Halls of Justice

The University of Richmond School of Law became the hallowed halls of justice when a special session of the Court of Appeals of Virginia came to campus recently. Judges Randolph Beales, Robert Humphreys, and Lisa Lorish heard oral arguments in four cases including those by Richmond Law alumni John Working, L’14 and Ryan Murphy, L’14.

From the judges’ interactions to argument techniques, the session gave Richmond Law students, who viewed the proceedings, unique insight into both sides of the well.

“I really enjoyed seeing the balance and rapport between the three judges,” said Alyssa Harrison, L’23, who spent part of her summer as an intern in the Court of Appeals with Judge Stuart Raphael.

“With Judge Lorish being newer to the bench, I really liked seeing her perspective. And then you had Judge Beales and Judge Humphreys who have been on the court for a really long time, but weren’t trying to dominate the conversation.”

The half-day session also gave Harrison a fresh perspective on practical skills that may benefit her short- and long-term career goals. 

“I appreciated the opportunity to see the practitioners talk in front of the court,” she said. “I've only seen appellate arguments a couple of times so it was nice to see different perspectives and different techniques.

“It also helped me consider the things I need to keep in the back of my mind as I think about my clerkship applications and where I want to clerk,” she continued. “Also, what are the things that I can directly start using if I use my third-year practice certificate in a more trial based setting?’

“Just being able to be in that room and soak it all up like a sponge was a very valuable experience,” she said.