The VLW Blog

Wherever the former Vinton lawyer is, he no longer has a Virginia law license.
The Virginia State Bar revoked the license of Jesse S. Shelor last month for abandoning his law practice “with utter disregard for the welfare of his clients.” Shelor was a no-show at his disciplinary hearing and failed to respond to the VSB’s [...]

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A federal grand jury has indicted Winchester lawyer and former prosecutor Paul H. Thomson on seven charges, including evidence tampering and cocaine possession.
Thomson is accused of attempting to influence the testimony of an accused drug dealer.
Meanwhile, Winchester Circuit Judge John Wetsel Jr. has written to a federal judge advising he has postponed Thomson’s cases in [...]

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Alleged mishandling of a personal injury claim has brought a three-year suspension for Richmond-area lawyer Sara Davis Harman, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The paper reports Harman also is being sued for malpractice over her handling of the injury claim.
According to the paper, the suspension followed an agreement earlier this month by Harman to surrender her [...]

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Former Virginia Beach attorney Philip Leibman has been charged with practicing law the week after his license was revoked by the Virginia State Bar.
The criminal charge was returned among indictments from a Virginia Beach grand jury on Monday. A news release from the commonwealth’s attorney’s office said Liebman represented a client in general [...]

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Former Grundy lawyer David Cecil pleaded guilty Monday to federal charges of mail fraud, money laundering and tax evasion in connection with his handling of the estate of a Buchanan County physician.
The government says Cecil stole more than $175,000 from trust accounts he was hired to administer for the estates of Robert and Nancy Baxter, [...]

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Virginia State Bar disciplinary charges against former York County assistant prosecutor Cathy Krinick have been dropped in the wake of dismissal of a companion case against commonwealth’s attorney Eileen Addison.
VSB Counsel Edward Davis confirmed the head of a three-judge panel has signed the order dismissing charges against Krinick, who is now in private practice in [...]

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Former clients of disbarred Roanoke bankruptcy attorney Ann Marie Miller will receive an average of 20 cents on the dollar for their claims under a plan generally approved by Roanoke Circuit Judge Clifford Weckstein.
Roanoke lawyer Chip Magee, the receiver for Miller’s law practice, reported holding a total of $43,516.16 available for distribution to former clients. [...]

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A three-judge disciplinary panel Monday found no evidence of improper witness coaching against York County Commonwealth’s Attorney Eileen Addison. After hearing the case presented by Virginia State Bar lawyers, the panel dismissed misconduct charges that arose from a 1996 capital murder case, reports the Daily Press.
The ruling ends what had been scheduled as a three-day [...]

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Former Virginia Beach attorney Stephen Gunther has been sentenced to 20 months in prison and ordered to pay $231,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to fraud in connection with a series of real estate closings, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Gunther, 40, a resident of Hertford, N.C., allegedly used straw purchasers in [...]

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The Supreme Court of Virginia will not second guess a decision to discipline a Falls Church lawyer for suing a doctor who never treated the lawyer’s client.
The court decision comes in the case of Michael P. Weatherbee, who sued Winchester obstetrician Ward Vaughan in a medical malpractice action even though Dr. Vaughan had no involvement [...]

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