Virginia State Bar | Virginia Lawyers Weekly

Martingayle files petition for VSB president-elect

By Peter Vieth
Published: May 25, 2012
Tags: Virginia State Bar

If his plans work out, Kevin E. Martingayle will be the first president of the Virginia State Bar from Virginia Beach, the state’s most populous city.
Martingayle, a two-term member of the VSB Council, wasted no time making his intentions known, filing a petition for election on April 2, six months before the Oct. 1 deadline.
If [...]

Reston lawyer’s license revoked

By Peter Vieth
Published: May 16, 2012
Tags: Lawyer Discipline, Virginia State Bar

A Virginia State Bar discipline panel last month yanked the license of a Reston lawyer based on allegations of “gross incompetence, utter lack of diligence, and dishonesty.” A VSB lawyer argued Thomas J. Sehler was “not fit to practice law” and his continued practice posed “an imminent danger to the public.”
The VSB urged the Disciplinary [...]

Bar council elections done, except for three seats

By Paul Fletcher
Published: April 16, 2012
Tags: Virginia State Bar

Thanks to an unusually high number of uncontested elections, statewide races for seats on the Virginia State Bar Council are almost complete.
Only three races remain unresolved.
Hampton (8th Circuit) was scheduled to hold a council meeting last Thursday, after press time. Incumbent Patrick B. McDermott was leaving the VSB council after serving the maximum of [...]

Carriers balk at plan for payee notification

By Peter Vieth
Published: April 16, 2012
Tags: Insurance, Payee Notification, Virginia State Bar

Insurance companies have registered their opposition to the payee notification plan under consideration by a Virginia State Bar task force, but the chairman says the issue for the panel is “how” not “whether” a client protection statute will be proposed.
The payee notification plan would have insurance companies send letters to personal injury claimants to advise [...]

Ex-lawyer is convicted for phony documents

By Peter Vieth
Published: March 21, 2012
Tags: Federal Courts, Judge Henry E. Hudson, Lawyer Discipline, Virginia State Bar

A former Richmond lawyer dodged nine federal fraud charges in a jury trial last month, only to be convicted of submitting false documents to support his defense.
Bradley D. Wein fought accusations that he committed mail fraud when he made personal purchases with credit cards belonging to an elderly client. He argued the client had authorized [...]

Harsh and abusive behavior earn lawyer 3-year suspension

By Peter Vieth
Published: March 7, 2012
Tags: Lawyer Discipline, Virginia State Bar

Findings of harsh and abusive litigation behavior, a series of intentional misrepresentations to judges and conflicts of interest led to a three-year suspension for a Virginia lawyer last month.
Jason Roper, formerly of Virginia Beach, said he is appealing the disciplinary action by the Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board. On Feb. 28, the Supreme Court of [...]

VSB eyes new approach to judicial evaluations

By Peter Vieth
Published: March 5, 2012
Tags: Judgeships, Virginia State Bar

Virginia State Bar leaders hope to fine-tune the VSB’s program for evaluating candidates for judgeships.
The Judicial Nominations Committee would get a new name under a package of proposed changes. Because the VSB does not actually “nominate” candidates for the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and the federal bench, panel members said it is more [...]

Bar disciplinary staff is being more aggressive

By Peter Vieth
Published: March 2, 2012
Tags: Lawyer Discipline, Virginia State Bar

The Virginia State Bar is getting more aggressive and moving more quickly in the prosecution of lawyers accused of misconduct.
The number of active cases over a year old has dropped about 15 percent since the prior fiscal year, compared to last year, according to Bar Counsel Edward L. Davis.
There were 197 district committee cases at [...]

Lawyer mismanaged assets, is convicted of embezzlement

By Peter Vieth
Published: February 16, 2012
Tags: Alexandria Circuit Court, Elder Law, Fairfax County Circuit Court, Judge Gerald Bruce Lee, Judge Robert J. Smith, Lawyer Discipline, Virginia State Bar

A Falls Church lawyer has been convicted of embezzlement after being ordered to reimburse more than $275,000 in excess fees she charged for management of an elderly couple’s assets, according the Virginia State Bar and court records.
A 2009 report by the Fairfax County commissioner of accounts found Erin Weber Anderson, now known as Erin Marie [...]

Patent lawyer suspended, no Virginia ticket

By Peter Vieth
Published: February 3, 2012
Tags: Lawyer Discipline, Virginia State Bar

Even though she has never been licensed by the Virginia State Bar, a Williamsburg patent lawyer has been suspended from performing any legal work in the state for two years.
A three-judge circuit court panel last month approved a two-year suspension of Bambi Faivre Walters for unauthorized practice of law and misuse of client money, [...]

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