Use of mediation in bankruptcy on the rise

Disbarment raises questions about reciprocal discipline

By Peter Vieth
Published: April 10, 2013
Tags: Bankruptcy, Federal Courts, Judge Stephen C. St. John, Lawyer Discipline, Virginia State Bar

For the second time in a dozen years, a Virginia State Bar discipline panel has struggled with whether Virginia lawyers should be forced to defend their VSB privileges based on suspension or revocation by federal authorities. The issue of so-called “reciprocal discipline” arose in the case of a Portsmouth lawyer who had his privilege to [...]

Judge stops nonlawyer bankruptcy prep firm

By Peter Vieth
Published: July 6, 2012
Tags: Bankruptcy, Federal Courts, Judge Stephen C. St. John

A Hampton woman who prepared paperwork for people who thought they could not afford to hire a bankruptcy lawyer has been put out of business by a Norfolk bankruptcy judge. The June 26 order banning petitions prepared by Sonya Skinner is part of a national trend of bankruptcy officials cracking down on non-lawyers who purport [...]

Deposition witness has second thoughts about testimony

By Peter Vieth
Published: August 31, 2011
Tags: Federal Courts, Judge James C. Cacheris, Judge James C. Turk, Judge Stephen C. St. John

We’ve all had the feeling. You wish you could take back something you’ve said. In most situations, the feeling comes too late. But, when you want to take back a statement you made under oath in a federal lawsuit, the rules seem to offer some hope. Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, you have [...]