Bar Associations

Sep 21, 2012

Editor’s Notebook: Richmond Bar welcomes Justice Kagan

Don’t hesitate to engage with your interlocutor if you appear before the U.S. Supreme Court, advised Justice Elena Kagan. That’s exactly what she did in her Sept. 20 appearance before the Richmond Bar Association. She opened with gracious compliments for the Richmond legal community, acknowledging that it takes bench and bar to keep the Eastern […]

Sep 13, 2012

New dean: High costs of legal ed due in part to practice programs

ROANOKE – Blame demands for a more practical law school experience for at least part of the rise in the cost of legal education. So says Nora V. Demleitner, the new dean of Washington & Lee University’s law school. More clinical programs and smaller class size are driving up the price of law school, Demleitner […]

Jul 30, 2012

Benjamin is new NACDL president

Richmond lawyer Steven D. Benjamin has taken the helm of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Taking office Saturday as the 2012-13 president of NACDL at the group’s San Francisco meeting, Benjamin pledged to promote the use of scientific evidence on behalf of the accused. Benjamin said defense lawyers have learned to challenge the […]

Jul 30, 2012

Judges split over new interlock law for DUIs

Virginia judges have split in their application of the new ignition interlock law for first-time DUI offenders. Some judges have applied it only to cases in which the offense occurred after the law went into effect on July 1. Others have applied the new law to cases in which the driver was stopped before July […]

Jul 11, 2012

Rules of Evidence a ‘sea change’ for trial practice

Judging from the recent buzz, it looks like Virginia lawyers are just beginning to grapple with the difference the new Virginia Rules of Evidence, effective July 1, will make at trial. The new Rules represent a “sea change” in trial practice, according to one expert. Having a black-and-white rule in an evidence code will put […]

Jun 29, 2012

Va. Beach also wants more say on study

Lawyers and legislators in Northern Virginia aren’t happy at the lack of representation for their region on a Virginia Supreme Court committee appointed to oversee recommendations on court realignments, as reported last week. (See “NoVa wants more say on court study panel,” VLW, June 25). It turns out they are not alone. Virginia Beach leaders […]

Jun 22, 2012

NoVa wants more say on court study panel

Northern Virginia lawyers and legislators are pushing for more representatives from their region on the committee that will oversee a study of how judges should be allocated in Virginia. The Fairfax Bar Association and 31 General Assembly members have sent separate letters to Chief Justice Cynthia D. Kinser asking her to appoint additional members from […]

Jun 11, 2012

Panel offers client protection proposals

Legislation aimed at preventing large-scale attorney defalcation has been recommended by a Virginia State Bar task force. The payee notification bill approved in April by the VSB Payee Notification Task Force would have insurance companies notify personal injury claimants when settlement checks are being mailed to their lawyers. The idea gained force after a Woodbridge […]

Jun 5, 2012

Case discussion OK on lawyer blog

A lawyer did not violate an ethics rule when he wrote about his cases on the Internet without client consent, a three-judge panel said today. The panel overturned a district discipline committee’s finding of misconduct under Rule 1.6, which governs confidentiality of information. In a decision announced by Portsmouth Circuit Court Judge Kenneth R. Melvin, […]

May 3, 2012

Rosenthal beats incumbent for VSB Council seat

A Henrico County lawyer who wanted another tour of duty on the Virginia State Bar Council will get his wish, after defeating an incumbent representative. Daniel L. Rosenthal, who previously served two three-year terms, will return to council after competing with the two incumbents who sought reelection, Thomas A. Edmonds and Roger T. Creager. Edmonds, […]

Apr 12, 2012

Lawyers react to new tough-on-crime laws

ROANOKE – Lawyers who ignore the General Assembly should not complain about the new batch of tough-on-crime laws limiting judges’ discretion and creating backlogs in traffic court. That’s one legislator’s reaction to complaints from courthouse lawyers about the 2012 General Assembly. A meeting April 10 of the Roanoke Bar Association offered the latest airing of […]

Feb 24, 2012

Monday leads in bar nods for appeals court

Roanoke attorney Monica Taylor Monday is the leader in support from Virginia’s statewide bar groups for a seat on the Virginia Court of Appeals. Judge James J. Haley Jr. is retiring in March; leaders of the Senate and House of Delegates sought input from the bar groups on the pending vacancy. Eight statewide bar groups […]