Virginia Lawyers Weekly VA Lawyers Weekly

The Supreme Court of Virginia has tightened the ethical boundaries for lawyers investigating possible litigation claims. The change puts Virginia more in line with other states and federal courts for what’s referred to as the “no-contact rule.” The justices balked ...

Tagged with: contact Ethics no-contact rule Supreme Court of Virginia Virginia State Bar

Once again, advocates for legal aid offices are hoping that a Virginia ban on mandatory use of interest on lawyers’ trust accounts might be rescinded. Legislation to remove the ban was introduced Jan. 7 at the General Assembly. If approved, ...

Tagged with: Del. Rip Sullivan General Assembly House Bill 1853 IOLTA

Even though late disclosure of favorable evidence was an inadvertent oversight by prosecutors, a federal judge says the omission constituted suppression of Brady material that required dismissal of a firearm-related charge against an accused drug kingpin. The recently disclosed video ...

Tagged with: drugs firearms guns Judge Michael F. Urbanski

The owner of an Audi dealership in Arlington has been ordered to pay sanctions of $213,196.95 amid accusations of bad faith in its litigation against a former employee. Fairfax County Circuit Judge Dontaè L. Bugg denied a motion to reconsider ...

Tagged with: damages Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Dontae L. Bugg Sanctions

The estate of a man who died in a nursing home in Sussex County can keep its wrongful death suit in Norfolk Circuit Court, a judge there has ruled. The defendant company that owns the nursing home also operates a ...

Tagged with: Judge David E. Lannetti Norfolk Circuit Court Nursing Home Pandemic Wrongful Death

When the 2021 Virginia General Assembly opens on Jan. 13, criminal justice reform, a major issue in last year’s session, will be back front and center. A group of progressive Virginia prosecutors has united behind a five-point agenda for the ...

Tagged with: criminal defense General Assembly mandatory minimum Sentencing

The mail last Tuesday — Jan. 5 —brought my copies of the Dec. 7 and Dec. 14 issues of Lawyers Weekly. No word yet on the issues of Dec. 21, Dec. 28 and Jan. 4. For many of you, the ...

Comedian and actor Kevin Hart will avoid liability in a suit by business partners who claimed their video game launch was torpedoed by Hart’s admission of an extramarital affair, following a decision from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Kevin Hart

A Fairfax County circuit judge has removed some of the defamation claims against actor Johnny Depp filed by ex-wife Amber Heard, but her principal accusations and a demand for attorneys’ fees remain alive as the litigation moves toward a lengthy ...

Tagged with: Amber Heard Defamation Fairfax County Circuit Court Johnny Depp Judge Bruce D. White

The possibility of five open seats on an expanded Court of Appeals of Virginia has produced a field of 26 applicants for evaluation by Virginia lawyers. The list includes judges and lawyers who have applied before for openings on the ...

Tagged with: General Assembly Virginia Court of Appeals