Going to court for the first time can be an intimidating experience. Whether you are facing criminal charges or find yourself in court in a divorce or custody case, remaining calm in court can really help you make your most effective case. We put together the infographic below to help you understand all the different parts of the courtroom, so you can feel at ease on your day in court. This infographic explains who people are, what they do, and where they sit. We’ve also included some interesting facts about courtrooms, and funny quotes from actual court cases.

Our experienced attorneys feel right at home in the courtroom– hopefully this information will allow you to also be at ease in front of the judge or jury.

Click the image to see a bigger version

If you enjoyed this infographic, or found it useful, feel free to use it on … Read More »

Traveling in the Northern Virginia or D.C. area this weekend for Memorial Day? Watch out for speed traps. Holiday traffic brings out additional law enforcement, and that means speed traps that will snare all too many drivers.

The National Motorists Association (NMA), a grassroots motorists’ rights group, has updated its 2010 rankings of the cities and states that are generally more likely to ticket speeding drivers. Among 50 states and the District of Columbia, D.C. ranks 8th and Virginia ranks 22nd. In addition, the Washington, D.C. metro area ranked 7th among the top 10 metro areas for traffic tickets.

With AAA predicting that 34.8 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday weekend, you can be sure law enforcement will be out in droves in the Northern Virginia and D.C. area.

Other than not speeding (the safest bet), the cautious driver might … Read More »

Congratulations to Livesay & Myers, P.C. associate attorney Ben Griffitts, who has been named one of the Top 40 Under 40 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers Association (NTLA). According to the NTLA website:

Membership into The National Trial Lawyers Association: Top 40 under 40 is by invitation only and is extended exclusively to those individuals who exemplify superior qualifications, trial results, and leadership as a young lawyer under the age of 40. Selection is based on a thorough multi-phase process which includes peer nominations combined with third-party research. The result is a credible, comprehensive and impressive list of young attorneys chosen to represent their state. 

The Top 40 under 40 is restricted to only 40 attorneys per state per year and each attorney must be under the age of 40 as of January 1, 2012. Attorneys must also specialize in the … Read More »

The Supreme Court of Virginia has issued a published opinion in the appeal by attorney Ghislaine Storr Burks of a case involving a North Carolina bail bondsman convicted of Attempted Abduction and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony in Virginia.

Note: less than two percent of cases filed with the Virginia Supreme Court result in the petition for appeal being granted.

Congratulations to Ms. Burks for fighting this case all the way to the Virginia Supreme Court. This author notes the comment by one of the Supreme Court Justices during oral argument that Ms. Burks’ brief was very well written.

Ms. Storr Burks is a partner and the lead criminal defense attorney at Livesay & Myers, P.C.

Congratulations to Ghislaine Storr Burks, who today was officially named a Partner at Livesay & Myers, P.C., just 5 years after joining the firm as an associate attorney in January 2007. With her tireless efforts on behalf of her clients, record of success in defending clients in courts across Northern Virginia, and knowledge of the criminal justice system that is second to none, Ms. Storr Burks is a priceless asset to the firm.

A recent op-ed published by The New York Times makes the argument that states should adopt set guidelines for determining alimony awards. The editorial, “Ending the Alimony Guessing Game,” argues that making spousal support awards more predictable would result in more fairness and less costly litigation.

This argument is absolutely correct. Adoption of a strong statewide spousal support formula in Virginia would take a lot of the guesswork out of most alimony cases, resulting in more settlements of contested divorce, and saving parties thousands of dollars in legal fees in many cases.

As I previously wrote on this blog, in Is It Really Cheaper To Keep Her (Or Him)?, Virginia law does seem to be moving toward more and more reliance on certain guidelines in determining spousal support– most commonly the so-called “Fairfax guidelines.” Virginia has now adopted the Fairfax guidelines statewide for … Read More »

On Friday, July 8th, Livesay & Myers immigration lawyer Jennifer Varughese will be speaking at a Virginia Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminar hosted by George Mason School of Law, entitled “Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions.” She’ll be discussing her case, Commonwealth v. Morris, 281 Va. 70 (Va. 2011), currently on appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, and how it relates to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Padilla v. Kentucky.

Commonwealth v. Morris is a case at the center of a raging legal battle involving the immigration consequences of criminal convictions in Virginia. As detailed by an article by The Washington Post, Ms. Varughese represents a lawful permanent resident who pled guilty in 1997 to petty larceny, after being told by a public defender that the guilty plea would not affect his immigration status, only to find himself facing deportation for that … Read More »

The U.S. Department of State has released the following questions and answers taken from their June 20, 2011 daily press briefing, regarding new regulations for J-1 Visas for summer work travel:

Q: Please provide details on the specific aspects of the new regulations for J-1 visas. What is the intention of these new regulations? Are we confident that these new regulations will protect recipients from abuse?

A: The Summer Work Travel (SWT) program has provided thousands of international college and university students an opportunity to visit the United States and experience the American people and culture firsthand.

In 2010, approximately 120,000 college and university students participated in the Summer Work Travel program.

Given the expanding size of this program, the Department of State has perceived the need to enhance safeguards for participants. We are confident that … Read More »

On June 9, 2011, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services outlined their new Unauthorized Practice of Immigration Law Initiative. As stated in the Executive Summary of the initiative:

The unauthorized practice of immigration law (UPIL) is a serious national problem that adversely impacts individuals throughout the country. Anyone who is in need of an immigration benefit, either for himself or a family member, can be harmed by UPIL, including U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, nonimmigrants, refugees and asylees, and undocumented aliens. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will combat this pervasive problem through its UPIL Initiative.

Contact Our Immigration Law AttorneysIf you or a loved one require legal assistance with an immigration law matter, contact us to schedule your initial consultation with an experienced immigration lawyer today. Our immigration attorneys represent clients throughout Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

With a change effective July 1, 2011, Virginia’s protective order statute will now cover persons in dating relationships. The new legislation expands Chapter 9.1 of Title 19.2 of the Virginia Code from “Protective Orders for Stalking” to “Protective Orders.” Chapter 9.1 now applies to “any act involving violence, force, or threat that results in bodily injury or places one in reasonable apprehension of death, sexual assault, or bodily injury,” as provided in a new section:

§ 19.2-152.7:1. Definitions. As used in this chapter: “Act of violence, force, or threat” means any act involving violence, force, or threat that results in bodily injury or places one in reasonable apprehension of death, sexual assault, or bodily injury. Such act includes, but is not limited to, any forceful detention, stalking, criminal sexual assault … or any criminal offense that results in bodily … Read More »