The VLW Blog

It’s not just a refrain from a Talking Heads song. It’s also the latest account of what the law says about how foreclosure works in Virginia.  In March, we reported on a legal challenge to how foreclosures are conducted in Virginia, in the wake of the housing market collapse. Alexandria lawyer Chris Brown argued in [...]

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An offer of judgment is different from a settlement, and a federal magistrate judge has awarded attorneys’ fees against a defendant who failed to appreciate the distinction. Once an offer of judgment is accepted, a plaintiff is free to file notice of the agreement with the federal clerk’s office which “must” enter it, Magistrate Judge [...]

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The National Labor Relations Board has issued a complaint charging a New York nonprofit group with illegally terminating five employees who posted Facebook comments critical of the group, which provides social services to low-income clients. The online comments criticized working conditions at Hispanics United of Buffalo, including work load and staffing issues, according to a press release from [...]

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Anne Lynam Goddard of ChildFund International was named the “Influential Woman of the Year” today at a gala luncheon in Richmond. Goddard and 46 other leaders were honored as the Class of 2011 in the “Influential Women of Virginia” awards program held by Virginia Lawyers Media. The program, now in its third year, honors high-achieving [...]

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Former Rep. Rick Boucher of Abingdon has joined Sidley Austin’s Washington office to lead the firm’s new government strategies practice group. The Democrat represented southwest Virginia’s 9th District in Congress for 28 years. He was defeated by Republican Morgan Griffith last November. Boucher said he’ll keep his Congressional travel pattern, with workweeks in Washington and [...]

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Del. Watkins M. Abbitt Jr. of Appomattox, one of two independents in the House of Delegates, is retiring after 25 years in the General Assembly. Abbitt, 66, is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee and serves as chairman of its general government subcommittee. He also is a member of the General Laws and [...]

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A three-judge panel has revoked the license of Norfolk lawyer Mark Kantro for concealing $161,000 in income from his wife during their divorce. Kantro’s attorney, Allan Zaleski, told The Virginian-Pilot that the discipline is unusual because it is based on a personal divorce rather than on misconduct involving a client. Zaleski said he plans to [...]

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Preston Mitchum had them laughing at his graduation ceremony at North Carolina Central University last week. The law school grad was extolling the virtues of the “average” student, for whom procrastination was “not just a big word, but a way of life.” The problem is that quite a few in the audience recognized the speech. [...]

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Del. William Cleaveland, R-Botetourt County, today announced he will step aside after one term in the House of Delegates, citing family concerns and his private law practice. Cleaveland’s announcement was met with disappointment from fellow lawyers and legislators at a meeting of the Salem/Roanoke County Bar Association. “He has really been a first-rate delegate,” said [...]

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A year ago, it was the William & Mary Tribe unveiling a new mascot (the Griffin). Now the Spiders of the University of Richmond take the wraps off their new fuzzy symbol. “WebstUR” was the choice of the UR community among three spider samples. He’s a muscular kind of spider with an aggressive expression, but [...]

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