The VLW Blog

Two circuit judges and two lawyers in private practice have won the recommendation of the Virginia Bar Association as the General Assembly considers a replacement for Virginia Court of Appeals Judge James Haley Jr. In a Feb. 15 letter to chairmen of the Assembly’s Courts committees, the VBA supports – in alphabetical order: Tazewell County [...]

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“You are an example for everybody,” a substitute judge told Galax attorney James T. Ward Friday as he sentenced Ward to 30 days in jail. The sentence calls for Ward to serve the time on weekends. Other penalties include a three-year OL suspension,  $500 fine and VASAP classes. Ward was stopped after an officer saw [...]

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The prominent Richmond-based law firm of LeClairRyan is losing founder and name partner Dennis M. Ryan as he returns to the world of corporate management. Ryan will leave the firm in April to become executive vice president at Richmond’s Health Diagnostic Laboratory. Ryan was a business leader before going to law school in the late [...]

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Northern Virginia’s most famous jilted husband claims his wife’s backstage liaison with rock musician Neal Schon (left) was part of a scheme to revive interest in the guitarist and his touring rock band, Journey. Tareq Salahi has amplified the allegations of his divorce action against his wife, Michaele, with a new lawsuit seeking $50-million in [...]

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A man facing a life sentence for the murder of his wife has been hit with a record-breaking civil verdict arising from the same crime. The $15 million verdict appears to be the largest wrongful death award handed down by a Virginia jury. Peter C. Burnett and Jonathan B. Slater of Leesburg represented the family [...]

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The prosecution of a troubled veteran for having a homemade shotgun he intended to use to take his own life has triggered concern from veterans groups. While a federal judge did not appear impressed Tuesday with the legal basis of a motion to dismiss the firearms charges against Sean Duvall, the Roanoke hearing was watched [...]

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Good lawyers know sometimes it only takes the right letter to the right person to win a client’s case. The Workers’ Compensation Commission recognized as much last week when it boosted the attorney’s fee for a claimant’s lawyer. Richmond lawyer Robert L. Flax recovered a total benefit of $33,125 for the claimant, with $11,433 paid [...]

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A longtime veteran prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s office has been named a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia. The judges of the U.S. District Court appointed David J. Novak to the position, effective Feb. 1, 2012. Novak succeeds U.S. Magistrate Judge Dennis W. Dohnal, who recently retired from the bench. Novak, [...]

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A Sterling man claims a police video shows a Loudoun County officer knocking him unconscious from behind as he stood with his hands in the air. The alleged 2009 assault occurred as the former deputy sheriff responded to a report of an incident at a shopping center. The civil rights lawsuit filed by Carlos Garcia [...]

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The House Courts committee has killed a bill designed to keep evidence in district court civil cases from the eyes of circuit judges hearing the cases on appeal. House Bill 284 took aim at circuit judges inclined to prejudge a district court case before hearing the evidence in new proceedings. When a lower court decision [...]

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