The Supreme Court of Virginia on Jan. 6 approved a legal ethics opinion that questioned whether a lawyer representing a client on a flat or fixed fee agreement can provide for an alternative fee arrangement if the client ends the relationship without cause.  

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A North Carolina-based attorney can work out of at a vacation home on Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia so long as he works only on cases involving North Carolina or federal law,  according to a proposed Legal Ethics Opinion from ...

Tagged with: Lawyers Legal Ethics Opinion Remote work Virginia State Bar

Virtual offices have become a staple of American society. In 2016, 43% of employed Americans said they worked remotely or virtually at least once a week, according to the study by Gallup. “Employees are pushing companies to break down the ...

Tagged with: Legal Ethics Opinion Virginia State Bar News Virtual Office

VIRGINIA BEACH – Lawyers have no duty under bar ethics rules to report or intervene with an impaired attorney unless the impairment leads to a vio­lation of those rules. But a new Legal Ethics Opinion encourages lawyers to seek guid­ance ...

Tagged with: Avvo Barbara Anderson Legal Ethics Opinion Michael Robinson Supreme Court of Virginia Virginia State Bar Council

At the urging of a civil rights lawyer, the Supreme Court of Virginia has added deportation warnings to suggested questions for judges to ask criminal defendants when they plead guilty. The changes came in an Oct. 30 order, effective immediately. ...

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The Virginia State Bar’s ethics committee has made it official: Lawyers may claim their full flat fees for consumer bankruptcies at the time of filing the bankruptcy petitions. The guidance reflected in a Legal Ethics Opinion now approved by the ...

Tagged with: Bankruptcy Legal Ethics Opinion Virginia State Bar

“Take the money at filing time” is the advice suggested by a committee of the Virginia State Bar for attorneys charging up-front flat fees for no-asset bankruptcy cases. The VSB Committee on Ethics is requesting comments on a proposed legal ...

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Virginia prosecutors may have an ethical duty to avoid plea bargains that could lead to defendants’ deportation under new guidance from the Virginia State Bar, but only in limited circumstances. A final VSB legal ethics opinion arising from so-called Padilla ...

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A Virginia State Bar panel is still pondering how best to prevent criminal defendants from unwittingly creating immigration problems for themselves when they accept plea offers in misdemeanor cases. A proposal to recognize an ethical duty for prosecutors to guard ...

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A new effort to ensure that immigrant criminal defendants don’t unwittingly risk deportation would impose an ethical burden on prosecutors. Prosecutors are expected to question whether they should be put in the position of advising defendants about their rights under ...

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