The Library

Glenn Pulley, a Partner in our Lynchburg office, was raised in Southampton County in eastern Virginia, where his family gardened, raised chickens, fished, and hunted quail. As a resident of Danville with clients around the region, he appreciates and supports the efforts of area farmers who make his commute such a pleasure. Agritourism not just a hobby. A reputable survey has revealed that in 2015 visitors to Virginia’s agritourism farm businesses spent an estimated $1.5B throughout the state. Approximately 17% of the $1.5B total was spent at the agritourism venues; the remaining 83% was spent outside the venues (e.g. hotels, restaurants), but […]

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (“OSHA”) recently released its annual workplace safety violations report for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017. Overall, the number of safety violations is down across the board as employers continue to focus on improving safety. Understanding where problems are likely to arise based on the violations found during fiscal year 2017 can help employers better focus their efforts to improve safety going forward. The top ten (10) sited violations as recently announced by OSHA are as follows: Fall protection. There were 6,072 fall protection violations in the construction industry. While the number of […]

In September of 2017 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) filed 86 new lawsuits against employers. This is the largest number of lawsuits filed by the EEOC in a single month in the past six years, and represents 45% of the lawsuits the EEOC filed during all of fiscal year 2017.[1]  Thirty-six (36) of these lawsuits include claims of disability discrimination, with at least 10 targeting leave and other policies that are alleged to have been inflexibly applied, and others challenging pre or post-offer medical inquiry examinations that the EEOC believes improperly screened out disabled workers. There were 17 lawsuits […]

Charlie Williams joined Gentry Locke in 1970 and heads the firm’s Environmental Law practice. His work includes advising corporate and municipal clients in the areas of environmental compliance, including enforcement and environmental tort litigation. He has extensive experience in contaminated land renewal and the management of environmental aspects of mergers and acquisitions. Everyone in the country that operates a business or owns property should be mindful of impending regulatory action regarding newly identified contaminants. These “emerging contaminants” are generally described as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFASs”) which are perfluoroalkyl acids that have been commonly and widely used in the United […]

Cynthia Kinser was the first woman Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Her seventeen years of distinguished service to the Court ended with her retirement in 2014. In 2015, she joined Gentry Locke as Senior Counsel, where she focuses on appeals, criminal matters, and government investigations. The Supreme Court of Virginia amended Rule 5:17 and added a new rule, Rule 1:5A.  The amendment to Rule 5:17(a)(1) simplifies calculation of the time period for filing a petition for appeal.  The addition of Rule 1:5A eliminates a harsh outcome when a pleading or other paper is not signed or is signed by a person […]

Christen Church is a partner who focuses her practice on intellectual property, data privacy and security, corporate advisory services, and health care regulation and compliance.   Over $1,300,000,000.00 and 298,728. Respectively, these numbers represent reported losses and number of complaints the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received in 2016. Many of these losses resulted from ransomware, tech support fraud, and Business Email Compromise (BEC), with most originating from phishing emails. BEC scams represent the increasingly sophisticated efforts of internet criminals. A criminal sends a phishing email to allow the scammers into your email accounts and computer system.  Once you click […]

Amanda Morgan is Of Counsel to Gentry Locke’s Lynchburg office, where she focuses on municipal, civil, and business litigation.  Companies formed in states other than Virginia (known as non-Virginia or “foreign companies”) must register with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (“SCC”) before transacting business in Virginia. Registration involves completing an annual form and paying a nominal fee (which varies depending on the type of company) to the SCC along with appointing a registered agent in Virginia to accept service of any lawsuit papers or other legal notices. Companies that merely own real estate or other assets in Virginia generally are […]

Travis Graham is a partner at Gentry Locke, where he practices estate, commercial, and personal injury litigation. It is usually possible to avoid most legal difficulties following a loved one’s death through open discussions with family members, sound advice, and prior planning. But not always. And when legal problems do arise, the emotional and financial toll can be devastating. Legal battles following the death of a family member can destroy families and futures, and prevent closure for months or years. Unfortunately, certain aspects of estate planning and administration almost seem to invite controversy. But, these situations are not hopeless. The […]

Bankruptcies are at times an unfortunate necessity. Our clients often find themselves financially overwhelmed, especially when they are the victims of medical malpractice, a defective product or car, and trucking crashes. At times, the financial burdens become so great that clients are left with no choice but to seek the protection of bankruptcy. When clients do so, they must notify their attorneys of this. Failure to do so can lead to drastic consequences. The strange case of Ricketts v. Strange The recent case of Ricketts v. Strange, (February 16, 2017), highlights what can happen when lawyers and clients don’t communicate […]