Senior Law Day Award Noted   Covington, VA (Aug. 3, 2020) - It was recently announced by the Conference of Local and Specialty Bar Association (CLSBA), a division of the Virginia State Bar, that it had given an award to the Alleghany, Bath, and Highland Bar Associations (ABH) for successfully putting on a Senior Law Day (SLD) program on the date of August 14, 2019. The Award of Merit will be formally presented to the ABH Bar at 2:00 PM, on Tuesday, August 4, 2020, by Attorney Roy Creasy, Chair-elect of the Conferences of Local and Specialty Bar Associations, a division of the Virginia State Bar.      The SLD Program held at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College. Dr. John Rainone, President of the college, welcomed the crowd of over 200 seniors. The program was then introduced by former President of the Virginia State Bar, Marni Byrum. Bill Wilson Esq. a local attorney served as the moderator for the panel of lawyers and others who conducted the program. The panel consisted of the following:      R. Meade Snyder, Esquire – Estate Documents & Planning;      Dr. David E. Crandall, D.O – Alzheimers Disease;      William A. Parks, Esquire – Estate Planning and Grandparent’s rights;      Jeanne M. Hepler, Esquire – Paying for Long-Term Care;      Elaine Engleman – Adult Services – Social Security;      Pat Loving – Loving Funeral Home;      Shaun Mabry, Esquire – Guardianship and Conservatorship;      Ann Gardner – Alleghany County Commonwealth’s Attorney; and      Kevin Hall – Sheriff, Alleghany County – Scams and Public Safety.      The SLD Program was originally started locally by the ABH Bar in 2003 or 2004. It was adopted by the Senior Lawyers Conference, another division of the VSB. That conference created a senior citizens legal handbook which has been given out across the commonwealth to seniors and their caregivers. Attorney Bill Wilson said “It is a great book but is not meant to give you a legal education. It is meant to give the reader enough information to understand so you understand no matter what your intention may be, it will help you in the right direction.” In her remarks, Attorney Byrum said “The Senior Law Day program has actually become the flagship program that the Senior Lawyers Conference puts on around the state.” She went on to explain that “if one would sit down with most lawyers they will tell you that they became lawyers to help people, and many would even say that they became lawyers to make a difference.” She also added “It is programs like this that allow lawyers to do exactly that.”      The SLD organization committee consisted of Wilson, Pastor Sung Yoo, the Rev. Johnnie Mize, the Rev. Nathan Miller, Pastor Steve Noell, Pastor Doug Hollenbeck, the Reverend Bill Hartsfield, Patrice Jefferson, Attorney Jeannie Hepler, Attorney Ann Gardner, Attorney Shaun Mabry and Rachael Thompson.

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