Virginia Trial Lawyers Association | Virginia Lawyers Weekly

VTLA Officers 2011-2012

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: April 11, 2011
Tags: Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

Edward L. Allen of Fredericksburg became president of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association at the group’s annual convention at The Homestead.
Other new officers are:
Norfolk lawyer Lisa P. O’Donnell became president-elect. There are four vice-presidents:
• Barbara S. Williams, Leesburg
• Thomas J. Curcio, Alexandria
• John E. Lichtenstein, Roanoke
• Stephanie E. Grana, Richmond
Charlottesville’s R. Lee Livingston will be [...]

Allen to be VTLA president

By Alan Cooper
Published: April 8, 2011
Tags: Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

Edward L. Allen brings family and history with him to the presidency of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.
His grandfather was the first president of the association. His father started its political action committee. A cousin and a brother have served as president.
Allen is proud of that history, but he’s looking forward rather than backward. He [...]

O’Donnell: Call them ‘defense medical exams’

By Deborah Elkins
Published: April 8, 2011
Tags: Personal Injury, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

HOT SPRINGS – Defense lawyers call them “independent medical examinations.” Plaintiffs’ lawyers bristle at the phrase.
Court-ordered medical exams in personal injury cases should be called “defense medical exams,” insist the plaintiffs’ lawyers.
Regardless of the name, the law is clear it’s an examination by a health care provider “employed by the moving party.” No one should [...]

Kinser seeks input on revamp of boundaries

By Peter Vieth
Published: March 29, 2011
Tags: General Assembly, Justice Cynthia D. Kinser, Redistricting, Supreme Court of Virginia News, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

The Supreme Court of Virginia plans to have its say about the proposal to redraw the state’s judicial map.
At the request of the General Assembly, the Supreme Court of Virginia is launching a comprehensive study of how to realign judicial circuits and districts, with a report expected in the fall.
It’s a response to a realignment [...]

Parties to med-mal cap deal getting nervous

By Alan Cooper
Published: March 18, 2011
Tags: General Assembly, Gov. Bob McDonnell, Medical Malpractice, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

Lawyers, doctors and hospital leaders thought they had finished the hard part last November, when they agreed gradually to increase the state’s statutory cap on medical malpractice awards.
Hammered out over three years of negotiations, the implementing legislation sailed through the General Assembly. The bills needed only the grace of the governor’s signature.
But proponents of the [...]

Senator to VSB: So where would you say we get the money?

By Peter Vieth
Published: January 26, 2011
Tags: General Assembly, Gov. Bob McDonnell, Supreme Court of Virginia News, Virginia Bar Association, Virginia State Bar, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

The Virginia State Bar may have difficulty hanging on to its $5 million reserve fund. But there still may be hope for thawing the freeze on new judges in Virginia.
Leaders from a number of the commonwealth’s bar groups trooped to Capitol Hill on Jan. 25, appearing before the House Appropriations Committee for an early-morning session, [...]

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 collections [...]

VSB backs off lobbying on judges, its reserve

By Alan Cooper
Published: January 20, 2011
Tags: General Assembly, Gov. Bob McDonnell, Judgeships, Justice Cynthia D. Kinser, Virginia Bar Association, Virginia State Bar, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

The Virginia State Bar will try to keep a low profile on the two major issues facing the legal system in the General Assembly this session, VSB President Irving M. Blank told the organization’s executive committee recently.
“The ball has been handed off to the voluntary bars” on the issue of the freeze in judicial vacancies, [...]

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 of [...]

Thawing the judicial freeze may be hard

By Alan Cooper
Published: December 13, 2010
Tags: General Assembly, Judgeships, Virginia Bar Association, Virginia State Bar, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

Lobbyists know that legislators pay attention to pain.
There’s plenty of pain to go around these days, as members of Virginia’s General Assembly gird their loins for the start to the 2011 legislative session.
Lawyers who want to get legislators’ attention need to tell stories about how their clients are being affected by the decision earlier this [...]

Virginia Lawyers Weekly