Weekly Edition

Wiley’s GP award win is a first for government lawyers

VIRGINIA BEACH—This year’s Tradition of Excellence award, the annual accolade given by the Virginia State Bar’s General Practice Section, went to a man who has devoted his career to government law. In honoring Richmond lawyer Roger C. Wiley Jr., the VSB sought to give recognition to local government lawyers as general practitioners.

Now in private practice representing local governments and regional entities, Wiley has provided counsel to localities for most of his 38-year career. He served as Charlottesville city attorney for more than 14 years. Wiley also has worked in state government, for the Division of Legislative Services and – twice – for the Office of Attorney General.

Along the way, Wiley became a leader in the application and interpretation of Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act. He is one of the original members of the Freedom of Information Advisory Council. “In the attorney general’s office, I had been on a joint legislative subcommittee that studied changes in the VFOIA,” Wiley said. One of the things that the subcommittee recommended was the creation of the FOI Advisory Council.”

Wiley also authored a pamphlet on FOIA issues for use by local government attorneys.

Wiley is a familiar face at the General Assembly, working for the Virginia Association of Counties and the Virginia Municipal League. He worked with Senator John Watkins on legislation to replace the current cash proffer system for new developments with a system of impact fees. That legislation will again be under consideration in the 2009 session.

The Local Government Attorneys of Virginia nominated Wiley for the Tradition of Excellence award. LGA President Jan L. Proctor said, “We are very excited about him being the recipient. We’ve never had one of our members honored before.”

Proctor said that Wiley had been a member of the LGA for many years and frequently contributes guidance through the group’s listserv. “Roger is always active on our listserv, helping newer members with their questions,” she said.

Wiley acknowledges the oddity of a local government attorney being recognized as a general practitioner. “Most people would say that I’m a specialist, not a generalist. But, you really are a general practitioner.”

In accepting his award at the VSB Annual Meeting on June 21, Wiley wryly noted that some government lawyers feel that they aren’t always looked upon as “real lawyers.”

But he thanked the bar for the award, saying he believed that by giving the honor to him, the bar “symbolically” provides the recognition that all “government lawyers are in fact real lawyers.”

Wiley practices with former Richmond city attorney Bill Hefty at the firm of Hefty & Wiley. With offices in Richmond’s Old City Hall, the pair serves as county attorneys for Amelia and Surry counties. They also represent a number of regional jails and other facilities created by local governments.

Wiley grew up in Chatham, attending public schools and then Hargrave Military Academy. Undergraduate and law school degrees came from the University of Virginia.

Asked about his most rewarding post, Wiley responds, “In many ways, my heart’s still in Charlottesville. I went to school there for seven years, and worked there for nearly 20 years. I had a connection to that community – I put down deep roots.”

With reporting by Paul Fletcher.

© Copyright 2008, by Virginia Lawyers Media, all rights reserved