The Virginia Law Foundation congratulates Cynthia E. Hudson (Fellows Class of 2015) on being selected as the 2021 recipient of the Local Government Attorneys of Virginia’s Finnegan Whiting Award for Distinguished Service.
Ms. Hudson’s dedication to public service and effecting changes to outdated Virginia statutes is apparent in a long list of accolades. She currently serves on the board of the Virginia Law Foundation and is Vice Chair of the Grants Committee, an essential component in distributing more than half a million dollars in grants to worthy Virginia not-for-profits that increase access to justice and educate the public on the Rule of Law.
Previously known as the Edward J. Finnegan Award for Distinguished Service, LGA chose to add their former President Elizabeth D. Whiting to the award’s name following the public servant’s death in September. Ms. Whiting was also a previous recipient of the prestigious Finnegan Award. Since both women are known for their integrity, generosity, intellect and knowledge of the law, the presenting LGA officials emphasized the appropriateness of Ms. Hudson becoming the most recent honoree of the renamed award.
Prior to joining Sands Anderson in the Of Council role, Ms. Hudson served as Chief Deputy Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 2019, she was appointed by Governor Ralph Northam to chair the Governor’s Commission on Racial Inequity in Virginia Law. As stated in a press release on the official Governor’s website dated February 10, 2021, “The Commission’s interim report, published in December 2019, cited nearly 100 instances of overtly discriminatory language.”
Ms. Hudson’s previous positions also include an eight-year tenure as City Attorney for Hampton, Virginia, and seven years as Hampton Deputy City Attorney responsible for civil litigation, and general counsel to the city’s human resources, police, and fire departments. She also teaches state and local government law at William & Mary Law School and the Virginia State Bar’s Harry Carrico Professionalism Course.
Learn more about this award in the LGA press release below.
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Local Government Attorneys Honor Cynthia E. Hudson
2021 Finnegan Whiting Award for Distinguished Service
November 15, 2021—Richmond, VA—The Local Government Attorneys of Virginia, Inc. (LGA) awarded its highest honor, the Edward J. Finnegan/Elizabeth D. Whiting Award for Distinguished Service, to Cynthia E. Hudson, currently an attorney with Sands Anderson PC and formerly Chief Deputy Attorney General of Virginia and City Attorney of Hampton, at its recently concluded fall conference in Richmond, Virginia.
The Finnegan Whiting Award recognizes Cynthia Hudson for her significant and sustained contributions to Virginia local government law and LGA. The Award noted that her “knowledge of local government law combined with her expertise in public policy, makes her one of the most accomplished and well-respected attorneys practicing in Virginia’s public sector today.” In addition to her distinguished employment history, Ms. Hudson has served the Commonwealth of Virginia as Chair of the Governor’s Commission to Examine Racial Inequity in Virginia Law, Co-Chair of the Governor’s Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and as a former President of LGA.
Just prior to her receiving the award, the President of LGA, Michelle R. Robl, announced that the LGA Board of Directors had added the name of Elizabeth D. Whiting to the title of the award. Ms. Whiting, who died in September, was an authority on local government law, a mentor to local government attorneys throughout the state, a former president of LGA, and a prior recipient of the Finnegan Award. The presenters of the Finnegan Whiting Award noted it was particularly appropriate that Ms. Hudson was the inaugural recipient of the renamed award as she, like Liz Whiting, “is beloved and deeply admired and respected for her remarkable career, her integrity and intellect, and her generous spirit.”
LGA promotes common interests and an exchange of information among its members on legal issues that are particularly relevant to Virginia’s counties, cities, and towns. The LGA’s member services include conferences, a legal handbook, a monthly newsletter, and other services intended to inform and enhance the practice of local government.
For more information about the Local Government Attorneys of Virginia, Inc. (LGA), please visit www.lgav.memberclicks.net.
