The hot legal practice areas in 2012

The ‘Largest Law Firms’ Rollercoaster

By Sarah Rodriguez
Published: April 22, 2013
Tags: Largest Law Firms, Law Firms

Economic uncertainty has been the norm for the past five years, and law firms are by no means immune to the ups and downs. For the top firms in Virginia, this rollercoaster ride appears to be on a downward slope in 2013, according to the latest edition of the survey of ‘Virginia’s Largest Law Firms.” [...]

Litigation pitfalls and pratfalls

By Deborah Elkins
Published: December 10, 2012
Tags: Attorneys Fees, Civil Procedure, Discovery, Employment Discrimination, Fairfax County Circuit Court, Federal Courts, Law Firms, Legal Malpractice, Personal Injury, Real Estate, Richmond Circuit Court, Sanctions, Social Media, Supreme Court of Virginia News, Year in Review

Lawyers can find plenty of ways to stay out of a courtroom. Instead of the hand-to-hand combat of a trial before judge or jury, they can opt for some form of alternative dispute resolution. But the lure of the courtroom stays strong, for a whole class of litigators and for those who just enjoy stories [...]

Lawyer pay scale: Who makes what where?

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: December 5, 2012
Tags: Law Firms, Salary Survey

Data tabulated by the salary research site Payscale.com show that San Francisco and Dallas have the highest median pay for “mid-career” lawyers with 10-15 years of experience: $157,000 in San Francisco and $141,000 in Dallas. Washington, D.C. ($138,000), New York City ($136,000) and Houston ($132,000) round out the top five major metropolitan markets in terms [...]

Law firms can help clients build ‘compliance culture’

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: October 15, 2012
Tags: Law Firms

For both law firms and their clients, the world looks much different today than it did before the recession. Law firms face an increasingly competitive market, one in which they are being asked to deliver more value to clients than ever before. Clients, meanwhile, face their own pressures, particularly in the form of enhanced government [...]

Firm breakup detailed in Henrico suit

By Peter Vieth
Published: July 12, 2012
Tags: Contract, Law Firms

Law firm breakups may be amicable or adversarial, but rarely are they exposed to public view. An exception is the dispute between former Del. Bradley P. Marrs and his former law firm, now known as MeyerGoergen PC. Marrs and his ex-partners are trading barbs in courthouse pleadings that shed light on a novel legal practice [...]

Shooting incident highlights need for firm preparation

By Peter Vieth
Published: July 2, 2012
Tags: Law Firms

A near tragedy at a Chesterfield law office has prompted lawyers to consider how to protect themselves and their staff against harm. Authorities on office security say the staff and lawyers at the offices of Barnes & Diehl did the right things and took the right steps when a gunman showed up June 20, demanding [...]

UR law clinic finishes work with Sands Anderson’s help

By Sarah Rodriguez
Published: May 7, 2012
Tags: Law Firms, Law Schools

When University of Richmond law professor John Carroll passed away suddenly this past March, the fate of the legal clinic he founded hung in the balance. With only five weeks left in the semester, the eight law students involved in the Intellectual Property and Transactional Law Clinic were left without a leader to oversee their [...]

Litigators bypass court in employment case

By Deborah Elkins
Published: March 29, 2012
Tags: Employment Discrimination, Federal Courts, Judge James R. Spencer, Law Firms

A legal assistant for a leading litigation firm has been ordered to arbitrate her disability discrimination claim against the firm after she complained about the $37,500 price tag for arbitration. Theresa Chronister, who worked in the Fredericksburg office of Marks & Harrison PC, said the firm violated the Americans with Disabilities Act when it fired [...]

Capital One’s Justice Server program links pro bono lawyers to clients

By Deborah Elkins
Published: January 20, 2012
Tags: Corporate Counsel, Law Firms, Legal Aid, Virginia Bar Association

Lawyers and information-technology experts at Capital One are teaming up with private and public sector lawyers to streamline the administration of pro bono legal work in Virginia. Lawyers who do pro bono work find that one of the best ways to reach clients is to work through state and local legal aid organizations. Legal aid [...]