Celebrating 2010: Best of the Daily Alert

Our Daily Alert e-mail service provides links to the news we report on our website and in our three blogs, as well as links to other news sources throughout the commonwealth.

You clicked, we listened. Here are your top 25 items for 2010:

1. Supreme Court asks lawyer to explain ‘no guts’ comment
Lawyers flinched when they read about the fate of William Crane, whose off-the-cuff but on-the-record comment about the Supreme Court not having the guts to handle an issue earned him a trip to Richmond to explain himself. The court accepted his apology and the matter was closed.

2. Circuit judge off the bench
When a judge mysteriously stops hearing cases, it’s bound to arouse curiosity. Such was the case when the colleagues of Wise County Circuit Judge Joseph Carico announced in June he would no longer be hearing cases. Carico tendered his resignation in September without any official explanation.

3. Lawyer disbarred over $450K diversion
Kyle Leftwich surrendered her license in October, acknowledging she had pocketed more than $450,000 in fees for disability cases while working for Marks & Harrison. The firm said the money had been paid back. She is facing a felony larceny charge.

4. Obama nominates two for Virginia judgeships
News that President Obama had nominated two candidates for Virginia federal judgeships was a hot item on Dec. 1. U.S. Magistrate Jude Michael F. Urbanski is up for a seat in the Western District; federal public defender Arenda Wright Allen is Obama’s choice for an Eastern District spot.

5. Charlottesville lawyer charged with assaulting client
Charlottesville’s Frank Buck was accused of getting physical during a disagreement with a client at the courthouse. A hearing was continued so prosecutors and the judge could determine if they had a conflict.

6. Ten seek seat on high court
The coming retirement of Justice Lawrence Koontz brought expressions of interest from 10 judges and lawyers in October. Potential candidates include members of the Court of Appeals, circuit judges and appellate practitioners.

7. Griffith identifies front- runner for high court
In January, then- House majority leader Del. Morgan Griffith (now U.S. Rep.-elect Griffith) pointed to former Attorney General Bill Mims as the clear leader among possible General Assembly choices to fill a seat on the Supreme Court of Virginia. He was right; Mims took his seat on the court in April.

8. First candidate for Supreme Court vacancy emerges
Appellate guru and blogger Steve Emmert was the first to announce an interest in the vacancy to be created by the pending retirement of Justice Lawrence L. Koontz, we reported in October.

9. Influential Women of Virginia for 2010 named
Interest was high when VLW unveiled its 2010 list of Influential Women of Virginia in March. At the May event, Dr. Michelle Clayton of Norfolk was voted as “Influential Woman of the Year” by her peers in the Class of 2010.

10. Fifteen lawyers leave LeClairRyan
Fifteen lawyers checked out at LeClairRyan to form a litigation boutique in June.

11. Leaders in the Law for 2010 named
VLW announced its class of 2010 for the Leaders in the Law awards in August. U.S. Magistrate Judge Dennis W. Dohnal was voted as “Leader of the Year” by this year’s Leaders; this honor was announced at the October confab at the Science Museum of Virginia.

12. Nine seek federal seat in the Western District
Nine judges and lawyers expressed interest in a U.S. district court seat in the Western District in March. Sens. Mark Warner and Jim Webb recommended U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Urbanski, whom the president nominated in November (see item 4, above).

13. VSB suspends lawyer’s license without explanation
Wise County lawyer Stuart Collins was suspended by the VSB without explanation in January. He was scheduled to have a hearing in December.

14. Two more candidates seek Supreme Court seat
Another two lawyers joined the list of candidates for the Koontz seat in October, Judge Robert Humphreys of the Court of Appeals and Glen Huff of Virginia Beach.

15. Two more say they would like to replace Koontz
Two circuit judges – Joseph Milam of Danville and Pamela Baskervill of Petersburg – threw their hats into the Supreme Court ring.

16. Dress Codes: The Poll Results
Perhaps the better description would be what NOT to wear. Lawyers sought sartorial guidance from our poll. More than 500 responded, many offering comments. Clearly this survey touched a nerve.

17. Questions about judge’s disappearance focus on car accident
An article in the Bristol Herald Courier explained that Judge Joseph Carico’s absence from the bench was possibly related to a recent single-car accident; he and a probationer both were taken to the hospital then released.

18. VBA endorses four for Supreme Court
The Virginia Bar Association endorsed four candidates for the Supreme Court of Virginia in November.

19. McGuireWoods v. TigerWoods
Pro golfer Tiger Woods had a bad year. Richmond-based McGuireWoods represented his wife, Elin Nordegren, in their divorce. How did they get that gig, you ask? Elin’s twin sister is an associate in McGuireWoods’ London office. No, we don’t make this stuff up.

20. Law firm sues for unpaid fee, gets it all!
How many times have you read a case or story where a law firm was forced to sue to collect a fee, only to get whacked and/or lectured by a judge? In March, we wrote up a case from Henrico County in which the judge said, yep, the firm earned every penny, and they get judgment for the amount sought. Who knew?

21. Fee dispute suit spawns battle of ex-presidents
Former Virginia State Bar president Ben DiMuro filed a lawsuit against the law firm of Glenn Lewis, a past president of the Virginia Bar Association, claiming, among other things, that the Lewis firm had overcharged a past client. The case ultimately was settled.

22. Investigation of Grand Canyon death focuses on Hanover lawyer
The body of a man from Virginia was discovered at the bottom of the Arizona landmark. It turned out to be that of former Hanover prosecutor Kirby Porter.

23. Sanctions: Lawyer, client ordered to pay other parties fees
A Fairfax circuit judge hit a lawyer and a client for $272,000 in fees for pursuing “vindicative” litigation.

24. One way to go
A guy died in August, and his obituary in the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he had been “beamed up by Scotty.” This should make it a little clearer: His name was Danny Kirk and his nickname was “Captain.” Highly logical.

25. Three more seek federal seat in Eastern District
Names are news, with a number of lawyers seeking the recommendation of Virginia’s two U.S. Senators for the seat of U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Friedman, who is taking senior status. A federal public defender, Arenda Wright Allen, got the nod and if confirmed, she will be Virginia’s first black female federal judge.