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. […]
Former LeClair Ryan execs reach $10M settlement
Former executives at Richmond-based LeClair Ryan PLLC have reached a settlement with the firm’s insurer and bankruptcy trustee over $10 million in pending claims, according to a report from The American Lawyer. The firm’s liability insurer, Columbia Casualty, agreed to pay the firm’s trustee, Lynn Tavenner, $9.425 million to resolve claims including conspiracy and breach […][...]
Williams Mullen names next chief operating officer
Wyatt S. Beazley IV will be Richmond-based law firm William Mullens’ new chief operating officer, the firm announced Tuesday. Beazley will oversee the firm’s operations throughout Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. “Wyatt has a deep understanding of both the business operations and the culture at Will[...]