ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 28, 1997 TAG: 9701280048
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER
The Virginia Women Attorneys Association's top endorsement has gone to the two leading candidates for a judgeship in the 27th Judicial District.
Bob Viar, who already received the backing of five of the district's six bar associations, was judged "highly recommended" by the VWAA.
Harriet Dorsey, endorsed earlythis month by the Giles County Bar Association, earned the same ranking after going before the group's judicial screening committee.
Viar, of Christiansburg, and Dorsey, of Blacksburg, are seeking the judgeship that will open April 30 when J. Patrick Graybeal retires from the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court after more than seven years on the bench. Graybeal sits in Montgomery and Giles counties as well as Radford.
Kathleen Dooley, VWAA secretary, said the association's review includes a questionnaire and three-member panel interview with each of the candidates. The results are then forwarded to the state legislators who represent the district.
Three other candidates originally sought the judgeship and they, too, participated in the VWAA's merit review process. The review began with a Jan. 3 questionnaire and ended Thursday with the final notice to state board members.
Peggy Frank, Montgomery County assistant commonwealth's attorney, was found to be "recommended." The association deemed both Gail DeVilbiss, a Radford lawyer, and Victoria Robison, Pulaski public defender, to be "qualified" for the job.
Dooley said the VWAA's process ranks the candidates' professional experience, membership in professional associations, community activities, personal references and performance during the panel interview.
Both Viar and Dorsey have served as substitute judges in Graybeal's court. Dooley said that experience, coupled with the fact that both lawyers have practiced extensively in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, was part of the reason they earned the association's highest ranking.
The association's screening is the only process in which judicial candidates are formally interviewed about their qualifications before names are forwarded to local legislators.
Viar and Dorsey are awaiting notice from the House and Senate Courts of Justice committees for dates on which they will be interviewed by those panels. A final decision will be made by the General Assembly during this session, which ends next month.
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