The VLW Blog

In an unpublished order, the Supreme Court of Virginia today upholds the 12-month suspension of Norfolk lawyer Curtis Tyrone Brown’s license to practice law.
A three-judge panel concluded that Brown made a false statement to a judge and disrupted a judicial proceeding.
Brown misrepresented to a Chesapeake Circuit Court judge in front of a jury the circumstances [...]

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The Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Board has postponed until Nov. 1, 2011, the effective date of its requirement for four hours of interactive CLE.
Earlier this year, the board adopted a regulation effective Nov. 1 that requires lawyers to get a third of their 12-hour annual CLE hours from programs that provide the opportunity for feedback [...]

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The Virginia State Bar has posted for comment proposed changes to the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education rule.
As we reported earlier this month, a task force appointed by immediate-past VSB President Jon D. Huddleston has recommended that VSB Council have the final say on rules and regulations adopted by the MCLE Board.
The issue came [...]

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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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Andrew Harding of Harrisonburg has been elected to the Virginia State Bar Council representing the 26th judicial circuit. He replaces George Shanks who now is VSB president-elect.
Harding outpolled Carter Foulds of Winchester 101-77 in a special election.
By Peter Vieth

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An official from ALPS, the Virginia State Bar’s endorsed malpractice carrier, told the VSB Council yesterday that malpractice claims are up in Virginia.
The company’s loss ratios, the amount of money the company received in premiums versus the amount paid in claims, have been higher than expected for the past four years. Last year, the company [...]

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 VIRGINIA BEACH—The Virginia State Bar Council is expected to appoint Tracy A. Giles of Roanoke, Kevin E. Martingayle of Virginia Beach and Susan M. Pesner of McLean to its executive committee tomorrow.
The will replace Judith L. Rosenblatt of Virginia Beach and Theophani K. Stamos of Arlington, who have completed two three-year terms on council, and [...]

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VIRGINIA BEACH—The Virginia State Bar’s Standing Committee on the Unauthorized Practice law still wants to put more teeth in the criminal statute outlawing UPL.
Bar Council voted in June 2009 to ask the General Assembly to increase the penalty from a misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony, but the legislature’s budget staff projected that the measure [...]

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W. David Harless of Richmond has filed as a candidate for president-elect designate of the Virginia State Bar, which would put him in line to be VSB president in 2012-13.
Harless is a partner and member of the executive committee at Christian & Barton LLP. He was elected to VSB Council in 2006 and joined its executive [...]

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The Supreme Court of Virginia has asked the Virginia State Bar and the Virginia Bar Association to submit a proposed rule for pro bono practice by corporate counsel.
The request followed comments last month by Randal S. Milch, executive vice president and general counsel of Verizon Communications Inc., about “regulatory impediments” by the Virginia State Bar [...]

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