Virginia Lawyers Weekly VA Lawyers Weekly

A private school requirement that parents pay legal costs for both sides in court disputes was an “unconscionable” contract provision, the Supreme Court of Virginia has agreed. The court on Jan. 2 affirmed the ruling of a Fairfax County judge ...

Southwest Virginia’s newest voice on the Virginia Supreme Court bench took the oath of office Sept. 6 in Abingdon. Teresa M. Chafin, of Russell County, moved from the state Court of Appeals to the Supreme Court, taking the place of ...

The impending retirement of Virginia Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth A. McClanahan prompted a stream of opinions in the week preceding her last day on Sept. 1. From Aug. 22 to Aug. 30, the court issued 14 decisions. There were nine ...

In a unanimous order, the Supreme Court of Virginia has upheld the second disbarment of former state delegate Joseph D. Morrissey. A three-judge Richmond Circuit Court panel revoked Morrissey’s law license last year, and the Supreme Court affirmed that decision ...

As promised in January, the Supreme Court of Virginia has unveiled an online search engine to look up criminal and traffic cases in all general district courts and nearly all circuit courts. Without any accompanying announcement, search links appeared on ...

The Supreme Court of Virginia is moving to allow free access to unannotated versions of its model jury instructions. The court announced June 26 that the criminal Virginia Model Jury Instructions are now available in an unannotated format on the ...

The Supreme Court of Virginia has agreed to consider whether an involuntary intoxication defense is equivalent to an insanity defense in the case of a man who tortured a McLean lawyer and his wife in their home. Andrew Schmuhl contended ...

The Supreme Court of Virginia has authorized the collection of up to $30 a year from each active lawyer in Virginia to fund wellness initiatives. In a May 31 order, the court directed the Virginia State Bar to collect the ...

The Supreme Court of Virginia has upheld a bar reprimand of a Virginia Beach lawyer accused of misleading a judge about terms of a federal regulation. Attorney Judith M. Cofield fought the bar discipline all the way to the high ...

Concerns about delays of up to five days for accused offenders waiting for bond hearings may lead to a plan to make judges available even when courthouses are closed for long periods. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons ...