This morning, the Supreme Court of Virginia approved changes to Rules 5 and 5A, which govern appellate practice in state courts. [Hat tip to Official Friend of De Novo (TM) Steve Emmert.]
The new rules will take effect July 1st. We will talk about them in the coming weeks, but wanted to give you
Deadlines are an important part of my practice. You wouldn’t believe how much time I spend re-reading rules I could practically recite by heart and counting days. Monks have their rosaries, and I have my calendar.
That’s because appellate courts are sticklers for deadlines. I’ve heard plenty of complaints and conspiracy theories over the years,
In our never-ending quest to add value, we once again respond to your questions and feedback. The bold headings below are actual search terms that have led to this site.
There are a lot of weird things that you don’t know about me. One of them is that I love appellate records. I think they’re neat. Few parts of my job are as entertaining as reading through pleadings and transcripts to reconstruct what happened in the trial court and find points for appeal. The record
It’s time for another trip to the virtual mailbag. Here are some recent searches that led to this site, and my best shot at answering the questions they raise:
When we talk to trial lawyers at bar events or CLEs, they almost invariably raise two concerns–even fears–about appellate practice. One is missing an arcane deadline, and the other is failing to preserve an issue for appeal. This suggests that our marketing strategy is working we can add value by clarifying some of these issues.
One of the neat features of blogging is that I get to see the searches that brought people here.
It recently occurred to me that I can wield this power for good or evil–good, if I choose to engage your questions, and provide useful information; or evil, if I should expose the bizarre and disturbing
The cruelest month gets off to an entertaining start, as the Supreme Court of Virginia releases its April argument docket. From April 12-16, the Court is set to hear six criminal cases, one VSB disciplinary board case, and 21 civil cases.
Of particular note, the Court will hear a pair of cases about