VALW

1.      Each week Virginia Lawyers Weekly publishes digests of the previous week’s cases from Virginia’s state and federal courts. What courts are covered?

Federal Courts: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. District Court - Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, U.S. Bankruptcy Court – Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia

State Courts: Supreme Court of Virginia, Virginia Court of Appeals, Virginia Circuit Courts

2. How can I get the full-text decision for one of these cases?

All recent opinions digested in the paper are available to subscribers through our Web site. See the following questions for more detail. Non-subscribers or subscribers seeking older opinions may order by calling 1-800-456-5297, ext. 14010, or e-mailing a request to opinions@valawyersmedia.com.

3.      Which cases are available to the general public?

Cases from the 4th Circuit, U.S. District Courts for the Western District, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern and Western Districts, the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Virginia Court of Appeals can be accessed by any visitor to our site. Links to these opinions can be found in the top middle column of our home page under “Opinions”.

4.      Which cases are available only to subscribers of Virginia Lawyers Weekly?

Virginia Circuit Court cases beginning from 2007 and U.S. Eastern District beginning from 2008 are available to subscribers only. The full-text opinions can be found by clicking on the appropriate court opinions link on the home page or by entering search terms in the Google appliance box at the top right of the page. A username and password is required to obtain the full-text opinions.

5.      For which cases is there a fee, and what are the charges?

There is a fee for all U.S. Eastern District Court cases predating 2008 and Virginia Circuit Court cases predating 2007. The cost is $2 per page plus tax.

6.      What information is covered in the Virginia Lawyers Weekly online Archives?

The online Archives contain full coverage of all content published in Virginia Lawyers Weekly since 1993, including links to full-text opinions where applicable.

7.      If I don’t want to go to the Web site and obtain a free copy, can I still purchase an opinion?

Yes, opinions can be purchased by calling 1-800-456-5297, ext. 14010, or by e-mailing a request to opinions@valawyersmedia.com, at the cost of $2 per page plus tax. Indicate that you would rather purchase a copy than obtain it online, and we will e-mail you the full-text opinion and an invoice as PDF attachments.  Be sure to include your firm name and address, phone number, the VLW # of the opinion and your e-mail address.

8.      I’m a subscriber and I want to register for the online benefits. What do I do?

You may register by filling out the form on the registration page. Have your subscription number available (remember to leave any leading zeroes off your account number when typing it in). You may also set up a Web account by calling 800-456-5297, ext. 14024.

9.      I registered, but I don’t remember my user name or password. What do I do?

If you forgot your user name or password, you can receive an e-mail reminder. You may also call 1-800-456-5297, ext. 14024, or send a request to webeditor@valawyersmedia.com.

10.  What is a VLW number and what does each part signify?

The VLW number is a unique 7-digit numbering system used to keep track of each opinion we digest in the paper. This number can be found at the end of each digest. The first three digits represent the year (i.e. 008 for 2008); the middle digit is a numbering code for each court we digest (2- 4th Circuit, 3- U.S. District; 4- Bankruptcy Court; 6- Virginia Supreme Court; 7- Virginia Court of Appeals; and 8- Virginia Circuit Courts); the last three digits are assigned based on the order in which the case is processed in a given year (a case with 003 will be digested early on in the year, whereas a case with 346 would likely come out towards the end).

11.  I used to be able to order opinions through an auto-fax service. Do you still provide this?

No, we discontinued the automated fax service in 2006. We now have all opinions  available in electronic (PDF) format.

12.  What delivery methods are available for opinions?

The most efficient method of obtaining an opinion is through our Web site. For older opinions, or those not yet available on the Web, we will e-mail the case as a PDF file. Fax and mail delivery are also available, although subject to service charges.

13.  How long does it take to receive the opinion after putting in a phone or e-mail request?

Same-day delivery is available weekdays during business hours. Requests after 3 p.m. may be fulfilled the following morning. Night, weekend and holiday orders are filled the next business day.

14.  I saw a case I wanted in your Daily Alert. How do I get a copy?

Follow the link in the Daily Alert to the VLW home page to the section entitled, “Today’s Top Opinion.” This case is available to everyone for a day. If the Daily Alert is more than a day old, subscribers can locate the full-text opinion by going to the appropriate court opinions page (follow the links on the home page).

15.  I saw a Verdict & Settlement Report similar to one of my cases. How do I get a copy?

Verdict & Settlement Reports are case summaries submitted to us by lawyers in order to help other lawyers assess the value of their cases. Although each article in this section is assigned a unique number (i.e., 08-T-023), there are no corresponding documents available for order. To find more information on any of these cases, start by searching the VLW archives. If we have not digested the case in our opinions section or featured it in a news article, other options would be to contact the court or attorney for further detail.

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