Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, January 16, 1995 TAG: 9501170094
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DWAYNE YANCEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"Reading law [under the tutelage of a senior lawyer] was the traditional way to learn to be a lawyer prior to the 1920s, when attending law school became prevalent," said Griffith, himself a lawyer - albeit a law school-trained one.
Until recently the state required a three-year program for those who read for the law, a practice that still persists in some rural sections of the state, most notably the coalfields of Southwest Virginia.
However, the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners has increased the requirement to four years, which Griffith points out "is equal in time to five academic years."
Griffith contends the board did this "in part to discourage the reading law program" and he wants to try to roll back the requirement to three years, which he finds "more practical."
"It would be a tragic loss for the commonwealth to lose lawyers who were trained in the same fashion as our great and brilliant attorneys of prior centuries," he said.
Having fun with freshmen
Griffith found out last week what it means to be a freshman in the House of Delegates: Even your routine legislation draws opposition.
Last year, he introduced a bill to change the way lists of tangible personal property are written, which he says will make it easier for descendants to disburse properties in inheritance cases. The legislation was carried over until this session, where it passed a House committee unanimously and was expected to pass the full House unanimously, too.
It was even placed on the House's "uncontested" agenda, a package of legislation so innocuous it's voted on all at once.
However, tradition held sway. When Griffith's bill came up, senior legislators pulled it off the uncontested agenda, debated it briefly, then proceeded to pass it - but made sure there was some token opposition. The final vote: 75-19.
Griffith explained that this was in keeping with the House's tongue-in-cheek tradition "of having no freshman's legislation pass unanimously."
They said it:
"It is obvious the community appreciates my efforts in the Virginia Senate after so many years of Democrat neglect."
- State Sen. Brandon Bell, R-Roanoke County, in trumpeting the announcement that he has raised $50,000 for his re-election campaign, giving him more cash in hand than all but two other Senate Republicans.
Like many legislators, state Sen. Malfourd "Bo" Trumbo, R-Fincastle, writes a column for the weekly newspapers back home to explain what he's been up to in Richmond. Last week, after he found himself at the center of statewide attention for starting the rules fight that shut down the state Senate and nixed the governor's planned address to a joint session of the General Assembly, Trumbo included this suggested headline for his column:
"What Really Happened in the General Assembly"
"Certainly 30.7 percent interest is sufficient. I believe more would be usurious and unfair."
- Griffith, speaking out against a "bad bill" that would "harm the poor and those who borrow small amounts" by allowing finance companies to charge up to 36 percent interest on loans of $2,500 or less. The maximum had been 30.7 percent. The bill passed the House and now heads to the Senate.
Let your legislators know
Want to make sure your legislators know what you're thinking? The General Assembly has a toll-free line where constituents can leave messages for any legislator.
It's (800) 889-4973 and is in operation each weekday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Issues watch
The General Assembly handles thousands of bills. Which ones are you most interested in? Let us know:
Phone: 981-3119, or (800) 346-1234, ext. 119.
Fax: 981-3346.
E-mail: dyanceyinfi.net
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1995
Memo: ***CORRECTION***