Co-Founder of LeClair Ryan 

Our July speaker is Gary LeClair. Gary and Dennis Ryan founded LeClairRyan in Richmond in 1988. Today, the firm is one of the younger members of the AmLaw 200, a list of the 200 largest law firms in the US. Gary is also one of the founders of Encorepreneur.

LeClair was recently called “one of the most visionary and innovative law firm leaders I have ever met” by Bill Henderson, the editor of Legal Evolution. Henderson was named as National Jurist's most influential person in legal education in both 2014 and 2015.

Gary will talk about the unique characteristics of the legal industry that are causing some to question the lawyer value system. Even those who can afford the best legal representation are expressing concern.

Lawyers are the last vestiges of the medieval guild system. State bars tightly control who can provide legal services, as well as who can own law firms. This limits the supply and innovation of “better, faster and cheaper” legal services.  

As a result, many Americans cannot afford the legal representation they need. Recent studies estimate that 80-90% of the legal needs of large groups of Americans including rural residents, veterans, seniors, and victims of domestic violence remain unmet.

We should therefore ask whether the current guild-imposed limits serve the public good and what changes, if any, might enhance the access to and efficiency of legal services.

Gary will also touch on an emerging movement toward addressing some of the downsides of the current guild system. The movement includes organizations like LegalZoom, Axiom and ULX Partners, a new entity recently formed by LeClairRyan and United Lex.

OUR HOST

St. Joseph's Villa

8000 Brook Road - Richmond, VA 23227

Located on a beautifully manicured 84 acre campus near the intresection of I-95N and Parham Road in Richmond's northside, St. Joseph’s Villa is the longest continuously operating children’s nonprofit organization in the country. It was founded in 1834 by the Daughters of Charity, a religious group of women called upon to care for Richmond’s orphaned and impoverished children.

Today it is a non-sectarian organization serving children and families facing mental illness, homelessness, autism and other challenges.  St. Joseph's Villa currently offers eighteen programs that serve 3,000 children and families each year, helping them reach their potential and live more full and independent lives.

We will have coffee in the rotunda of the administration building and then move to the beautifully restored chapel for the morning's program.