Commending Bradley R. Haywood

Justice Forward Virginia celebrated the Virginia General Assembly’s Commendation of our Founder, Bradley R. Haywood, for his legacy of service to the Commonwealth.

”WHEREAS, through his deep commitment to local community engagement and system-change advocacy, Brad Haywood has made a difference in countless lives, earning the admiration and respect of all Virginians.”

We had a great night in community with public defenders and friends of indigent defenders. Cheers, Brad!

You can read the full Commendation below:

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 893

Offered April 1, 2025

Commending Bradley R. Haywood.

Patron-McClure

WHEREAS, Bradley R. Haywood, an esteemed attorney and criminal justice reform advocate, retired from his position as the chief public defender of Arlington County and the City of Falls Church in 2024; and WHEREAS, in preparation for his career as an attorney, Bradley "Brad" Haywood earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Michigan and a juris doctor degree from Columbia Law School;

WHEREAS, early in his legal career, Brad Haywood served as a public defender for the City of

Alexandria, and later was a partner in the boutique defense firm Sheldon, Flood & Haywood, PLC; and WHEREAS, from 2017 to 2024, Brad Haywood served as the chief public defender for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church, overseeing a team of lawyers and other legal professionals while representing indigent individuals charged with felonies or jailable misdemeanors in those jurisdictions; and

WHEREAS, Brad Haywood was the founder and first executive director of Justice Forward Virginia, a leading criminal justice reform advocacy organization in the Commonwealth, and he guided the organization's transition into a professional 501(c)(4) organization in 2022; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of his impact on the community, Brad Haywood was presented the Charles P.

Monroe Civil Rights Award by the Arlington County Branch of the NAACP in 2021 and was named a member of the 2022 class of Leaders in the Law by Virginia Lawyers Weekly; and

WHEREAS, Brad Haywood contributes to the discourse among legal professionals by regularly appearing at speaking engagements and by publishing in respected journals, including his recent piece, "Ending Race-Based Pretextual Stops: Strategies For Eliminating America's Most Egregious Police Practice, published in the January 2023 edition of the Richmond Public Interest Law Review; and

WHEREAS, in February 2025, Brad Haywood established the firm Haywood Law, LLC, which will enable him to continue to provide exemplary counsel to clients in both state and federal courts throughout the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, through his deep commitment to local community engagement and system-change advocacy, Brad Haywood has made a difference in countless lives, earning the admiration and respect of all Virginians; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Bradley R. Haywood hereby be commended for his legacy of service as the chief public defender of Arlington County and the City of Falls Church; and, be it RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Bradley R. Haywood as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for his contributions to the Commonwealth.