Weekly Edition
Rapid Response: Firms gear up, offer new services to help clients through tough times
By Peter Vieth
November 24, 2008
The business of law is no more immune to the economic downtown than any other enterprise, but Virginia law firms say they are weathering the storm, in part by offering special services that meet the needs of clients in the leaner times. In addition, while the job picture for new law grads is less rosy, […]
In tighter market, job-hunters should hone interview skills
By Peter Vieth
November 24, 2008
And what impact has the down economy had on lawyers just entering the market, or law students who are on the interview trail this fall?
Not surprisingly, anyone looking for that first job can expect a tighter market, according to law school placement officers around the state. The key to success, they said, may be […]
Judge Clements to retire from appeals court
By Alan Cooper
November 24, 2008
Virginia Court of Appeals Judge Jean Harrison Clements will retire Dec. 31 after eight years on the intermediate appellate court and 22 years as a state judge.
Clements reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 this year but she said, “I would have continued if the statute had permitted me to do so.”
“It has been a […]
Foster joins race for GOP Attorney General nod
By Alan Cooper
November 24, 2008
Dave Foster, a Washington lawyer and former Arlington School Board chairman, has formally joined what is an increasingly crowded field for the Republican nomination for Virginia attorney general.
State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, R-Fairfax, and former U.S. Attorney John Brownlee of Roanoke had announced their candidacies earlier. The nominee will be chosen in May at the Greater […]
Boors or bigots: the issue is on remand in Title VII case
By Deborah Elkins
November 24, 2008
A female air traffic controller gets another chance to prove her Title VII “hostile environment” claim in Alexandria federal court.
The Alexandria court pulled the trigger a little too fast when it granted summary judgment to the employer after refusing to consider affidavits from the woman’s coworkers, according to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ […]
Ex-lawyer Conrad gets 11 years
By Peter Vieth
November 24, 2008
Brushing aside pleas for leniency, U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton this month ordered an 11-year prison sentence for a former Woodbridge lawyer blamed for stealing more than $4 million from clients and others in a “broad criminal enterprise” over the course of four years of practice.
Stephen T. Conrad, 40, of Purcellville, admitted to “settling” […]
LEO on guardian’s duties seeks to answer legislative concerns
By Alan Cooper
November 24, 2008
A new Legal Ethics Opinion from the Virginia State Bar lays out the ethical duties of a guardian ad litem to report suspected child abuse or neglect.
The LEO is a response to an effort in the 2008 General Assembly to add guardians to the statutory list of persons who must report such activity.
Sen. Stephen H. […]
Man sentenced for attack in Albemarle courtroom
By News in Brief
November 24, 2008
CHARLOTTESVILLE—A Fluvanna man accused of attacking a witness in a courtroom has pleaded guilty to assault and battery and threatening a witness.
Mark Wayne Shifflett was sentenced last week to 12 months on each charge after entering his plea. Albemarle County General District Court Judge Robert H. Downer Jr. then suspended all but 15 months […]
Scientist pleads guilty to tech sales to China
By News in Brief
November 24, 2008
NORFOLK—A Virginia scientist pleaded guilty last week to selling rocket technology to China and bribing Chinese officials to secure a lucrative contract for his high-tech company.
Quan-Sheng Shu, 68, pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the federal Arms Control Act and one count of bribery at a hearing in U.S. District Court in Norfolk. […]
ICE rejects training for Fairfax deputies
By News in Brief
November 24, 2008
FAIRFAX—Fairfax County’s sheriff says federal immigration authorities have denied his bid to enroll deputies in a program that trains local officers to detain criminal illegal immigrants.
Sheriff Stan Barry says the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told him last month that it would not place 12 deputies in the program.
The program has been touted […]
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