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Another jurisdiction, another remote working ethics opinion
In March 2020 when the first shutdowns occurred, everyone believed we’d be back to normal in a few weeks. Now, more than a year and a half later, it’s clear that the “old normal” is a thing of the past. Pandemic surges are occurring across the country and businesses are transitioning back-and-forth from remote work […]
Rule on lawyer and client sex rejected
The Supreme Court of Virginia has rejected changes proposed by the Virginia State Bar to the Rules of Professional Conduct prohibiting a lawyer from having sexual relations with a current client. In a letter dated July 21, the court denied the VSB’s petition to amend Rules 1.8, 1.10 and 1.15. No reason for the denial […]
Digital payment: The ethics of accepting cryptocurrency for legal fees
As the world becomes more digitized, the ways people pay for goods and services rendered are becoming more digitized as well. The legal field is no exception. A recent proposed ethics opinion from the Florida Bar Ethics Department tackled some of the issues surrounding digital payment processing services like Venmo or PayPal. In the March […]
Client must hear of potential fee claim; fired attorney may be entitled to some recovery
A lawyer who takes on a contingency-fee case after the client has fired a previous lawyer has an ethical duty to inform the client that the first lawyer may have a financial claim for the work she did, according to a new Legal Ethics Opinion just approved by the Supreme Court of Virginia. LEO 1878 […]
No ‘Needle in a haystack’
A Virginia State Bar committee believes a prosecutor should not be able to satisfy disclosure obligations by turning over a bundle of material without pinpointing where the possibly exculpatory information is. The VSB’s Standing Committee on Legal Ethics is seeking comments on a proposal to create a rule-based duty for prosecutors not to do a […]
Verdicts & Settlements
- Plaintiff injured in crash with oncoming vehicle — $235,000 settlement
- Driver killed in rear-end collision with tractor-trailer — $1.5M settlement
- Man died from pancreatic cancer after delayed response — $1.8M settlement
- Worker fell off roof, rendering him a paraplegic — $1.25M settlement
- Driver sustained permanent hearing loss after traffic collision — $240,000 settlement
- Plaintiff suffered concussion in rear-end collision — $81,000 verdict
- Builder misrepresented home status to buyers — $675,000 verdict
- Low potassium led to cardiac arrest, death of patient — $1M settlement
- Excessive propofol caused death in dialysis patient — $850,000 settlement
- Pedestrian struck in crosswalk in hit-and-run incident — $300,000 settlement
- Navy veteran killed in collision with box truck — $1.85M arbitration award
- Motorcyclist ejected from bike in collision with SUV — $1.5M settlement
Opinion Digests
- Company owner dodges breach of contract suit
- Employee’s own allegations doom minimum wage claim
- Federal government defeats former employee’s claims
- Principal wasn’t entitled to exclusively remote work
- USPTO properly redacted info in responsive documents
- Untimely lawsuit allowed to proceed
- Engineering consultant dismissed from suit
- Rule 60 motion was filed too late
- Nonprofit directors immune from ex-employees’ claims
- City, employees immune from whistleblower claims
- Experts excluded in condemnation damages suit
- Judgment entered against company for horse’s death
