Richmond to open renovated Manchester Courthouse

P.I. cases heading to general district court

By Alan Cooper
Published: July 8, 2011
Tags: General District Courts

The 2011 General Assembly increased the jurisdictional level for general district court from $15,000 to $25,000, effective July 1. Personal injury lawyers are poised to take advantage of that hike and the benefits of the lower level court – trials are easier to get and faster, the filing fees are lower and there is little [...]

Recusal can be a touchy moment for a lawyer

By Alan Cooper
Published: February 28, 2011
Tags: Colonial Heights Circuit Court, Fairfax County Circuit Court, General District Courts, Henrico County Circuit Court, Judge Jane Marum Roush, Judge Lee A. Harris Jr., Judge Timothy J. Hauler, Judge William N. Alexander II, Justice Elizabeth B. Lacy, Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn, Supreme Court of Virginia News, Virginia Court of Appeals News

It can be a ticklish and touchy moment for a lawyer: the judge in a case has a conflict and needs to pass the file to a colleague. But whether, and how, to ask a judge to recuse herself can be a major source of heartburn. As it turns out, judges are much more likely [...]

Loudoun judge defies high court over immigration issue

By Peter Vieth
Published: February 14, 2011
Tags: General District Courts, Immigration, Supreme Court of Virginia

A formerly obscure legal procedure has been thrust into the limelight by lawyers seeking to reopen long-closed criminal cases to keep their immigrant clients from being deported. Even though the Supreme Court of Virginia appeared to close the door on the use of the ancient writ of “coram vobis” to revisit old cases with immigration [...]

Increase in GDC jurisdiction, IOLTA bill advance

By Alan Cooper
Published: January 21, 2011
Tags: General Assembly, General District Courts, IOLTA, Supreme Court of Virginia News, Virginia Bar Association, Virginia State Bar, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

A proposal to raise the jurisdictional limit for civil cases from $15,000 to $25,000 cleared the civil subcommittee of the Senate Courts of Justice Committee yesterday. Senate Bill 774, patroned by A. Donald McEachin, D-Richmond, had the support of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, the Virginia Bar Association, the Virginia Bankers Association and such high-volume [...]

Bills would increase GDC claim limits

By Peter Vieth
Published: January 6, 2011
Tags: Boyd-Graves Conference, General Assembly, General District Courts, Gov. Bob McDonnell, Personal Injury, Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

Plaintiffs with minor personal injury claims and other civil litigators with small-scale claims may have greater access to Virginia general district courts under a pending legislative proposal. But not everyone thinks that’s a good idea. The plan, contained in two similar bills, would expand the jurisdiction of general district court cases to permit civil cases [...]

GDCs can sanction lawyers, AG says

By Alan Cooper
Published: September 13, 2010
Tags: Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, General District Courts, Lawyer Discipline

District courts can sanction lawyers, according to Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II. They have the same power as circuit and appellate courts to discipline attorneys under both their inherent authority and Virginia Code § 8.01-271.1, the AG says. Barbara J. Gaden, chief judge of Richmond General District Court, sought an opinion on the [...]

Harrison keeps J&DR judgeship in Bedford

By Alan Cooper
Published: January 28, 2010
Tags: General Assembly, General District Courts, Judge R. Louis Harrison Jr., Judicial Selection

(Updated 1/29/10 10:10 a.m.)“One black mark” that R. Louis Harrison Jr. acknowledged did not keep him from being elected as a juvenile and domestic relations district judge in Bedford. The black mark was his involvement in the D-Day Memorial Foundation and what amounted to a guilty plea to wire fraud as part of a diversion [...]

Bedford J&DR judge fights to keep judgeship

By Alan Cooper
Published: January 20, 2010
Tags: General Assembly, General District Courts, Judge R. Louis Harrison Jr., Judicial Selection

R. Louis Harrison Jr. has the solid support of Bedford judges, lawyers and legislators for a juvenile and domestic relations district judgeship. But he acknowledged “one black mark” in his 26-year-legal career. “That’s a very ugly document that I signed, and I want to explain it,” he said. “If you voted against me because of [...]