1970s Class Notes

Send Us Your News

To submit a class note, email us or submit mail to UVA Lawyer, University of Virginia School of Law, 580 Massie Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903. Please send your submissions no later than Aug. 1 for inclusion in the next issue.

1971

William P. Boswell
Bill Boswell '71 with the Master of the Company following the Freeman's Oath ceremony in London at Guildhall on April 26. 

William P. Boswell was elected a freeman of the Worshipful Company of Scriveners. He was sworn in to the nearly 700-year-old livery company at Guildhall in London on April 26. He subsequently was elected a freeman of the City of London, which he is given to understand may permit him to herd sheep across Tower Bridge, if the mood strikes.

Ronald Castille, retired chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, was elected to the board of the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network. The board supervises and accounts for federal and state funding for agencies that provide legal services to indigent citizens.

Two Law alumni teamed up with a Darden graduate to write about growing up together in the 1950s and early ’60s in a small town, where they and their “zany friends mess up just about everything they touch — from regular school, to dancing school, church, sports, scouting and, eventually, dating — all under the sometimes not-so-watchful eyes of the well-intentioned adults around them.” “Not Exactly Rocket Scientists and Other Stories” is the work of Gilbert Schill and John Macilroy ’74 , along with Robert Hamilton (Darden ’74). Their stories have caught the attention of both novelist Pat Conroy and actor/screenwriter Tony Dow, who played Wally on “Leave It to Beaver.”

1972

George House was recognized as a leader in environmental law in the 2017 Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. House practices with Brooks Pierce in Greensboro, N.C.

Douglas P. Rucker Jr. was named to Super Lawyers Virginia for professional liability: defense. Rucker concentrates his practice in contract law and business and professional litigation at Sands Anderson in Richmond.

1974

Jay Waldron is being inducted into the U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame. His rugby career spans nearly five decades and both coasts of the United States. He began playing in 1968 at UVA, where he continued to play until he graduated from the Law School. Waldron then played for the Portland RFC on the West Coast through 1984. He next joined the Portland Old Boars and the Owls until 1998. Waldron has been recognized for his accomplishments as a trial and appellate lawyer in environmental and energy law with Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt in Portland, Ore. In addition to rugby, Waldron has been a triathlete and a university boxing champion. He has taken adventure motorcycle and rafting trips on six continents. Waldron has been married to his wife, Karen, for 48 years; their son, Shane, coaches for the Los Angeles Rams.

1975

Lee Mercier is on track to retire at the end of this year, but will continue to administer trusts for disabled adults and minor beneficiaries. He attended his 50th reunion at Princeton and was on a mission to look for classmates who also graduated from UVA Law. He sends his best wishes to all.

1976

Andrew KaneAfter working in law and public finance for 42 years, Andrew Kane recently retired as a managing director from D.A. Davidson & Co., a regional brokerage firm, where he specialized in the securitization of both affordable housing municipal debt and public infrastructure. Previously, he had been a partner with Ballard Spahr, practicing in Philadelphia and Denver. “Now empty-nesting in Denver with my wife, Diane, we have begun spending summers in coastal Maine. Our adult twins both work and live in San Francisco. As I embark on the next chapter of periodic consulting and board memberships, I would enjoy hearing from classmates and school friends at andrewkanemail@gmail.com.”

1977

Former U.S. Rep. J. Randy Forbes joined the government law and policy practice’s federal team in the Washington, D.C., office of Greenberg Traurig. Forbes is a senior director with the firm and represents major corporations and governmental entities before the U.S. Congress and the executive branch.

Cynthia D. Kinser, the first female chief justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia and senior counsel at the law firm Gentry Locke, was honored by having her portrait hung at the court on June 9. Kinser spent 17 years on the court, with more than three years as chief justice. She retired from the bench in 2014, and a year later joined the Roanoke firm as senior counsel, where she focuses on appeals, criminal matters and government investigations. “An accomplished legal scholar, Justice Cynthia Kinser is a pioneer in her field and one of the most consequential women in Virginia history,” said Gentry Locke managing partner Monica Taylor Monday, who spoke at the portrait reception. “She is the only woman to serve as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, and the only woman to lead one of the three branches of Virginia’s government. And she is one of a small group of women who have held high office in Virginia. She is an inspiration to women and attorneys in Virginia and nationwide.”

James D. Satrom was ranked in Band 3 for Energy & Natural Resources Law by Chambers USA. Satrom is a board member with Hall Estill in Tulsa, Okla. Prior to joining the law firm he served in the Office of General Counsel-Secretary of the Air Force/ Pentagon. His practice focuses on energy, natural resources, and oil and gas law.

Charles Casper ’77 Helps Represent Microsoft in Supreme Court Win

Charles B. Casper ’77, a partner in Montgomery McCracken’s Philadelphia office, was recently part of the legal team that won Microsoft v. Baker before the Supreme Court. Casper is chair of the firm’s class action defense practice group.

On June 12, the court ruled unanimously in Baker that the federal courts of appeal lack jurisdiction to review an order denying class certification after the named plaintiffs voluntarily dismiss their claims with prejudice.

In 2011, plaintiffs filed suit against Microsoft claiming the Xbox 360 console had a design defect that caused it to scratch game discs and make them unplayable. But Microsoft introduced evidence that only 0.4 percent of Xbox 360 users reported disc scratching of that sort. Two federal district judges in Seattle denied class certification due to individual issues of causation, and the Ninth Circuit denied two petitions under Rule 23(f) for an immediate appeal. After the Ninth Circuit denied their request for an immediate appeal, the plaintiffs moved to dismiss their case with prejudice, but then appealed nonetheless. Only the Ninth and Second circuits permitted plaintiffs to do this. Five other circuits did not. The Supreme Court granted Microsoft’s request to take the case and resolve the conflict.

Casper was heavily involved in Baker, a decision that now places plaintiffs and defendants on an even playing field when it comes to appealing decisions about class certification. He has been one of Microsoft’s lawyers since the case began.

Eric Williamson

1978

Bruce L. Mertens was named to Super Lawyers Virginia for estate and probate. Mertens leads the trusts and estate planning team at Sands Anderson in Richmond.

Chet Hurwitz ’78 Starts Nonprofit To Help Employ Autistic Adults

Chet Hurwitz ’78 has started a new venture, one that’s close to his heart.

Hurwitz is a founder and board member of Ventures ATL, an Atlanta-based nonprofit corporation that employs people with autism through the businesses it operates—currently, product fulfillment and data entry. It began offering the third-party services in June.

The types of work were selected to match the positive skill sets of many people with autism, including the ability to focus on information in highly literal ways. As demand for the services grows, so will the number of employees. Hurwitz anticipates a staff of 10 workers by next summer.

“Ventures ATL operates businesses for which there is genuine commercial demand, that play to the strengths and skills of this population, while operating within a particularly accommodating work environment,” he said.

Hurwitz himself has an adult son with autism and has been mindful of the high unemployment rate among their population.

Joy Taylor ’98, who has a teenage son with autism, is among the board members of Ventures ATL.

“I initially met Joy after reading an article in UVA Lawyer describing her efforts to establish the Cloverleaf School in Atlanta for children with learning differences,” Hurwitz said. “While there was a 20-year gap in our times at UVA Law School, we shared a common interest in promoting learning and employment opportunities for individuals with autism in the Atlanta area.”

Eric Williamson

1979

Anne KleindienstAnne Kleindienst was recognized in 2017 Southwest Super Lawyers in the business and corporate and franchise law categories. Kleindienst practices business and health care law with Polsinelli in Phoenix.