The VLW Blog

It’s not automatic that a civil rights challenge to a statute or ordinance is best filed in state court, Virginia Beach lawyer Kevin Martingayle told members of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association Friday. With state court, you might get a better shot at avoiding quick dismissal and skeptical judges, but there are other factors. One [...]

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While the General Assembly considers stripping some law enforcement revenue from local governments, the battle over speeding ticket revenue came to a head in a Hopewell courtroom Thursday. City prosecutor Rick Newman moved to turn all the city’s local speeding charges into state charges, denying the city about $2 million in annual revenue. A judge [...]

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Armed with two $4-million verdicts against the state, lawyers for families of Virginia Tech shooting victims are seeking to avoid the $100,000 cap on recovery under the Virginia Tort Claims Act. Under the law, the cap is raised to the maximum limits of any applicable liability policy, and the families’ lawyers want to explore what [...]

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A couple’s arbitrated custody decision under their “Parenting Agreement” did not let a father immediately adjust support when their daughter moved in with him. The divorcing parties signed a “Parenting Agreement” that said they would equally share custody of their two children, and would resolve outstanding issues through arbitration. Under the terms of the resulting [...]

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The ACLU of Virginia has hired activist, advocate and administrator Claire Guthrie Gastañaga as its new executive director. Gastañaga will succeed Kent Willis who is leaving the group after 25 years. “Claire brings to the ACLU a huge network of people throughout Virginia who share our commitment to equality and civil liberties,” said board president Jayne [...]

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The Virginia State Corporation Commission is spiffing up its online services. As more lawyers do their SCC business with their computers, the agency says it’s working to improve functionality and navigation. Recent improvements include: A redesigned home page for easier access to business formation, existing business entity, and Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) transactions, Registered agent [...]

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Close to 800 people packed the sanctuary and stood shoulder-to-shoulder in hallways and antechambers at a Roanoke church Friday as  family, friends and colleagues mourned the death of lawyer Richard Lawrence. The Roanoke Valley courthouse legend was killed in a car wreck near Salem a week ago. Tributes from attendees touched on Lawrence’s mentorship of [...]

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An employee contract clause calling for a $100,000 annual benefit for a surviving spouse is ambiguous, prompting the 4th Circuit to vacate judgment against the employee’s widow and send the case back for another look. When Hampton Roads music promoter David Williams went to work for Cellar Door Management, or CDP Inc., in 1994, he [...]

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A judge has upheld a jury verdict rejecting claims that the design of a child car seat led to devastating brain injury for a five-year-old girl. While Abingdon federal Judge James P. Jones denied the girl’s motion for a new trial, he increased an award of attorneys’ fees to her lawyers based on discovery misconduct [...]

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The Richmond chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators is celebrating a big birthday this month – the chapter is turning 40. At their monthly luncheon yesterday, the group was proud to note that they were the very first ALA chapter to be chartered, in March 1972 (there were four chapters founded that year…Richmond was [...]

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