Highlights from the James Kent Inn: Fall/Winter 2025

The James Kent Inn commenced the 2025 Inn year with a well attended first meeting on September 8, 2025, hosted by the Decker Law Firm. The event provided a valuable opportunity to welcome our new student members and foster networking among new and established members of the Inn.

Our second gathering took place on October 14, 2025, at Woods, Rogers, Vandeventer Black. Members who were unable to attend missed a truly exceptional presentation. Thomas Chappell and Sophie Arnold, with distinguished assistance from Megan Kent, Madison Martinborough, Joshua Payne and Dade Steiniger, expertly guided us through "The 9 Circles of Appellate Hell," providing invaluable instruction on strategies to avoid common pitfalls. This presentation was highly successful and informative, and may even keep us from getting burned. (I apologize, but I had to say it.)

Continuing our tradition, the November meeting focused on a community outreach project. On November 22, 2025, Inn members volunteered for the Mayflower Marathon, a three-day food drive benefitting the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and Eastern Shore. This year's drive generated the distribution of over 1 million meals throughout our community. Though the weather was challenging, I hope those who participated found the experience to be rewarding and humbling. Our contribution of two hours of volunteer time helped the organization meet significant goals and served our community well.

We extend our sincere gratitude to our student administrators, Nolan Prime (current) and Tucker Blythe (former), student member Hannah Brown, and Inn members Lisa Kim, Katherine Lennon, Sally Moore, Michelle Parker and Christine Patterson for braving the elements and committing to this important cause.

Our next event is December 10, 2025 - Holiday Party and Trivia Challenge at The Decker Law Firm.