Weekly Edition
Taking the 4th: Obama can reshape appeals court
By Steve Lash and Alan Cooper
November 17, 2008
With President-elect Barack Obama poised to take office Jan. 20 – and four vacancies on the 15-member 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals – court watchers predict the completion of a seismic shift on the Richmond-based appellate panel.
The court long was regarded as the most conservative of the 13 appellate courts, but that label hardly […]
Senator: Audit the Board of Medicine
By Alan Cooper
November 17, 2008
Sen. Toddy Puller wants the Joint Legislative and Audit Review Commission to take a second look at the Virginia Board of Medicine.
The request by the Mount Vernon Democrat in Senate Joint Resolution 276 comes almost 10 years after JLARC found the board put public safety at risk by allowing physicians to continue to practice […]
Woman wins $200K in reverse discrim suit
By Alan Cooper
November 17, 2008
A white woman claiming she was bypassed when a predominately black high school chose a new principal has won a $200,000 reverse discrimination verdict.
A federal jury in Richmond returned the verdict for Pamela K. Hartnett, who sought the position at Brunswick High School in 2006.
Hartnett was one of two assistant principals at the school […]
A fight down on the farm
By Peter Vieth
November 17, 2008
A family fight over the proposed breakup of a showplace cattle farm in Northern Virginia may be headed for the Supreme Court of Virginia. One family member argues that the courts should not force her to share the cost of subdivision preparations when she never agreed with her siblings’ plan to split up the property.
Nestled […]
Changes by Obama will reshape labor law
By Jeffrey L. Rhodes
November 17, 2008
The election of Barack Obama promises to bring change to Washington, D.C., but the question most employment lawyers are asking these days is, “Who will benefit most from this change?”
The answer to this question is simple – unions.
Several new measures likely to be passed in his administration are designed to reverse the decline of unions […]
VSB: Loosen the rule on claiming to be ‘specialist’
By Alan Cooper
November 17, 2008
The Virginia State Bar wants to loosen the ethical rule governing whether a lawyer can claim to be certified as a specialist.
The loosening stops well short of what some states are doing, but it’s still further than the Supreme Court of Virginia was willing to go in February 2006.
At issue is Rule 7.4(d) of the […]
‘Red Flag’ rules catching some businesses by surprise
By Peter Vieth
November 17, 2008
Lawyers who advise businesses are fielding calls from clients about new federal requirements for identity theft prevention programs. While lawyers say business owners are often surprised to find they’re affected by the new rules, complying with the rules themselves is not particularly difficult.
The so-called “Red Flag” rules apply to both “financial institutions” and “creditors,” and […]
Obituaries
By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
November 17, 2008
Gary Charles Leedes
Gary Charles Leedes, emeritus professor who taught at the University of Richmond law school for 26 years, died Nov. 4 after a short illness. He was 74.
A Philadelphia native, Dr. Leedes received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, a law degree from Temple University and master’s and doctor of […]
Lisa Clement enters the VADA leadership
By Paul Fletcher
November 17, 2008
Richmond lawyer Lisa F. Clement has entered the leadership loop of the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys. She became the group’s secretary at its annual meeting in Richmond last month.
Assuming a normal progression of officers, she will be the VADA’s first woman president in several years. She is not, however, the first female lawyer […]
Altria, Philip Morris USA plan job cuts
By News in Brief
November 17, 2008
NEW YORK—Altria Group, the owner of the nation’s biggest cigarette maker, confirmed last week that it has started to cut jobs because of the widespread economic turmoil.
A spokesman declined to say how many cuts would be made but said they were planned for employees of parent company Altria and its cigarette unit, Philip Morris USA. […]
IMPORTANT OPINIONS
- Traffic Offenses - Bifurcated Trial ‘Notice’ DNA in Traffic Court
- Tort - Telecom Company Can Sue for Business Conspiracy
- Tort - Government Not Liable for Stability Test
- Search & Seizure - Vague Affidavit Cannot Support Warrant
- Search & Seizure - Invalid Warrant - Affidavit Specificity
- Negligence - FELA - Wrongful Death - Release