The Virginian-Pilot
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State Sen. Tommy Norment soon will no longer wear his "legal adviser" hat at his law-school alma mater, the College of William and Mary.
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has assigned a full-time attorney from his staff to fill that role beginning June 25.
Cuccinelli appears to have prevailed in a tussle with William and Mary over whose job it is to provide legal services to state universities. Both Cuccinelli and his predecessor, now-Gov. Bob McDonnell, have taken the position that it is the attorney general's responsibility.
William and Mary had insisted that it had the right to hire its own inside legal counsel. For the past three years, the college has paid Norment $160,000 a year to fill a dual role as legal adviser and part-time faculty member.
Now, with Cuccinelli's appointment of Senior Assistant Attorney General Deborah Love as the college's full-time on-campus lawyer, Norment's role will be curtailed, William and Mary spokesman Brian Whitson said this week.
Norment will continue teaching two courses and advising William and Mary President Taylor Reveley on "matters of policy," Whitson said via email. His pay will drop from $160,000 to $60,000, since "he will no longer have a role in our legal work," Whitson said.
But there's a silver lining for the 65-year-old Norment: He collected the bigger salary just long enough to reap the maximum benefit for his state pension.
Pensions are calculated on the basis of an employee's three consecutive highest-paid years of employment.
Most of Virginia's four-year state universities have full-time on-campus attorneys who report to the attorney general. William and Mary "is by far the largest and most complex institution of those without counsel on campus," Brian Gottstein, a Cuccinelli spokesman, said in an email.
Love has done legal work for William and Mary on a part-time basis for several years.
Norment, a James City County Republican, has been in office 20 years. He is Senate minority leader and a senior member of the budget-writing Finance Committee.
He proposed two amendments to the state budget this year that would have directed an additional $5.5 million to William and Mary. Neither was adopted.
In addition to his work for William and Mary, Norment earned $120,000 in 2009 as commissioner of accounts for Williamsburg and James City County - a job to which he was appointed by a judge he helped put on the bench.
Commissioners of accounts, who preside over the disposition of estates, are appointed by circuit judges, who are appointed by the General Assembly.
Norment is also associated with the Norfolk-based law firm Kaufman & Canoles.
He is running for re-election this fall and faces a tea party challenger, Mark Frechette, in a Republican primary Aug. 23.
Norment did not return phone calls Tuesday seeking comment.
Bill Sizemore, (757) 446-2276, bill.sizemore@pilotonline.com
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You know it's hot
The only time you see an attorney with his hands in his own pockets is when it's cold outside.
Conflict of interests
Politicians using their position and prominence to add high-wage-low-work positions. This guy made more than anyone else.
This just shows the ineptitude of the Fourth Estate
These sorts of arrangements where our state legislators get themselves all kinds of cushy high paying jobs that count in VSRS is common place. And unfortunately the voters don't seem to care and the media only occasionally points how well these legislators FEED at the public trough. Let's see Norment has his regular billing rate as a lawyer, Will retire with some percentage of $160,000 per year and he's making money still in a job for James City County. How very nice for him.
Trust me he is not alone. If some enterprising reporter does some research we will find many more. Why do you think they run for office in the first place? Thomas Moss didn't retire as speaker, he became a constitutional officer in Norfolk.
HOW did he get the position in the first place?
How did Sen. Norment get the position as he attorney? Was he appointed? Was he hired independently? Seeems we just saw Mr Hamilton convicted of trying to arrange a position for himself as a repayment for his vote... Just curious how the Senator got this gig... Shouldn't that be part of this report?
this guy makes Hamilton look like a piker
Nothing but a crook in a three-piece suit.
we are talking lawyers here
why is anyone suprised at their actions. where do you think lawyer jokes originate, actions?
thus as a result of this innocent article we are informed
of the many many many opportunities affored elected public servants to service themselves 'professionally' in the commonwealth of va. Norment is just the tip of the iceberg in the realm of professional public servants benefitting from the public support system.
I wonder
what the change in costs will be to W&M.
It would be interesting to know the salary, and benefits, paid Ms. Love? Will there be relocation costs born by the Atty General's office? Will the Atty General have to hire someone to do Ms. Love's old job? Isn't there a hiring freeze, the Commonwealth has no money?
For me, more questions are raised than answered by this story. I don't know if this is a fiscally responsible move or not. I hope Mr. Sizemore provides the answers.
PS
Will all other state universities get a full time lawyer, or do they already have one, fully at state expense?
$100,000 for part time legal work on top of several other jobs
on top of several other jobs.
That must be some fantastic hourly billing. Good work if you can get it.
Wonder how much the full-time lawyer gets?