Beverly, Sarah Warren S.

Ruby, Marguerite R.

English

University of Richmond

University of Richmond Law ReviewVolume 45 | Issue 1 Article 211-1-2010Celebrating the Twenty-Fifth Issue of the AnnualSurvey of Virginia LawMarguerite R. RubyUniversity of Richmond School of LawSarah Warren S. BeverlyUniversity of Richmond School of LawFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.richmond.edu/lawreviewPart of the Legal Education Commons, and the Legal History CommonsThis Foreword is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School Journals at UR Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusionin University of Richmond Law Review by an authorized editor of UR Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contactscholarshiprepository@richmond.edu.Recommended CitationMarguerite R. Ruby & Sarah W. Beverly, Celebrating the Twenty-Fifth Issue of the Annual Survey of Virginia Law, 45 U. Rich. L. Rev.(2010).Available at: https://scholarship.richmond.edu/lawreview/vol45/iss1/2FOREWORDCELEBRATING THE TWENTY-FIFTH ISSUE OF THEANNUAL SURVEY OF VIRGINIA LAWAs the 2010-11 Annual Survey Editor and the 1985-86 Editor-in-Chief, we are proud to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniver-sary of the Annual Survey of Virginia Law with a look back at itshistory. The Annual Survey continues to be the most widely readof the four issues published by the University of Richmond LawReview each year. We attribute the Annual Survey's success tothe combination of relevant and timely subject matter and adeptand renowned authors. This foreword and the entire anniversaryissue celebrate the subjects and authors that have made the lasttwenty-five years of the Annual Survey so enjoyable and success-ful. We hope the Law Review will continue this tradition of com-piling and disseminating to the legal community a comprehensiveand critical analysis of recent developments in Virginia law foryears to come.The Annual Survey was conceived in the summer of 1985 underthe reigns of Marguerite Ruby to serve three principal goals.First, we aspired to enhance the visibility, readership, and repu-tation of the Law Review with practitioners. Law reviews serve amyriad of constituencies, but at times practitioners can questionthe day-to-day relevance of such publications to their immediateneeds and interests. Law reviews' in-depth analyses of cuttingedge national and international legal trends and developmentsand the careful and thorough research that underlie such analys-es serve an important mission, but at times can appear remotefrom the work of the practicing bar. By lending the same criticaleye to annual developments in Virginia law, the Law Review canprovide a valuable service to a wide cross-section of Virginia prac-titioners.UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND LAW REVIEWSecond, the 1985 Editorial Board inaugurated the Annual Sur-vey to take advantage of and showcase the particular expertise ofleading professors, lawyers, judges, legislators, and regulators inthe Commonwealth, many of whom we are fortunate to call Uni-versity of Richmond alumni and faculty. While these individualsare renowned for their expertise in areas of national and interna-tional significance, they also have imprinted indelible marks onthe judicial, legislative, and regulatory law of their local commun-ities. The Annual Survey allows us to showcase their expertiseand contributions.Finally, the Annual Survey was created with a vision of provid-ing closer and more intimate interactions between the Virginialegal community and our student members. Among its many mis-sions, the Law Review is designed to provide a unique and valua-ble learning experience for law students. Because many Law Re-view authors reside hundreds or thousands of miles away,students ordinarily interact with them only by phone or e-mail. Incontrast, students often are able to interact with Annual Surveyauthors in a much closer way because of their geographical prox-imity and, in some cases, current or past connection to the LawSchool.With these goals in mind, the inaugural issue of the AnnualSurvey offered eight survey articles, covering foundational sub-jects including Civil Practice and Procedure, Criminal Procedure,Legal Issues Involving Children, and Wills, Trusts, and Estates.These have become the staples of the Annual Survey and an im-portant part of many practitioners' continuing education. Due tothe success of the Annual Survey issue, the Law Review expandedthe editorial board to include a "Survey Editor" and increased inboth size and readership.As the Annual Survey matured, specialty topics sporadicallyemerged to supplement the foundational articles featured annual-ly. These specialty topics are featured when legislative and judi-cial developments merit additional review. Examples includeAdministrative Law, Construction Law, Medical MalpracticeLaw, and, more recently, even such specialized subjects as Rail-road Law and Animal Law.[Vol. 45:xiFOREWORDThe Annual Survey also routinely includes essays and studentcomments, which often analyze a particularly significant piece oflegislation or judicial decision. For example, 2006 marked a newera for the pleading of civil actions in Virginia. Professor W.Hamilton Bryson wrote a commentary for the 2006 Annual Sur-vey to discuss these changes and the history of common-law andequity pleading in Virginia.'Consistent with the objectives of the 1985-86 Editorial Board,the Annual Survey continues to chronicle yearly developments inthose subjects fundamental to legal practice. The Survey ispenned by distinguished authors dedicated to their particularfields and willing to share that passion with our readers. We havebeen, and continue to be, proud to provide a means through whichthese authors can share their knowledge with practitionersthroughout the Commonwealth and beyond.The Annual Survey provides a forum for prominent voices. Weare honored to provide a setting for Virginia attorneys, judges,and legislative and executive officials to share their knowledgeand opinions. We are fortunate to feature both recurring and newauthors, all of whom share a desire to increase their knowledge ina particular field and to share that knowledge with others.We could not discuss the history of the Annual Survey withoutmentioning the outstanding contributions of two especially de-voted Survey authors. Professor J. Rodney Johnson has contri-buted a Wills, Trusts, and Estates article twenty-four out of thelast twenty-five years. He has been a leading expert in his fieldwhose views and contributions are sought by legislators and prac-titioners throughout the Commonwealth and far beyond. Hisnearly annual contributions to this Annual Survey have addedimmeasurably to the Survey's success and credibility. Beyond thistangible contribution, his mentorship of Law Review membersand editors for many years is deeply appreciated.Professor Robert Shepherd, Jr. has shared an equally signifi-cant role in the history of the Law Review, as well as the entireLaw School and the surrounding legal community. ProfessorShepherd was a leading voice in children's advocacy and a re-nowned expert in family and juvenile law for decades until his1. See W. Hamilton Bryson, Commentary: The Merger of Common-Law and EquityPleading in Virginia, 41 U. RICH. L. REV. 77 (2006).2010]UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND LAW REVIEWuntimely death in December 2008. He was not only an expert inanalyzing and interpreting existing law, but was an active partic-ipant in shaping the law in collaboration with the Virginia Gen-eral Assembly. In his twenty-three years as a member of the LawSchool faculty, he was a frequent contributor to the Annual Sur-vey and offered his valuable guidance to the Law Review editorialboard and staff. The 2009 Annual Survey was dedicated to hismemory. We offer our thanks to both Professors Johnson andShepherd for their remarkable contributions across the years.The Law Review appreciates the contributions of all of the An-nual Survey authors over these past twenty-five years. In addi-tion to the contributions made by renowned professors and practi-tioners, we have been fortunate to publish articles authored bypublic officials charged with shaping the law. Past issues have in-cluded essays, articles, and forewords authored by Judges Tho-mas Horne, Frederick Rockwell III, Jane Marum Roush, BeverlySnukals, and Douglas Tice, Jr., and Justice Elizabeth Lacy. PastGovernors James Gilmore and Mark Warner and current Gover-nor and then-Attorney General Robert McDonnell each have con-tributed to the Annual Survey. We thank them and all past-andfuture-Annual Survey authors for sharing their time and talentswith the Law Review and its readers.We could not end this foreword without giving certain addi-tional thanks. First, we thank the editorial boards in the inter-vening years between the inaugural and the current Annual Sur-vey issues. It is tempting for each new editorial board, wishing toleave its own mark on the institution, to cast aside existing tradi-tions and start fresh. Further, it can be a tall order to keep anytradition alive and vibrant for such a long period. We appreciateyour efforts, perseverance, and dedication to the Annual Survey'smission. Second, no Law Review issue, and certainly not the An-nual Survey, could go to print without the innumerable behind-the-scenes contributions of Glenice Coombs, our Legal PublicationCoordinator for the past several decades. Glenice has guided gen-erations of Law Review members and editors and is the glue thatholds the Law Review together.[Vol. 45:xi20101 FOREWORDWe look forward to twenty-five more years of the Annual Sur-vey, to its continued growth-in the community, and to the additionof new voices and subjects to continue to educate us all on Virgin-ia law.Marguerite R. RubyEditor-in-Chief 1985-86Sarah Warren S. BeverlyAnnual Survey Editor 2010-11

Celebrating the Twenty-Fifth Issue of the Annual Survey of Virginia Law

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Celebrating the Twenty-Fifth Issue of the Annual Survey of Virginia Law

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