Virginia

Santa & 1st Amendment Attys Busy During Holidays

If you thought Santa was busy this time of year, think about lawyers who specialize in religious expression. They report an upswing of calls in November and December dealing with a host of issues, from public school choirs singing religious songs to nativity displays on government property, the Washington Post…

Dec 21, 2007 5:52 PM CST

Lawyer Invite Spurs Country Singer to Give Benefit Concert

Country pop star Jimmy Wayne has agreed to hold a benefit concert this weekend for abused and homeless youths because of an invitation from a fan—Fairfax, Va., estate lawyer Kimberley Murphy. The Washington Post reports that the lawyer became acquainted with Wayne through a TV report and a letter. Murphy…

Dec 14, 2007 7:43 PM CST

Two Unions Face Civil RICO Suits

Two companies have filed civil racketeering lawsuits against unions trying to organize their workers. Smithfield Foods Inc. filed a suit in October against the United Food and Commercial Workers that claims a union campaign at its North Carolina plant is “designed to destroy Smithfield’s public image and inflict maximum economic…

Dec 11, 2007 7:37 PM CST

Va. Firm LeClairRyan Grows in Northeast With Merger

LeClairRyan has quickly grown to 170 lawyers to become the Virginia’s fifth-largest law firm. Now it will increase in size again this January when it merges with 45-lawyer Seiden Wayne, which has lawyers in Newark, N.J., Philadelphia and New York, the New Jersey Star-Ledger reports. LeClairRyan was formed in 1988…

Dec 6, 2007 12:35 PM CST

Sniper Judge Gets Appellate Court Nod

The Virginia judge who presided over the first Washington, D.C.-area sniper trial has been named to the state court of appeals. Judge LeRoy F. Millette Jr.’s handling of the case against John Allen Muhammad was cited as one of the reasons for the eight-year appointment, the Washington Post reports. A…

Nov 27, 2007 6:33 PM CST

Terrorism Judge Warns Government About Wiretap Secrecy

The federal judge who presided over the trial of confessed terrorism conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui appeared to be out of patience with the government yesterday in a hearing in another terrorism case. Judge Leonie Brinkema of Alexandria, Va., said she might order a new trial for Islamic scholar Ali al-Timimi, convicted…

Nov 21, 2007 1:59 PM CST

Va. Attorney Charged with ‘Embracery’

A Virginia civil rights attorney is now defending an unusual criminal case in modern-day America. Accused of improperly attempting to influence an Albemarle County grand jury, Deborah Wyatt is charged with five misdemeanor counts of embracery, an English common-law crime that dates back to the Magna Carta and was incorporated…

Nov 7, 2007 12:41 AM CST

Suit Spurs School to Recognize Pro-Life Club

A Virginia teen has dropped her lawsuit after school officials agreed to recognize her Pro-Life Club. Sixteen-year-old Stephanie Hoffmeier filed suit in Alexandria federal court in September after officials at Colonial Forge High School turned down her request for recognition, the Washington Post reports. The club’s mission is to encourage…

Nov 6, 2007 5:53 PM CST

VA Judge Removed for Thigh Inspection, Coin Flip

A Virginia judge who ordered a woman to lower her pants in the courtroom so he could check out her thigh wound has been removed from the bench. In another case, the judge, Michael Shull, was accused of deciding a dispute over visitation during the Christmas holidays with a coin…

Nov 5, 2007 12:00 PM CST

Legal Secretary to Plead in $272K Theft

A longtime legal secretary who was the sole employee of a sole practitioner in Virginia is expected to plead guilty today in a case alleging that she embezzled $272,000 from an estate client of the law firm. Shelia Mae Boone was federally indicted in August after complaints from the family…

Oct 31, 2007 4:17 PM CDT

Judge Dismisses Privacy Suit Against Banking Co-op

A federal judge in Virginia has dismissed a privacy lawsuit against a Belgian banking cooperative accused of divulging private information to help the United States track terrorist funding. Judge T. S. Ellis III of Alexandria ruled Friday that the plaintiffs had no standing to bring the suit against the cooperative,…

Oct 22, 2007 6:24 PM CDT

Supreme Court Halts Va. Execution

Only a few hours before Christopher Scott Emmett was scheduled to die tonight in Virginia by lethal injection, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously halted the planned execution. The move appears to signal a growing concern that problems with the constitutionality of lethal injections may need to be addressed before further…

Oct 18, 2007 12:43 AM CDT

Lawyer Testifies Against Ex-Client in Obstruction Trial

A defense lawyer testified against her former client in an Alexandria, Va., courtroom yesterday, saying she didn’t believe his phony e-mail was an honest mistake. The ex-client, former dot-com billionaire Charles Johnson Jr., is being retried on charges of fraud and conspiracy in connection with advertising deals his company made…

Oct 17, 2007 5:52 PM CDT

Regent 2L in Trouble for Robertson Post

A Regent University law student says he faces discipline for posting an online photo of school president Pat Robertson in which he is scratching his face with his middle finger. Adam Key, who describes himself as a liberal Christian, posted the image on his Facebook page, the Virginian-Pilot reports. He…

Oct 11, 2007 3:15 PM CDT

Lawyer Likely to Turn Witness in Ex-Client’s Stock Fraud Trial

The ex-lawyer for a former dot-com billionaire is expected to testify against him in his stock-fraud trial. Lawyer Preston Burton is expected to testify about allegations that Charles “Junior” Johnson pushed him to introduce fake e-mails as evidence, the Washington Post reports. Prosecutors have added a charge of obstruction of…

Oct 10, 2007 11:52 AM CDT