Thursday, February 19, 2026

1:15pm to 2:15pm - Norfolk Courthouse First Floor Training Room

Free to NPBA members; $30 non-members

1 CLE Credit

Topic:  Upcoming Criminal Sealing Laws

Presenter: Rob Poggenklass, Executive Director, Justice Forward Virginia

Justice Forward Virginia is a public-defender led nonprofit that promotes criminal justice reform through smart, contemporary, evidence-informed policy advocacy. As executive director, Rob works with practitioners, lawmakers, and other advocates to enact criminal legal reforms at the General Assembly in Richmond. He has served as a legal aid lawyer in both Iowa and Virginia, and started his career as a public defender in Newport News. Rob has argued cases on behalf of indigent clients in both the Iowa Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of Virginia.

In 2010, Rob was the Virginia State Bar’s recipient of the Oliver White Hill Law Student Pro Bono Award. In 2025, he received the Leadership and Service Award from Cornell College for contributions in the field of criminal justice. He has served on the Iowa State Bar Association’s Student Debt Task Force and currently serves on the VSB’s Committee on Access to Legal Services. Before becoming a lawyer, Rob spent four years as a small-town newspaper reporter and editor in Iowa. Rob and his family live in Albemarle County.

Cornell College (B.A.), 2003

William & Mary School of Law (J.D.), 2010

Disclaimer

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