The VLW Blog

A farmhand who fell when he was grabbed from behind by a co-worker cannot collect workers’ compensation for a knee injury, the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission ruled Sept. 1.
The deputy commissioner awarded benefits to Brandon Phipps, 22, who worked for a turfgrass farm in Franklin. But the full commission reversed, and said Phipps’ injury did [...]

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Talking with a convicted client’s kinfolk does not satisfy a criminal defense lawyer’s duty to consult about a possible appeal.
Although a trial court signed off on the lawyer’s efforts, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court and ordered reinstatement of the client’s right to appeal.
After Lonnie Edward Malone was sentenced in [...]

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There was whole lot of shakin’ going on in law offices around Virginia at 1:51 p.m.
A 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit then and sent some lawyers and staff scurrying from their offices into the street in many locations.
Most apparently stayed put, however, and there were few reports of damage.
Doug Rucker waited it out on the 24th [...]

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Employers trying to define social media policies for employees may want to look at a report that outlines recent government decisions about employee rights to use Facebook, Twitter and other social media.
The National Labor Relations Board’s Office of the General Counsel has released a 24-page summary of cases involving the legality of employers’ social media [...]

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A woman who alleges a job offer was withdrawn after a prospective employer learned she sued her last employer for overtime pay cannot sue the hiring company under the Fair Labor Standard Act’s anti-retaliation provision, says the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Natalie Dellinger thought she had a new job. She alleged Science Applications International [...]

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The Dolan Company (NYSE:DM) announced earlier this week that its DiscoverReady subsidiary had completed a significant strategic expansion in the electronic discovery sector with the acquisition of the assets of ACT Litigation Services, based in Valencia, Calif.
The purchase price was $65 million with additional future payments possible depending upon performance. The transaction closed July [...]

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When a new study suggested mountaintop removal coal mining might be responsible for an increase in West Virginia birth defects, it was no surprise to see a critical response from Crowell & Moring. After all, the Washington-based firm represents the National Mining Association.
What came as a surprise, though, was one of the points included in [...]

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Ghostwriting lawyers, beware, warns another federal judge in an opinion released last month.
Alexandria Senior U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris became suspicious when he compared Wilfredo Sejas’ pro se complaint to a similar challenge to a foreclosure Sejas filed against the same mortgage company in Prince William Circuit Court in 2009. And the plaintiff’s [...]

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Plenty of lawyers think they’re rock ’n roll, but only a few are willing to put it on the line.
Tomorrow night law firm bands will face off in a Battle of the Bands at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C. The Battle is an annual fundraiser for the Gifts for the Homeless program.
Headlining the 8:50 [...]

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Holding that “obscene” means more than just “pornographic,” the en banc Court of Appeals of Virginia has affirmed the conviction of a Texas doctor who persistently harassed his estranged wife with vulgar emails.
While completing medical training in Texas in 2009, Dennis Barson sent scores of graphic email messages to his wife in Virginia Beach, [...]

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