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2010 SESSION

10105889D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 458
Offered March 8, 2010
Commending Betty A. Thompson.
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Patrons-- Plum, Albo, Armstrong, Barlow, Brink, Ebbin, Englin, Griffith, Herring, Hope, Kilgore, Sickles, Surovell, Toscano and Watts; Senators: Edwards, Howell, Marsden, Puller, Saslaw, Ticer and Whipple
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WHEREAS, Betty A. Thompson, Esquire, is recognized for more than 60 years of dedicated service to her fellow citizens, Arlington County, and the Virginia legal profession; and

WHEREAS, Betty Thompson attended The George Washington University, receiving a bachelor of arts in 1946 and bachelor of laws in 1948, and became a member of the Virginia State Bar on January 29, 1949, beginning an exemplary legal career; and

WHEREAS, a respected and committed advocate for her clients, Betty Thompson has demonstrated outstanding skill and professional ability, and continues to raise the standards of legal practice in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, Betty Thompson has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the War Horse Award by the Southern Trial Lawyers Association, Distinguished Service Awards by the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and Arlington County Bar Foundation, Outstanding Attorney of Virginia by the Virginia Women Attorneys Association, and recognition in every edition of The Best Lawyers in America, Martindale-Hubbell’s Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, and Washingtonian Magazine’s Best Divorce Lawyers; and

WHEREAS, showing extraordinary dedication to her profession, Betty Thompson has held leadership roles in the Virginia State Bar, Arlington County Bar Association, Arlington County Bar Foundation, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, Virginia Bar Association, Northern Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Virginia Law Foundation, American Bar Foundation, International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and Melvin M. Belli Society; she has been invited to join the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, American College of Trial Lawyers, and Litigation Counsel of America; and serves as a trustee of the Roscoe Pound Foundation and member of the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Foundation; and

WHEREAS, Betty Thompson has been at the forefront of the development of the family law statutes in the Commonwealth, frequently drafting legislation and lobbying to advance the practice; assisting the joint committee of the House and Senate assigned to study equitable distribution, which committee ultimately drafted legislation providing for division of property in divorce cases in 1982; and serving as Chairman of the Virginia Bar Association Coalition on Family Law Legislation from 1995 to 2009; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Betty A. Thompson for her outstanding contributions to the legal profession in the Commonwealth of Virginia; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Betty A. Thompson as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for her many achievements and gratitude for her years of service and continued commitment to the Commonwealth.