An attorney belongs to a specialty bar organization in which members routinely post questions, comments and tips on an online forum or through an automated email management system. The attorney seeks to post a request for...more
Attorneys facing court sanctions or bar discipline often express surprise at what is perceived to be an absence of due process when it comes to the process, including complaints regarding lack of notice and the inability to...more
Consider the scenario in which opposing counsel provided a settlement offer that the client approved, but the lawyer has not communicated its acceptance to opposing counsel prior to the client’s death. A zealous advocate may...more
The Virginia Supreme Court approved on September 19, 2022, Legal Ethics Opinion 1898, which permits a lawyer’s receipt of cryptocurrency as an advance payment for legal services. Notwithstanding the relative novelty of the...more
11/23/2022
/ Attorney's Fees ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Law Firm Associates ,
Law Firm Partners ,
Lawyer Compensation ,
Payment Processors ,
Payment Systems ,
Payment Terms ,
Popular ,
VA Supreme Court
Many lawyers have confronted the irksome practice of opposing counsel sending emails containing half-truths such as...more
10/27/2022
/ American Bar Association (ABA) ,
Email ,
Email Policies ,
Ethical Duties ,
Law Firm Associates ,
Law Firm Partners ,
Law Practice Management ,
Legal Ethics ,
Professional Liability ,
Rules of Professional Conduct ,
VA Supreme Court
Reporting from the Virginia State Bar’s Office of Bar Counsel shows consistency yet again in the overall number of complaints made against lawyers and the corresponding levels of discipline....more
10/6/2022
/ Attorney Disbarrment ,
Attorney Malpractice ,
Attorney Misconduct ,
Best Practices ,
Client Services ,
Law Firm Associates ,
Law Firm Partners ,
Law Practice Management ,
Professional Development ,
Virginia ,
Young Lawyers
Consider the following: After years of litigation, the jury has found against your client, entering a money judgment against her. Even before the jurors have left the courtroom, she turns to you and asks: “What are we going...more
In Article VI of the Constitution of Virginia, the judicial power of the Commonwealth is vested in the Virginia Supreme Court and in “other courts of original or appellate jurisdiction subordinate to the Supreme Court as the...more
Effective January 1, 2022, appellate options in Virginia’s state courts are increasing with an expansion of the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals of Virginia. Generally, the Court of Appeals will hear all appeals involving...more
On July 21, 2021, the Supreme Court of Virginia rejected without comment a proposed amendment to Rule 1.8, which governs “prohibited transactions.” Specifically, Rule 1.8(k), as proposed, would have provided that: “A lawyer...more
Reporting from the Virginia State Bar’s Office of Bar Counsel indicates general consistency in the overall number of complaints made against lawyers and the corresponding levels of discipline....more
As law schools around the country are graduating a fresh crop of lawyers-to-be, consider where we stand within the legal profession. Anointed as both promoters and defenders of the administration of justice, lawyers are...more