This survey and award program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Virginia, benefiting the state’s economy, its work force and businesses. The Best Places to Work in Virginia list is made up of a total of 50 companies, split into three groups: 14 small employers < 100 employees, 16 mid-sized employers 100-250 employees, and 20 large-sized employers >250 employees. Allen & Allen has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Virginia in the medium category.

Organizations from across the state entered the two-part survey process to determine the Best Places to Work in Virginia. Companies were evaluated on workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics and an employee survey to measure the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top organizations and the final ranking managed by Best Companies Group.

The Allen Law Firm was founded by George E. Allen, Sr., who was later joined by his three sons. The family business has since grown to over 130 attorneys and staff with eight offices located throughout Virginia.

Commitment to service and family values are at the core of the business. Work/life balance and a respect for the family priorities of its employees are routed in the culture. Employees enjoy personal days, flex scheduling, meals and flowers during personal struggles, and work coverage for absences. The open-door environment invites and encourages suggestions and feedback.

Employees are recognized through bonuses and appreciation gifts. The top notch benefit plan includes coverage of 100% of medical and dental costs for employees, firm paid life and long term disability insurance, a 401K plan with rich contributions, and generous sick and vacation leave.

Allen & Allen also supports professional development through regular brown bag training sessions and coverage of association membership dues and re-certifications.

What makes Allen & Allen a Best Place to Work in Virginia – Receptionist Ann Lawson answers “I feel extremely fortunate to work for a family oriented law firm that actually embraces a work/life balance.  Allen & Allen truly cares for their clients and values their trust in the firm.”

###

For more information, contact Cheron Smalls at 804-353-1200 or cys@allenandallen.com.

For information on careers at Allen & Allen, visit www.allenandallen.com/careers.

Report from the American Association for Justice

Big business spends billions of dollars every year in efforts to restrict laymen’s access to the civil justice system to prevent them from being able to sue corporations for negligence.  They work hard to create the myth of a jury system that is “out of control,” and in desperate need of tort reform.  The Institute for Legal Reform (ILR), composed of many large and recognizable corporations, tries to convince the public that American businesses cannot prosper under the current legal system, because there are too many frivolous lawsuits and not enough laws restricting these lawsuits.

The recent report by the American Association for Justice, Do As I Say, Not As I Sue: Exposing the Lawsuit-Happy Hypocrites of the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform, exposes several ILR members as hypocrites.  While they work behind the scenes to prevent laypersons from suing them, they do not shy away from suing others.  For example, Caterpillar sued Disney for portraying bulldozers and their operators as “villainous” in George of the Jungle 2.  FedEx sued a California man for building furniture out of FedEx boxes for use in his own home.  Johnson & Johnson sued the American Red Cross, a charitable organization, for using the symbolic red cross on a white background, despite the fact that the red cross has been the symbol of the American Red Cross since its founding in 1881.

Click here to read the full report: Do As I Say, Not As I Sue: Exposing the Lawsuit-Happy Hypocrites of U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform

Source: American Association for Justice – http://www.justice.org/cps/rde/xbcr/justice/Do_As_I_Say_Not_As_I_Sue_2011.pdf

About Scott D. Fitzgerald: Scott Fitzgerald is the great grandson of the Firm’s founder, George E. Allen, Sr., and is the fourth generation of the Allen family to join the Allen Law Firm. He currently works in the Richmond, Virginia office and is focusing his practice exclusively on personal injury cases including car accident cases and motorcycle accident cases.  Scott is dedicated to protecting the best interests of his clients and defending their rights against insurance companies.

November 3, 2011 – Richmond, VA: The Virginia personal injury law firm of Allen & Allen received a Tier 1 Ranking in “Best Law Firm” By U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers. Allen & Allen received the Tier 1 “Best Law Firm” honor in both Charlottesville, Virginia and Richmond, Virginia for Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs and Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs.

U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers released the 2011 Best Law Firms rankings released November 1, 2011. The rankings, which incorporated over 3.9 million evaluations of over 41,200 leading lawyers across the country, are posted online at www.usnews.com/bestlawfirms. Because of the rigorous and transparent methodology used by Best Lawyers, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor.

Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen is also proud to recognize 7 of its attorneys who have been named to the 2012 edition of Best Lawyers in America, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession.

Edward L. Allen – Personal Injury Litigation (Fredericksburg, VA)
George E. Allen, III – Personal Injury Litigation (Richmond, VA)
W. Coleman Allen, Jr. – Personal Injury Litigation (Richmond, VA)
Douglas A. Barry – Personal Injury Litigation (Fredericksburg, VA)
P. Christopher Guedri – Personal Injury Litigation (Richmond, VA)
Jason W. Konvicka - Personal Injury Litigation & Medical Malpractice Law (Richmond, VA)
Malcolm P. McConnell – Medical Malpractice Law (Richmond, VA)

The personal injury law firm of Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen has been representing injured Virginians for over 100 years. Their lawyers are experienced in handling car accident, truck accident, brain injury and wrongful death cases in Virginia and nation wide. They have offices located throughout the state in Richmond, Petersburg, Chesterfield, Mechanicsville, Short Pump, Fredericksburg, Garrisonville and Charlottesville

Mechanicsville Car Accident Lawyer

Author: Attorney Chris A. Meyer

People who have been charged with a crime often wish to have their record erased.  The legal term for this is “expungement” or “having the record expunged”.  Unfortunately, expungement is not possible in most cases.  If a person has been charged with a crime in Virginia, the record of that charge will most likely remain and won’t be changed.

The Virginia statute[1] which allows a person to petition the court to have their charge expunged provides a petitioner with four grounds for moving to have their criminal record cleared, but all four require the charges to have been dismissed.   The four grounds for expunging a criminal record are:

(1) if the person has been acquitted of the charge;

(2) if the prosecution has taken a nolle prossequi [2] on the case (dismissed it before trial);

(3) if the charge has been otherwise dismissed; or,

(4) if the offender has no prior criminal record and the crime they were charged with was a misdemeanor.

If none of these criteria are met, the fact of the charge will remain on the person’s record indefinitely.  Even if one of the first three criteria are met, the charge is not expunged unless, at a hearing before the judge, the judge finds that “ … the continued existence and possible dissemination of information relating to the arrest of the petitioner causes or may cause circumstances which constitute a manifest injustice to the petitioner …  Otherwise, it shall deny the petition.”[3] Manifest injustice is a very large hurdle to overcome, and proving it can be quite difficult.  There is no hard and fast rule, or easy definition, of what “manifest injustice” means.[4]

The fourth criteria is the easiest one.  If the person has no prior criminal record and the charge was a misdemeanor, then the statute says the burden is on the Commonwealth to prove “for good cause shown” why the petition should be denied; otherwise, the court “shall enter an Order of expungement (emphasis added)”.[5] While this seems straightforward, a question regarding this right was recently brought before the Virginia Supreme Court in a case .   The issue in the case was the following: Does a person who has been declared not guilty by reason of insanity have a right to have his record expunged?   The Virginia Supreme Court had never addressed this question before.

The Virginia Supreme Court decided that a person acquitted by reason of insanity does NOT have the right to have his or her criminal record expunged.[6] The Court noted that a person who has been acquitted by reason of insanity is not usually let free; rather, they are placed in treatment at a mental facility until they are well enough to be released back into the general population.  Due to their continued confinement, the Court ruled that this acquittal was not covered by the dismissal section of the original law.  The Court stated: “Therefore, we hold that the term ‘acquitted’ in Code § 19.2–392.2(A)(1) does not include acquittals by reason of insanity.”[7]

About the Author: Chris Meyer is a car accident lawyer in Mechanicsville, Virginia with Allen & Allen. He has developed a reputation on the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct and annually lectures on Virginia Legal Ethics. He also lectures regularly on recent decisions of the Virginia Supreme court. Chris helps Mechanicsville and Hanover residents with their car accident and personal injury claims.

Richmond Injury Lawyer Jason W. Konvicka

Author: Attorney Jason W. Konvicka

Halloween can be a magical time of year for children.  Costumes, trick or treating, parties, and, of course, eating candy are all part of the fun of Halloween.  But the excitement of the night can cause children and adults to be less careful.  The following are a few tips for making Halloween fun and safe for your children:

Costumes

1)    Purchase flame resistant costumes.  Look for the label “Flame Resistant.”  Although this does not mean that the item will not catch fire, it does indicate that the item should resist burning.

2)    Make sure that costumes are visible, particularly outside in the dark.  Purchase costumes that are light colored or bright enough to be visible by motorists.  In addition, decorate the costume with reflective stickers or reflective tape.

3)    Children should wear comfortable, well-fitting shoes.  Likewise, costumes should fit well, be comfortable, and be short enough to prevent children from tripping and falling.  Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injuries on Halloween.

4)    Swords, knives, and similar accessories should be soft and flexible.

5)    Weapons should be clearly identifiable as being a toy.

6)    Any masks should be checked to ensure that your child can breathe and see clearly.  Consider applying a “natural” mask of cosmetics instead.

7)    Always test make-up first to make sure that it will not irritate your child’s skin.  Avoid applying make-up close to eyes.  Remove any make-up before bed.

Trick or Treating

1)    Young children should be accompanied by an adult.

2)    Walk on sidewalks or the edge of the road – not out in the street.

3)    Avoid walking across lawns where holes and other unseen hazards can cause injury.

4)    To easily see and be seen, children and adults should carry flashlights.  Bring extra batteries, too.

5)    Children should only approach homes where the residents are known and expecting Halloween visitors.  Illuminated lights, decorations, and Jack-O-Lanterns are a good sign.

6)    Children should never enter a home unless they are accompanied by a trusted adult.

7)    Never walk near lit candles.

8)    Walk, don’t run.

9)    Attach a slip of paper with your child’s name, address and phone number inside their costume in case they get separated from the group.

Treats

1)    Tell your child not to eat any treats until they return home.

2)    Insist that all treats be examined by an adult for signs of tampering before anything is eaten.

3)    When in doubt, throw it out.

4)    Encourage your child to eat dinner before they trick or treat.

Hopefully, following these tips will make Halloween fun, healthy and safe for everyone in your family.

About Jason W. Konvicka: Jason W. Konvicka is an attorney experienced in handling wrongful death cases. He is a member of the Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen medical malpractice team. He also represents persons severely injured through the use of defective drugs and medical devices. Jason has achieved impressive verdicts and settlements for clients in wrongful death, traumatic brain injury, and tractor trailer accident cases. Mr. Konvicka is AV rated by Martindale-Hubble and is listed in Best Lawyers in America. He is a Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and he has successfully argued before the Virginia Supreme Court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Egena Younger

Author: Egena Younger

Hurricane season in the Atlantic lasts from June 1 to November 30, which includes all of our summer months, when we are normally focusing on vacationing and finding activities to keep our children busy while they are out of school.  However, that period is also a time to focus on hurricane preparedness.  To avoid the stress of a chaotic rush to  purchase batteries, water, generators, etc., consider completing a few simple tasks that will help you feel somewhat more relaxed during the time of a natural disaster[1].  The following tips are the advice of the experts on how to be prepared:

1. Store water that is specifically set aside for emergency use, along with canned and other foods that do not require refrigeration.
2. Keep passports, birth records, identification records, a credit card, and some cash in a safe, waterproof place that is easily accessible to grab and take with you if necessary.
3. Have the address of your closest two shelters and have alternate routes identified, in case of delays due to trees down, heavy traffic, flooding, or other obstacles.
4. If you have pets, make a list of nearby emergency shelters that allow animals, and have pet food stored in a waterproof container.  Also, be sure your pet has a collar and you have all immunization records.
5. Keep a waterproof bag for all medications and phone numbers for your pharmacy for refilling prescriptions for each family member.  Include a list of food and medicine allergies that any of your family members may have.
6. Try to keep a battery-operated radio or battery-operated television in your emergency kit. Also, keep at least 2 flashlights and extra batteries.
7. Identify any special needs for you or your family members, and have an extra waterproof bag for those items.
8. Have your cell phone charged and easily accessible and be sure to have a car and electrical charger with you at all times, but in a waterproof bag.  Your cell phone could possibly be your only form of contact. (Remember, sometimes when a cell phone will not work or you can’t get through, you can still send a text message.)
9. A generator is a great option that has become more affordable over the last few years.  Investing in a generator could save hundreds of dollars of lost food.  If you have one, do a practice run, so you will know how to use it before the time comes when you NEED to use it.  (Most generators are not sufficiently large to operate an entire household, so learn how to cut off appliances you will not be using).
10. Try to be mindful of others.  Everyone is stressed during a challenging time and your concerns are likely the same concerns that others are experiencing.  Working against your fellow man, only heightens the stress.  Lend a helping hand and be a part of the solution.

Most importantly, try to keep a level head and always focus on the fact that items can be replaced but people cannot.

We all hope we never have to deal with a catastrophe or have to vacate our homes due to a disaster, but being prepared allows a level of comfort if you are faced with an emergency situation.[2]

August

C-ville Weekly will honor the Best Of “Class of 2011” at an event Friday August 19, 2011. The party will also recognize the winners of the 2011 Allen & Allen Hometown Heroes who will be featured and introduced at the celebration. The Allen Law firm is sponsoring FREE Sober Rides Home for the Best Of C-ville party, with over 1000 expected in attendance, through Wahooptie Taxi.

For decades, the personal injury lawyers of Allen & Allen has represented residents of Charlottesville, the Piedmont area and the Shenandoah Valley.   The law firm’s personal injury and medical malpractice attorneys have obtained significant verdicts and settlements for clients residing in this region.  To better serve its Piedmont and Shenandoah Valley clients, the Allen Law Firm opened a Charlottesville, VA branch office in March, 2008.   The local presence now gives Allen & Allen the opportunity to reach more clients in this growing Charlottesville area.

Fredericksburg Personal Injury Attorney Nathan J. D. Veldhuis

Author: Attorney Nathan J. D. Veldhuis

Every year, the Virginia State Bar[1] holds its Annual Meeting in Virginia Beach in June, and attorneys from around the state gather to meet, discuss legal issues, and go to Continuing Legal Education[2] seminars.   I have attended the Annual Meeting every year since passing the bar examination and receiving my license.   The Annual Meeting features several events sponsored by the Young Lawyers Conference (YLC) which is comprised of new and young lawyers. While the YLC programs are always well-organized, this year’s meeting was especially noteworthy due to the impressive number, and quality, of events the YLC hosted during the weekend. These activities included a 5K “Run In the Sun” along the boardwalk, a poolside reception at the Cavalier Oceanfront Hotel, the annual David T. Stitt memorial volleyball tournament, and a speech at our annual members meeting and luncheon from the incoming president of Virginia State Bar – this year, George Warren Shanks, Esquire.   This year the YLC organized and sponsored a “Showcase CLE” Program that was a highlight of the weekend and very well-attended.

The Showcase CLE was entitled “Judiciary Squares—Interactive Review of Evidentiary Matters”, and was presented on Friday morning.  Modeled after the “Hollywood Squares” game show, nine Virginia judges and justices served as “squares” and answered questions from contestants.  The moderator was former Judge Stanley P. Kline, who asked each of the jurists (squares) an evidence-related question to which the jurist provided a response. It was up to the contestants to decide whether the jurist had provided the correct answer, and determining whether the answer was true or false was very challenging for the contestants and the audience.

This year’s Showcase CLE was a resounding success due largely to the efforts of the YLC Committee responsible for the event, headed by Joanna Foust, Esquire who was ably assisted by other members of that Committee. Additionally, special thanks must be given to the jurists for their graciousness in participating in the Program and for their entertaining and educational answers.  The jurists were the Honorable Cynthia D. Kinser, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia; the Honorable B. Waugh Crigler, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Virginia, Charlottesville; the Honorable Joel C. Cunningham, Judge of the 10^th Judicial Circuit Court in Halifax; the Honorable Barry G. Logsdon, a Judge in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court in Newport News; the Honorable Cleo E. Powell, a Judge on the Virginia Court of Appeals; the Honorable Angela E. Roberts, a Judge in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court in the City of Richmond; the Honorable Deborah S. Rowe, Judge in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court in Hampton; the Honorable Beverly W. Snuckals, a Judge in the 13^th Judicial Circuit in Richmond; and the Honorable Robert W. Woolridge, Jr., retired Judge of the Circuit Court of Fairfax County.  As a member of the YLC Board of Governors, I would like to thank them all for donating their time, knowledge and enjoyable sense of humor during the competition.  Their performance made this one of the best Showcase CLE’s the Annual Meeting has ever presented.

If you are a young lawyer and have never been to the Annual Meeting, I strongly encourage you to attend. The conference provides an excellent opportunity to network, learn, and take in some sun. There are many opportunities to volunteer, so if you are interested in becoming more active in the YLC[3] please feel free to contact me using the contact information provided. I wish you an enjoyable remainder of the summer, and hope to see you at next year’s Virginia State Bar Annual Meeting.

About the Author: Nathan is a Fredericksburg accident attorney with Allen & Allen. He has broad litigation experience in fields as diverse as professional malpractice, defamation, medical malpractice,  mental health, and personal injury law.

To see the film – and form your own opinion – catch the premiere Monday June 27 at 9pm on HBO.

The below article from the Washington Post offers highlights of the documentary.

Paul D. Hux, Petersburg personal injury attorney

Author: Attorney Paul D. Hux

It is reported that there are currently more than 500 million users of Facebook and that these users spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook.  Interestingly, approximately 70% of Facebook users are outside of the United States.

Facebook is more than just individual people.  There are over 900 million objects that people interact with (pages, groups, events and community pages).  There are more than 30 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, music, etc.) shared each month.

This, as you can already tell, is an amazing amount of traffic and information.  While the majority of the content and people are involved for the specific purposes of reacquainting with old friends or networking, there are some spammers and scammers out there that use your information for their own personal gain.  Some are trying to infect your computer with viruses that can range from the minor problem to the complete computer shut down. Others may just be looking for personal information they can sell or use.

Users should be aware that everything put on Facebook is in the cyberworld forever.  Please do not think that removing a sentence, thought or picture from Facebook erases its existence.  It can always be found by the savvy techie.  The key here is to never put anything on Facebook that you would not want your grandmother, mother, boss or future employer to see.

Here are some other useful tips to make your time on Facebook more enjoyable and safe.

1.         PRIVACY SETTINGS: Probably the most important tip to pass along would be to understand your Facebook privacy settings.

• You can make Friend Lists, which groups your friends into different categories (personal friends, acquaintances, work).  You can then use your security settings to select who can see what (and who cannot).
• You can limit who can find you and what they can see.  You can restrict which people can find you on Facebook plus what is actually viewable on your profile page..  The “settings” menu and “privacy settings” control this information.

2.         PERSONAL IDNETIFYING INFORMATION:  Do not post your address, phone number, place of employment, or organizations you belong to on your profile. Do not list the year of your birthday;  list only the date.  Too much information makes it easier for your identity to be taken over or for someone to locate and potentially stalk you.

3.         ONLY “FRIEND“ PEOPLE YOU KNOW:  Do not “friend” people you do not know.  Criminals often use fake profiles to send spam or even worse, steal personal information.

4.         LIMIT DOWNLOADS:  Be careful about downloading extra applications for your Facebook page.  Make sure others are using this page and have positive comments about it.

5.         BE CAREFUL OF LINKS:  Be careful when you click on links that you receive in messages that you think are from your “friends.”  Viruses have been known to generate these messages and exist in these links.

6.         KEEP YOUR LOCATION PRIVATE:  Protect where you are.  You should not list your home address.  When out and checking Facebook from a different location, not a good idea to describe where you are in a post because that means you are not home and therefore your house is probably empty.  Also, posting that you are on a family vacation tips people off that your house is available to be robbed.

All of these are common sense tips to protect you identity and to keep you and your family safe.  But we all need to know that there are ways Facebook provides to accomplish these goals.

Remember, do not over share and try to be conservative in what you post.  So even if your settings are not perfect, nothing will show up on your boss’s news feed that would embarrass you.  Think before you post – would you want that post to “go viral”?   Remember that your “friends” may re-post whatever you post, and they may not have any privacy settings at all!

About the Author: Paul Hux is a car accident attorney in Petersburg, Virginia with the personal injury law firm of Allen & Allen. Paul has 20 years of experience helping Petersburg, VA and Southern Virginia clients recover damages after car crashess, boating accidents, wrongful death and brain injury.
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