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Lawyers question need for client sex prohibition
At least six lawyers have raised concerns about a Virginia State Bar proposal to explicitly ban lawyers from initiating sexual relations with a current client. But there is no consensus on what’s wrong with the proposal. One lawyer questioned the need for specifically addressing sex, as opposed to overbearing conduct in general. Others would prefer […]
Buniva unopposed for VSB president-elect
Richmond environmental lawyer Brian L. Buniva is in line to become the president of the Virginia State Bar in 2020. Despite expressed interest from other attorneys, no one else filed by the Oct. 1 deadline to challenge Buniva’s nominating petition to qualify for election as president-elect. Without opposition, Buniva is expected to be acclaimed as […]
Prosecutor faces VSB ethics charges
A Virginia prosecutor has been charged by a Virginia State Bar disciplinary panel with “dishonesty and misrepresentation” in concealing information about a police drug informant. The case against Joseph W. Lee III, formerly with the Portsmouth commonwealth’s attorney’s office, marks a rare instance of bar ethics charges against a prosecutor for alleged discovery misconduct. The […]
Mims, bar leaders sound a call for wellness
ROANOKE – Justice William C. Mims of the Virginia Supreme Court compares his formula for well-being with the cylinders of his car. The car may have six cylinders, but if the spark is lacking for any one of them, the car just won’t run right. If the ignition coils fail for two cylinders, Mims’ Saab […]
Appellate mediation project is approved
VIRGINIA BEACH — Virginia’s appellate courts will launch pilot mediation projects for civil cases next year. A study committee recommended in April that the courts give appellate mediation a try. The Supreme Court of Virginia gave the green light in May. The pilot mediation programs will run for two years, beginning Jan. 1. In the […]
Lawyer who lied about work accepts bar suspension
A former Tysons Corner law firm associate has agreed to a two-and-a-half-year license suspension, admitting he lied about uncompleted work on collections cases over a period of more than two years. When he admitted his lapses and his lies in May of last year, Rory K. Nugent resigned from the firm of Rees Broome PC and gave […]
Law students seek change to bar app question
Law students in Virginia are asking for a rule change which they say will allow them to seek mental health treatment without fear of its impacting their careers. The question arose when students from the University of Richmond sent a letter to the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners in early April asking them to “end […]
Lawyer surrenders license over estate fee allegations
A former Alexandria attorney who paid himself more than $1 million for work on a decedent’s estate gave up his license last month in the face of seven ethics charges, including accusations of a wrongful act, making a false statement to a tribunal and “dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.” Richard Murray said the beneficiaries knowingly […]
Morrissey to be subject to bar discipline after finding
Lawyer Joe Morrissey’s 2014 conviction for contributing to the delinquency of a minor has led to a finding that he violated the Rules of Professional Conduct. A three-judge Richmond Circuit Court panel concluded March 28 that Morrissey’s 2013 relationship with a 17-year-old employee – now his wife – was a criminal or deliberately wrongful act, […]
Lawyer disbarred after skipping VSB hearing
A Lynchburg lawyer who ran afoul of a bankruptcy judge, failed to show at a series of court appearances and then skipped a Virginia State Bar disciplinary hearing has been disbarred. Brent L. Barbour’s pattern of violations over a short period of time and a past record of similar conduct “demonstrate a serious failure to […]
Bar: Tips to assistance program could help troubled lawyers
A Virginia State Bar committee is recommending allowing bar prosecutors to share concerns about a lawyer’s mental health or substance abuse issues with a lawyer assistance program. The rule change would mark an exception to otherwise strict confidentiality about any bar investigation of a lawyer accused of ethics violations. Another proposal would allow a lawyer […]
Criminal discovery reform…again
The latest study of Virginia criminal discovery rules produced a fresh report just in time to forestall a legislative rewrite effort this month. Once again, a multi-discipline group is recommending defense access to police reports. The next move is up to the Supreme Court of Virginia. The Virginia State Bar’s Criminal Discovery Reform Task Force […]
Verdicts & Settlements
- Woodshop incident leads to amputation of fingers — $1.3M settlement
- Motorcyclist’s foot amputated in collision — $7M settlement
- Contractor rear-ended on interstate on way to wedding — $825,000 settlement
- Man suffers back injury in crash with out-of-state driver — $530,000 settlement
- Driver crossed center line, struck 89-year-old’s vehicle — $1.2M settlement
- Jury returns defense verdict in favor of gastroenterologist
- Teens killed in T-bone collision with officer — $3.1M settlement
- Man sustained subdural hematoma in rear-end collision —$1.15M settlement
- Adequate anesthesia not provided during C-section — $2.5M verdict
- Tenant fell ill from mold in apartment — $588,000 verdict
- Woman suffers nerve injury, pain after dental procedure — $550,000 settlement
- Driver struck child exiting school bus — $750,000 settlement
Opinion Digests
- Suit over historic mansion and estate dismissed
- Former employee’s claims survive motion to dismiss
- Equal Pay Act doesn’t apply to applicant
- Court rejects invocation of attorney-client privilege
- Evidence supported competency determination
- Appellees had power to remove business manager
- No continuance after witnesses failed to appear
- No actual or constructive eviction in warranty case
- Gas distribution pipeline exempt from ZBA regulation
- Improper venue in air pollution regulation matter
- No benefits awarded in unemployment comp case
- No immunity for judge who personally oversaw search
