2025 Justice Reform Lobby Day
It’s back! The 2025 General Assembly Legislative Session begins in January. And in annual tradition, we’re excited to be hosting our Justice Reform Lobby Day in Richmond, Virginia on Thursday, January 9, 2025, along with the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (VACDL) and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)! We’ll be coming together to protect and expand the progress we’ve already made to reform Virginia’s criminal legal system by advocating to prohibit youth shackling, ensuring access to record sealing, protecting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health disorders, advancing urgent pretrial reforms and more. We’ve released an official list of our legislative priorities HERE!
What: Justice Reform Lobby Day
When: Thursday, January 9, 2025
Where: Richmond, Virginia
Who: Free and open to anyone interested in advocating for criminal justice reform, not just for lawyers!
How: REGISTRATION REQUIRED—register by December 31, 2024.
If you haven’t attended one of Justice Forward Virginia’s lobby days in the past, oh are they ever fun! Truly one of the highlights of our year as an organization, when we all wake up well before sunrise to meet in downtown Richmond, get fired up over bagels and coffee at our morning mixer and debriefing, then head to the General Assembly building in Lobby Day teams for our scheduled meetings with Virginia lawmakers. There’s absolutely no prior lobbying experience required—each Lobby Team will be led by a Lobby Day Team Leader with considerable experience. If you can be available to meet with legislators for part or all of Lobby Day, you are welcome to register.
Ahead of Justice Reform Lobby Day, registrants will receive their Lobby Day Team assignments, detailed information about the issues, the impact of proposed legislation, and why it's important to make the proposed reforms this year. We hope you will register and join us on January 9th!
In annual fashion, Justice Forward Virginia will also be hosting our Annual Virtual Prep Rally on January 2, 2025 to prepare advocates with in depth education and opportunity for discussion about the criminal legal reforms being advocated this year. More information about this separate event, along with an official list of legislative priorities will be published soon.