Virginia Lawyers Weekly

2008 very shortly will be in the history book, and it’s unlikely that this will go down as anyone’s favorite year.

Economic uncertainty remains the watchword of the day, although lawyers and the legal profession tend to be better-positioned than most to weather the storm. After all, people still file for divorce and sue over personal injuries whether we’re in a recession on not. The guys and gals who do real estate or corporate work? The wise ones retool, moving into bankruptcy for a while, or develop ways to advise their clients on belt-tightening and restructuring.

In a way here in Virginia we’re lucky, as the headlines say that the recession that has hurt other areas of the country has (mostly) bypassed us. Gov. Tim Kaine, who will spend most of the 2009 General Assembly session dealing with a budget shortfall of at least $3 billion, might tell you otherwise.

Layoffs at large law firms similarly haven’t been the tale in Virginia. But our recent New Associates’ Salary Survey shows you the big firms have adopted a wait-and-see worldview: Pay rates are static and they aren’t hiring as many people. Like the rest of the world, they are peering through a glass, darkly.

As this year comes to a close, let me say something important: Thank you for your support and your business. Whether times are flush or lean, our mission remains the same: To make your law practice easier, more efficient and therefore more profitable.

We made a number of important changes this year in our efforts to accomplish those goals, the most significant being the relaunch of the Virginia Lawyers Weekly Web site and the new benefits there. As always, we welcome your thoughts and comments. But again, thank you for the privilege of bringing you this paper each week.

Inside this issue, you’ll find our annual take on the year in legal news, written by News Editor Alan Cooper. Mental health was a big issue during last year’s Assembly session. The Virginia State Bar spent a long time hashing out a proposal on mandatory malpractice insurance before deciding it was a solution in search of a problem.

The fight over judgeships turned downright nasty, as legislators reached a high-noon standoff with each other. In some areas, delegates and/or senators are still staring each other down, waiting for the others to blink. One wonders what the people of Hampton think – they have been short a circuit judge, a general district judge and J&DR judge for close to a year now. On second thought, one can imagine pretty easily.

For our case review, we’re introducing something new. Executive Editor Deborah Elkins has compiled a list of cases that address first-impression issues of Virginia law. Some are significant, some less important, but all have a new nugget for lawyers in the commonwealth.

— Paul Fletcher, Publisher

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