : Anne Louise Mason

Posted in : VMVLA Announcments

The VMVLA is honored to receive a 2024 Award of Merit from the Conference of Local and Specialty Bar Associations of the Virginia State Bar.

VMVLA was recognized for its efforts to protect and preserve the legacy of Josephine City, a community founded by emancipated slaves in Berryville. In support of this Blue Ridge Mountain community, VMVLA launched the Josephine City Project to clear property titles, protect historic buildings from demolition, and establish a foundation dedicated to the preservation and restoration of historic structures.

As a specialty bar association committed to the practice of law in the Mountain/Valley region, VMVLA is proud to play a part in preserving a crucial piece of Virginia's heritage while demonstrating the powerful role that lawyers can play in community preservation.

2024 is the second consecutive year that VMVLA has won a Merit Award. VMVLA received a 2023 Merit Award for service projects supporting Wills for Veterans and partnering with local civics and government teachers to create educational classroom materials on the function of the rule of law in American society.