NEWS RELEASE

The National Center for State Courts
300 Newport Avenue · Williamsburg, Virginia  23185

Contact:
Lorri Montgomery
Communications Manager
The National Center for State Courts
757.259.1525

McGuire Woods Partner Inducted into Warren E. Burger Society

Williamsburg, VA (Nov. 5, 2002) – The National Center for State Courts recently inducted Thomas C. Brown Jr. of McGuire Woods into the Warren E. Burger Society. The Burger Society honors individuals who have demonstrated the highest commitment to improving the administration of justice through extraordinary contributions of service and support to the National Center for State Courts.

Chief Justice of the United States William H. Rehnquist and Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye of the New York Court of Appeals, chair of The National Center’s Board of Directors and president of the Conference of Chief Justices, inducted Mr. Brown and other new members into the Burger Society recently at a luncheon in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Brown has been one of The National Center’s most dedicated volunteers, encouraging the participation and support of his Richmond-based firm for nearly 10 years. Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for his work in corporate and health care law, Mr. Brown’s leadership has been invaluable to promoting the mission of The National Center, said Roger K. Warren, president of The National Center.

Mr. Brown served as president of the Virginia State Bar Association in 1992, and is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Virginia Law Foundation, the Virginia Continuing Legal Education Committee, and the American Health Lawyers Association. He has been an active member of The National Center’s Lawyers Committee since 1994.

Inductees to the society are selected by a committee, which is chaired by Texas attorney Charles M. Noteboom who commissioned the original portrait of Chief Justice Burger, which hangs in The National Center’s headquarters. Each new society member receives a limited edition print of the portrait, which is signed and numbered by the artist Fran Di Giacomo. Chief Justice Burger’s children own the first two prints and Chief Justice Rehnquist owns the last print, numbered 1986, the year Chief Justice Burger retired and Chief Justice Rehnquist took office.

The National Center for State Courts, founded by Chief Justice of the United States Warren Burger in 1971, is dedicated to improving the administration of justice and provides leadership, research, technology, education and training to the state courts. The National Center also has taken the lead on several key issues facing the justice system. For example, it established the Civil Justice Reform Initiative, which is a multi-year project that is examining the most efficient practices in civil case management and how complex litigation procedures can be improved through the use of technology. Other national initiatives driven by The National Center include improving public trust and confidence in the courts, pro se litigation and the judicial selection process. The National Center carries out its mission through its offices in Williamsburg, Washington, D.C. and Denver, Colo.,

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