The Virginia Bar Association honored McGuireWoods partner Scott C. Oostdyk and counsel Alexandria E. Cuff with prestigious service awards during the VBA’s annual meeting held Jan. 19, 2024, in Williamsburg.
Oostdyk received the organization’s Roger D. Groot Pro Bono Publico Service Award for outstanding pro bono and community service. The VBA’s Young Lawyers Division presented Cuff with the Emerson G. Spies Award, which recognizes an individual for enthusiasm, loyalty and dedication in the work of the association.
Oostdyk previously served as McGuireWoods’ global pro bono partner, spearheading programs that earned national recognition for innovation and impact. He joined forces with the VBA in an effort to bring law firms and corporate legal departments together with legal aid nonprofits to expand pro bono services in the state.
Oostdyk and the VBA collaborated to create JusticeServer, an online platform that connects pro bono lawyers with the needs of legal aid groups. Oostdyk teamed with the Greater Richmond Bar Foundation, Central Virginia Legal Aid Society and Firms in Service to develop the Richmond Triage Project to provide support for legal aid groups using JusticeServer. Oostdyk and McGuireWoods later replicated the effort in North Carolina, where the thriving Charlotte Triage project recently marked its fifth anniversary under the administrative leadership of Angie Zimmern, the firm’s pro bono director.
Oostdyk is a member and former co-chair of the VBA’s Pro Bono Council. He serves on the Supreme Court of Virginia’s Access to Justice Commission and is the VBA Board of Governors liaison to the commission. He was an initiator of the biennial Chief Justice’s Pro Bono Summit hosted by the VBA and the Supreme Court of Virginia. The summits highlight the importance of pro bono service and celebrate the contributions of lawyers who provide those services.
“I am honored to receive this recognition from the Virginia Bar Association,” Oostdyk said. “The award celebrates the work of many of our McGuireWoods colleagues whose selfless commitment to pro bono service along with that of collaborating clients has generated tangible impact in our communities.”
Cuff was honored for her service chairing the Legal Food Frenzy, an annual fundraising competition organized by the Virginia attorney general’s office, the VBA’s Young Lawyers Division and the Federation of Virginia Food Banks. Law firms, law schools, legal organizations and in-house counsel compete for a designated period each year to raise money and food donations for Virginia’s network of food banks.
Cuff previously won the Richmond Bar Association’s Young Lawyer of the Year Award and received the Next Generation of Philanthropy Award, recognizing her efforts on behalf of the Federation of Virginia Food Banks.
“This honor from the VBA’s Young Lawyers Division is especially rewarding because it also recognizes the significant contributions generated by the Legal Food Frenzy,” Cuff said. “I am proud to be associated with this program and all those who support Virginia’s food banks.”
“Scott’s commitment to expanding pro bono service has inspired lawyers throughout Virginia, North Carolina and nationwide. He has helped thousands of people gain access to critical legal services,” said David Greenspan, who succeeded Oostdyk as McGuireWoods’ pro bono partner. “Alex has done tremendous work rallying the legal community to help hungry families in Virginia. These awards are fitting tributes to their service and we congratulate them on these well-deserved honors.”