The VLW Blog

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 [...]

[Read more →]

Former restaurateur and eccentric Roanoke businessman Roland “Spanky” Macher got a stern lecture as a federal judge imposed a 30-month sentence for fraud. Macher was charged with failing to pay taxes, making false statements in bankruptcy court and illegally obtaining food stamps, according to The Roanoke Times. “Your behavior was just outrageous – totally beyond [...]

[Read more →]

The judges of the 23rd Judicial Circuit of Virginia unanimously elected William D. Broadhurst as chief judge. His two-year term began July 1. Judge Broadhurst succeeds Charles N. Dorsey as chief judge of the circuit, which includes the City of Roanoke, the City of Salem and Roanoke County.

[Read more →]

Former Lynchburg Bar Association president Randy Nelson was named this morning to fill the unexpired city council term of Del. Scott Garrett. Nelson is appointed to serve until June 30, when Garrett’s term would have expired, reports The News & Advance. Meanwhile, Roanoke lawyer Ray Ferris formally announced his candidacy for city council Thursday. One [...]

[Read more →]

A man charged with murder and hit-and-run in the death of Roanoke lawyer Tom Farrell goes on trial today. The defendant, Jeffrey Young, has a long history of mental illness, reports WDBJ. Young is also the defendant in another case where he’s accused of hitting a woman in a Floyd County grocery store parking lot [...]

[Read more →]

A former Roanoke councilman hit with a civil fine for election law violations will not face parallel criminal charges. A judge dismissed two misdemeanors against Brian Wishneff at the request of both defense attorney John Lichtenstein and special prosecutor John Alexander, reports The Roanoke Times. The charges stemmed from a newspaper ad that attacked a [...]

[Read more →]

A driver’s answer to an officer’s “incidental” question in a convenience store parking lot can’t come into evidence, a Roanoke City Circuit Court says. In Commonwealth v. Fuller, a uniformed, shield-wielding officer pulled his patrol car up beside Lloyd Jasper Fuller and saw he was not wearing a seat belt. “Fuller’s face registered considerable surprise, [...]

[Read more →]

A California jury returned a $36 million verdict against a Roanoke company accused of misusing trade secrets related to medical robotics. Luna Innovations was ordered to pay $26 million in lost profits, $10.2 million for unjust enrichment and $95,815 in damages, reports the The Roanoke Times. The jury found that Luna not only breached a [...]

[Read more →]

The law-abiding get a first hand look at the inside of a jail tomorrow as the new Western Virginia Regional Jail offers free tours. Between 1 and 4 p.m. visitors will be escorted through the jail’s minimum, medium and maximum security areas, massive kitchen area, medical facilities and warehouse. According to The Roanoke Times, the [...]

[Read more →]

The U.S. Supreme Court summarily overturned an embezzlement conviction for a client of Roanoke attorneys Tony Anderson and Melissa Friedman. Anderson and Friedman’s client, former Burruss Co. President John Jackson, was charged with embezzling from an employee pension fund when he and the company’s CFO withheld money from it, reports The Roanoke Times. Defense counsel [...]

[Read more →]