Virginia

John Grisham to Write Norfolk Four Screenplay

Legal novelist John Grisham is writing a screenplay about the “Norfolk Four” who were convicted in the rape and murder of a Virginia women based on confessions they said were obtained by coercion. Grisham is known for bestsellers such as The Firm and The Pelican Brief, but he is also…

Jul 8, 2009 4:38 PM CDT

Va. Bar Wants AG to Stop Sending Cautionary Letter to Death Penalty Jurors

For years, the state attorney general’s office in Virginia has distributed letters to former jurors in capital cases, cautioning them against talking to defense lawyers working on appeals. And the Virginia State Bar wants to put a stop to the letters. The form letter, which is supplied to local prosecutors,…

Jun 22, 2009 11:58 AM CDT

Lawyer Who Spotted Expired Patent on Solo Cup Wins Qui Tam Ruling

Washington, D.C., patent lawyer Matthew Pequignot did some investigating after spotting patent markings on the lid to his daily cup of coffee and discovered that the patent had actually expired some 20 years before. Now the lawyer is seeking millions of dollars in damages in a qui tam suit against…

Jun 9, 2009 2:02 PM CDT

Hired By Counsel in Earlier Theft Case, Woman Pleads to Defrauding New Firm

Even as 43-year-old Anna Howell pleaded guilty to money laundering and mail fraud in federal court in Virginia yesterday, the former secretary and bookkeeper for Jessee & Read appeared upbeat. She was hired by the law firm after she pleaded guilty in state court, exactly two years before yesterday’s plea,…

Jun 5, 2009 5:22 PM CDT

4th Circuit Nixes Attorney Fee Award to Defendant in Terrorism Tort Case

In an unusual award of attorney fees to a prevailing defendant in a civil rights case, a federal court said a Muslim family whose Virginia home was lawfully searched had to pay about $41,000 to an individual they accused of conspiring with federal agents to fabricate evidence supporting the search.…

May 7, 2009 5:43 PM CDT

Another Teen ‘Sexting’ Peril: Charges (Now Dismissed) Against School Official

When Ting-Yi Oei heard rumors that students at his high school were sending revealing photos to each other on their cell phones, the Loudoun County, Va., assistant principal felt it was his job to investigate this obviously undesirable behavior. In consultation with the school principal and security specialist, he interviewed…

Apr 21, 2009 5:04 PM CDT

As Apps Spike 20% at UVA, Official Says He Wouldn’t Admit Himself

Applications are up 20 percent this year at the University of Virginia School of Law, due to a surge in out-of-state applicants. A record 7,850 applicants are seeking one of approximately 350 spots in the class that will graduate in 2012, reports WVIR, an NBC affiliate. “This will be without…

Apr 8, 2009 12:15 AM CDT

Co. Had Right to Call ‘Business’ Loan Used By Poker-Playing Va. Lawyer

Nothing in the promissory note he signed for a $250,000 business loan said he couldn’t use the money to play poker, argued attorney Michael Melkersen. But a federal district court in the Western District of New York court agreed with Counsel Financial Services that the loan company didn’t have to…

Mar 3, 2009 10:45 PM CST

Hunton Prowls for Litigators; Akin Denies Trouble

Although California appears to be ground zero for U.S. attorney layoffs, Richmond, Va.-based law firm Hunton & Williams is targeting the Golden State and Texas in its quest to hire large groups of laterals, particularly litigators, as part of an aggressive five-year national expansion campaign The nearly 1,000-lawyer firm has…

Mar 3, 2009 10:20 PM CST

Infamous Va. Law Student Parties Can Make It Hard to Find a Venue

In some cases, claimed misbehavior by University of Virginia law students was pretty minor. But due to some reputed hearty partying by lawyers-to-be there over the years, law student organizations aren’t always welcome guests when it comes time to book events at local hotels, reports the Virginia Law Weekly in…

Feb 20, 2009 8:21 PM CST

FBI Agents Find Missing Billionaire Accused in $8B Fraud

FBI agents served missing billionaire Robert Allen Stanford yesterday at the home of one of his relatives in Fredericksburg, Va. Since the Securities and Exchange Commission charges against Stanford are civil in nature, he was not arrested, the New York Times reports. He was served with civil papers accusing him…

Feb 20, 2009 12:00 PM CST

Va. Lawyer Sees ‘Outpouring of Support’ After Shooting Injury

A Virginia lawyer injured by someone who apparently fired shots through the window of his law office was working remotely on Wednesday, keeping in touch with a computer, cell phone and BlackBerry. The lawyer, Todd Sanders, spoke with the ABA Journal but cautioned he couldn’t talk about the incident because…

Feb 4, 2009 5:28 PM CST

George Washington Adjunct Law Prof Injured by Shots Fired through Window

A Virginia lawyer who is an adjunct law professor at George Washington University was injured last night by shots fired through his law office window. Todd Sanders was working in downtown Leesburg when he was injured, the Washington Post reports. He was treated at a hospital and released. It wasn’t…

Feb 3, 2009 12:00 PM CST

The Price is Right: Bob Barker Gives $1M for New Animal Law Program at Virginia

Add the University of Virginia to a growing list of well-known law schools that are offering animal law programs thanks to the generosity of television game show host Bob Barker. Barker, perhaps best-known as the former host of the Price is Right, has just given $1 million to establish a…

Jan 13, 2009 11:35 PM CST

Muslim Cleric Claims He Has Evidence of Illegal Wiretaps by NSA

Convicted Muslim clerk Ali al-Timimi claims in court papers that he has evidence showing he was illegally wiretapped under the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretap program. Timimi is serving a life sentence after being convicted of inciting terrorism in 2005. A court filing in U.S. District Court in Alexandria said Timimi’s…

Dec 17, 2008 1:23 PM CST