博客:意见 & 观察

The Importance of Carefully-Worded Job Descriptions - 2016年3月

2016年3月4日

杰弗里·D. WilsonWhile employers are not legally required to draft job descriptions for most positions, 许多人为了明确自己的工作职责而这样做. This week the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion that, 虽然不是开创性的, serves as a reminder of how important it is to properly word position descriptions, 包括那些用于招聘广告的网站.在斯蒂芬森诉. Pfizer, Inc., No. 14-2079(第4章. Mar. 2, 2016)， the...

Is Manifest Disregard of the Law Still a Ground for Vacating Arbitration Awards? - 2016年3月

2016年3月2日

Eight years ago, the United States Supreme Court, in Hall Street Assocs., LLC v. 美泰公司.,[1] had before it the issue of whether or not parties to an arbitration agreement could expand the grounds for vacating an award under §§ 10 and 11 of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA).[2] In holding that parties to an arbitration agreement cannot by private agreement expand the grounds for the reviewing an arbitration award, 法院还说联邦航空局...

Oil Spills: The Clean Water Act to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 - February 2016

2016年2月25日

by James T. LangA tugboat overturns in a waterway adjacent to a small shipyard off of the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River, 在诺福克的坎波斯特拉桥附近, 洒了大约1杯,他把1000加仑的柴油倒入河中. Firefighters who specialize in hazardous substance releases, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality respond to the scene. The shipyard owner/operator is criticized for his failure to...

Protection From Day One: The Importance of Employee Handbooks - February 2016

2016年2月22日

杰弗里·D. 威尔逊:在我法学院的第二年, one of my classmates was hired for a summer position by a prominent law firm. 就在她新工作开始的前几天, 她不好意思地走近我问, “当我开始工作时会发生什么?当我问她是什么意思时, she replied, “第一天, 我到办公室后会发生什么? 我有桌子吗? 他们有办公用品吗? 有人能告诉我我在做什么吗?” It was...

Recovery of Attorney's Fees and Costs in Virginia Civil Actions - 2016年1月

2016年1月19日

作者:Michael E. Ornoff, Esq.Litigants in civil lawsuits frequently ask if they will recover their attorney’s fees and costs if they win a civil suit which they initiate or which has been brought against them. 它们是可恢复的, potential liability for such fees and costs can become a consideration as important as the amount of the underlying claim in balancing the risks versus benefits in initiating the action and in assessing whether to settle a...

在弗吉尼亚州的团队协议:他们是可执行的吗? - 2016年1月

2016年1月12日

Teaming agreements are widely used in Virginia and elsewhere by prime contractors and subcontractors who regularly deal with federal, state and local governments for the provision of services, construction and other things to meet the needs of these public bodies. Therefore, it is essential that prime contractors and subcontractors are aware of Virginia legal statutes regarding the enforceability of teaming agreements and understand many of the Virginia...

Property Settlement Agreements: Balancing the Special Fiduciary Relationship Between Spouses and “Fairness” - December 2015

2015年12月1日

When dealing with a property settlement agreement between spouses going through a separation or divorce, 这很容易假设, 像很多合同一样, 当协议签署的时候, 这是板上钉钉的事.” However, Virginia courts have addressed numerous instances in which one party has claimed their spouse committed fraud to induce them into signing an agreement or that the agreement was “unconscionable.“这只是我们建议采取行动的众多原因之一...

Divorce: Are Assets with No Value Subject to Equitable Distribution? ——2015年11月

2015年11月11日

In Virginia, courts divide marital assets between parties (Code Ann. § 20–107.3, Michie, 2012) after analyzing evidence to determine whether the property is separate, 婚姻的或两者的混合. 在大多数情况下，这很容易确定.法院然后确定资产的价值, 在许多情况下，哪些是双方可以约定的. If not, 他们被提供作为证据, often resulting in disagreements between the representatives of each...

环境法律 and the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act: Where Local Knowledge is a “Must” - October 2015

2015年10月7日

by James T. 住在水上可以看到美丽的景色, opportunities for boating and fishing and other amenities, all of which come with a (sometimes hidden) cost because the waterfront is subject to a complicated web of environmental laws and regulations. Among these, the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act (found at Virginia code §§ 62.1-44.15:67 to 62.1-44.15:79) is unique in that it is a creature of local government, with minimal state oversight,...

How Citizens' 环境法律suits Can Stop Pollution - September 2015

2015年9月24日

by James T. LangThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) have primary responsibility for enforcing the environmental laws and regulations in the Commonwealth of Virginia. 有些时候, however, when the EPA or the DEQ are unwilling or unable to take action against a polluter who is contaminating water, 违反环境法的空中或陆地. 有时政府做不到...