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McLean-based Appian wins $2B verdict in trade secrets lawsuit
Appian Corp., a cloud computing firm based in McLean, won $2.03 billion — an amount estimated to be the largest award in Virginia state court history — in a trade secrets verdict against a competitor Monday in Fairfax County Circuit Court. Appian sued Massachusetts-based Pegasystems Inc. and an individual, Youyong Zou, in Ma[...]
Legal review
In law firms across Virginia, power is now definitely on the side of individual attorneys, who can command larger salaries and other perks so long as they’re willing to cope with heavier workloads. As demand for legal services has soared, the number of lawyers available to perform that work has slumped, leaving even the mo[...]
Judge dismisses Trigiani lawsuit against New Peoples Bank
A federal judge issued a summary judgment last week, dismissing all claims in former executive Mary Y. Trigiani’s lawsuit against Russell County-based New Peoples Bank for discrimination and wrongful termination. Trigiani’s complaints of a “cultlike office culture” did not hold up to judicial scrutiny, U.[...]
Woods Rogers, Vandeventer Black law firms to merge July 1
Woods Rogers PLC and Vandeventer Black LLP announced Wednesday that the two law firms have agreed to merge as Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black, creating the state’s fifth-largest firm, with more than 130 attorneys and a total workforce of 250 people. The merger will go into effect July 1. Daniel Summerlin, president of Roano[...]
Sentara Healthcare names new general counsel
Earl Barnes will join Sentara Healthcare as its general counsel on June 2, the Norfolk-based health system announced Tuesday. Barnes previously was executive vice president and chief legal officer for Chicago-based Amita Health. In that role, he managed the legal, compliance, audit and risk departments, leading a 60-person team [...]
Hunton Andrews Kurth promotes execs
Virginia’s second-largest law firm, Richmond-based Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, has named a new executive committee chair, the firm announced Monday. Randall S. Parks will succeed George C. Howell III as the chair of the firm’s executive committee. Parks joined the firm (then Hunton & Williams LLP) in 1988. Howell s[...]
The big crunch
Although the “Great Resignation” is hitting other industries harder, Virginia law firms are experiencing a tight labor market while also seeing increased demand for services. Alison McKee, a past president of the Virginia Bar Association and an attorney at Kaufman & Canoles PC in Virginia Beach, notes that “2021 was the busiest year in a […]
Va. Bar Association elects first Black president
The Virginia Bar Association elected Victor O. Cardwell as its first Black president, the organization announced Monday. Cardwell is a Roanoke-based partner and board chairman of Woods Rogers PLC. He has served as a delegate in the American Bar Association, representing Virginia, and was appointed to Virginia’s Human Right[...]
Richard Cullen to become Youngkin’s counselor
Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin has selected former Virginia Attorney General Richard Cullen as counselor to the governor. A senior partner and former chairman of McGuireWoods, Cullen will leave Virginia’s largest firm on Jan. 14, the day before Youngkin is sworn in. Cullen joined McGuireWoods in 1977. From 1991 to 1994, he serv[...]
Altria can’t sell IQOS device in U.S. after ITC ruling stands
Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc. and former subsidiary New York-based Philip Morris International Inc. can no longer sell the IQOS tobacco heating device in the U.S. after the Biden administration’s 60-day administrative review process concluded Monday. On Sept. 29, the U.S. International Trade Commission determine[...]
Wind of change
Over its 120 years, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP has seen — and made — a lot of history. Since a quartet of ambitious and talented Richmond attorneys joined forces in 1901 to start the law firm of Munford, Hunton, Williams & Anderson, the practice has not only produced an array of legal luminaries, including U.S. […]
