Powers of attorney come in many different flavors. Some are for medical and health care purposes while others are for financial and property matters. Some are general in nature while others are limited to a particular purpose. Suppose a couple is moving to another area and one stays behind to sell the house and take [...]
Most people know they need auto insurance coverage not only to cover property damage claims but also personal injury claims made against them. If you are negligent your insurance company provides a defense for you against claims for your negligence. What many people do not realize is that it also covers you if you are [...]
Many people believe they can change a Court Order by reaching an agreement with the other side. However, Court Orders always trump agreements. Often this issue comes up in divorce or support cases. A Judge may have set child support by Court Order and over time Mom and Dad have agreed on a new monthly [...]
A frequent question I get is whether or not a person suspected of a DUI should take a test to measure the level of alcohol in his (or her) system. (While we still see a lot more men charged with this offense than women there seems to be an increasing number of women being charged). [...]
I am often asked by parents whether they need to hire a lawyer for their teenager who has a traffic charge. My response is that it depends. Typically Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court (J&DR) Judges will allow a new driver to avoid a conviction on a first traffic offense charge by completing a driver [...]
Today’s Roanoke Times contained a wire report on some proposed legislation in California. Apparently a woman had attempted to hire someone to kill her husband and was actually convicted of solicitation of murder. Even so, according to California law, she is to receive one-half of the couple’s property. The proposed legislation is meant to close [...]
Married couples often want to know if they should set up their bank accounts so that the account will automatically transfer to the remaining spouse when one of them passes away. For this to happen, the account needs to be set up “with rights of survivorship.” With the survivorship feature you don’t have to worry [...]
Question Two: How do you get a record expunged? Virginia does allow for the expungement of a criminal arrest record in some cases. The charge must have been dismissed, nolle prosequied (not prosecuted) or a pardon granted. To have a charge expunged requires the filing of a written petition in Circuit Court. You must also [...]
Welcome to my new website and blog. I hope you will find the content helpful and entertaining and that you will visit here often. I plan to post responses to frequently asked questions from my law practice as well as comment on legal news. First, a little background information. I have practiced law in the [...]