Weekly Edition :: Virginia Lawyers Weekly

Bank can’t be tagged for handling escrow

By Peter Vieth
December 15, 2008

In a sign of tough times for the real estate development market, investors in a multi-story lakefront condo project are battling with the bank that paid out their investment money to now-bankrupt developers. The disappointed investors who thought they had a money-back guarantee had their lawsuit against Branch Banking and Trust Co. dismissed by a […]

Chesterfield clerk sues chief judge

By Alan Cooper
December 15, 2008

Chesterfield County Circuit Clerk Judy L. Worthington has filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of Virginia against Chief Judge Michael C. Allen.
Worthington has asked for writ of prohibition and a writ of mandamus in a dispute involving the naming of people who can perform marriages in the county. Allen had ordered her to […]

VBA, VTLA join forces in ‘Family Law Coalition’

By Alan Cooper
December 15, 2008

The Virginia Bar Association and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association are joining forces to restructure the VBA Coalition Committee on Family Law Legislation.
The VBA formed the coalition in 1996 to bring bar groups together to evaluate family law legislation before the Virginia General Assembly and to support or oppose bills reflecting a consensus of coalition […]

The well-written retainer letter

By Nora Lockwood Tooher
December 15, 2008

A well-crafted retainer letter is crucial for attorneys in all practice areas and in all types of firms, from solo to in-house, says Carolyn Elefant. A solo attorney in Washington, D.C., and author of the legal blog “My Shingle” at www.myshingle.com, Elefant says that the retainer letter “is one of the most important tools a […]

Rules for good writing apply to wording of e-mails

By Lisa H. Healy and Julie A. Baker
December 15, 2008

Good writing does not begin and end with formal documents.
For many lawyers, much of our time each day is spent writing e-mails. E-mails live on forever, are much more public than private letters and have the ability to be sent (by mistake) to hundreds or thousands of people. Yet we treat e-mail much more casually […]

Put plan for recession survival in place before income slows

By Edward Poll
December 15, 2008

Law firms are no strangers to the boom-and-bust mode of operation, and it’s been apparent for some time that the “bust” phase is here.
Of course, small firms and solo practices face the valley of lean times frequently, sometimes more than once a year. But in an economy-wide downturn, the entire profession must adjust. That adjustment […]

Obituaries

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
December 15, 2008

Robert E. Shepherd Jr.
Robert E. Shepherd Jr., professor emeritus at the University of Richmond law school and a tireless advocate for children and the disadvantaged, died Thursday, Dec. 11. He was 71.
A graduate of Washington and Lee University and its law school, Prof. Shepherd entered the Army JAG Corps after law school, spending four years […]

Lawyers in the News

By Sarah Rodriguez
December 15, 2008

Robert B. “Chip” Delano Jr., a shareholder and member of the risk management practice group at Sands Anderson Marks & Miller, received the Defense Research Institute Community Service Award. Delano was recognized by the DRI for having continuously served for over 30 years in various adult leadership positions in the Boy Scouts of America. He […]

Fairfax board promises help to redevelop Tysons

By News in Brief
December 15, 2008

TYSONS CORNER—The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors promised last week to act quickly to help redevelop Tysons Corner, after property owners and local leaders complained that bureaucracy has slowed the sprawling suburb’s transformation to an urban center.
Board members said they would enact new rules for buildings as early as October. They also pledged transparency […]

Ex-PD in Lexington to serve 30 days in jail