News from VTLA, for and about our members
 
June 2026
News from VTLA, for and about our members
 

VTLA’s two-day Auto Retreat, the second exit on our Route '26 journey, takes a deep dive into the forces reshaping auto cases, from artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles to shifting insurance frameworks and the growing complexity of binding arbitration in rideshare cases.  

Stay ahead of the curve and register here today.

There’s still time to turn around and catch the first exit - Pre-Litigation Strategy - and look ahead at our final two stops here.

The VTLA Executive Council met for one of its quarterly meetings last week - just as the World Cup officially started! Showing their team spirit are (from left) David Irvine, Parliamentarian; Julie Gerock, Vice President; Paul Hernandez, President-Elect; Les Bowers, Treasurer; Melissa Ray, President; Amy Griggs, Vice President; Erin Jewell, Vice President; Derrick Walker, Immediate Past President. (We were missing Vice President Brody Reid.)

Nearly a dozen legislators and judges met with members of our Board and others at a reception sponsored by Platinum Business Partners Excelsia and Joanna Wynes Settlements and VTLA member firms Maddox & Gerock, Nichols Zauzig, and Tysons Trial Law. It was great to take our show on the road to Northern Virginia!

Costs are up all over...but not at VTLA!

VTLA offers half off memberships for the summer months. If you know someone who doesn’t know VTLA yet, this is a great offer. Joining is simple - click here.

With costs skyrocketing everywhere else, encourage your colleagues simply to come home to VTLA and experience the best value around! Memberships include access to the listserves, exclusive access to practice-specific retreats and webinars, discounts at education programs, legislative representation like no other, our Journal and so much more. Forward this newsletter to a friend and encourage them to join!
 
CONTENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS

Welcome to Jennifer, VTLA Membership Director

Jennifer Thomas has started at VTLA as our new Membership Director!  She comes to us after working for a number of small associations at an association management firm, handling all duties including membership. Prior to that she worked for more than 20 years, ultimately as executive director of the Virginia Association of Museums. She says she is highly focused on building relationships with members and helping them feel connected, supported, and engaged. She has the professional designation as a Certified Association Executive and we welcome her to the staff!

NTL Leadership

Meet this year’s New Trial Lawyers Section leadership team chaired by Dan Savage of Marks & Harrison. Elaine Singerman of Skinner Accident & Injury Lawyers, will serve as chair-elect, and Damon Miller of Ben Glass Law was just elected secretary. Brad Kent of Allen, Allen Allen & Allen will continue to serve as immediate past chair.

The leadership committee is planning upcoming events, including “Turning Hazy Cases into Winners,” a half-day seminar in Richmond on September 4th. Stay tuned for more details as those plans come together.

Don’t take a wrong turn! Know the rules for VA/MD/DC

This Thursday!
June 18  • 3-5 pm

Packed with practical takeaways, this webinar will help you spot jurisdictional pitfalls early, maximize recovery, and confidently handle cases that cross state lines between Virginia-Maryland-DC. Presented by John Ayers, Marks & Harrison, Chris Regan, Regan, Zambri & Long, and Tara Umbrino, Valor Injury Law. Register here.

Topics include:

  • No Fault - PIP in DC v. PIP in Maryland v. MedPay in Virginia
  • Stacking or lack thereof - How do you handle the layers of insurance coverage?
    • Liability limits and how they tender in each jurisdiction
    • Underinsured (UIM) coverage is very different for each jurisdiction
  • Lower Court or Higher Court - What are the benefits of where I file?
    • General District Court in Virginia
    • District Court in Maryland
    • DC Superior Court Fast Track
  • Bad Faith Laws
  • Health Insurance - Provider Duty to Submit/Bill
  • Health Insurance - Subrogation Rights?

Did you miss a Learning Lab earlier this year? Check out the recordings and upcoming live programs here.

June 25 - Noon-1 pm
Register here!

Are you a small firm owner? A managing partner? Or the person wearing the leadership hat—whether or not it’s in your title? Regardless of your role, this General Assembly session brought significant changes that will impact your practice, with some taking effect in just a few weeks and others giving you a little more time to prepare. As the Solo and Small Firm Section, we are looking out for you and want to make sure you're ready:

  • Pay Transparency and Salary History Ban
    Employers cannot ask about or rely upon salary history during the hiring process
    Employers must disclose wage/salary range in all job postings
  • VHRA expands definition of employees
  • Minimum wage increase
  • Paid Sick Leave
  • Family Medical Leave

In this webinar titled “Virginia: The New California? An Employment Law Update for Employers and Practitioners,” employment experts Dedra Curteman and Jeremy Schneider from Jackson Lewis, Reston, will guide you through these significant changes.

1 hour CLE pending

Solo/Small Firm Section Members - Attend for Free! Not a section member? The fee is nominal (and not-so-coincidentally the cost of a Section membership in case you’re interested).

Paralegals: Programs just for you!

Next Week! June 23 • Noon-1 pm

“Helping Disability Clients Manage Large Settlements with Workers’ Comp Benefits” will be presented by Berkley Foltz, Marks & Harrison, and moderated by Tammy Lynn, Monge & Associates. Register here.

Our webinar “Helping Disability Clients” from May is now available on-demand. Click here, if you missed it!

And of course, mark your calendars and make your plans now for the Annual Paralegal Seminar coming November 17 in Fredericksburg. Register here.

New Journal Issue - Available Now!

  • Appellate Issues for Trial Lawyers: Planning for an appeal during trial and the critical transition from trial to appeal
  • The Preservation Formula: Tips and Tricks to make sure your important issues are preserved for appeal
  • Handling appellate woes for the trial attorney
  • Ethical considerations in appellate practice
  • Dead Man’s Revival: A review of the Dead Man’s Statute and the Virginia Supreme Court’s most recent opinions interpreting this Statute
  • How the Court of Appeals of Virginia approaches summary judgment

PLUS:

  • VTLA’s Amicus Committee
  • A Path Forward: A blueprint for recovering from both liability and underinsured coverages in the same policy

Read the issue here!

Member Directory deadline quickly approaching - join in!

Your firm still has time to join dozens of members and vendors who support VTLA with an ad in our annual Directory of Members & Services. Many members report that the Directory is a primary source for networking and reference. Make sure you are included in the who’s who guide of Virginia trial lawyers by taking advantage of an ad in this great publication! Ad deadline is July 1. Details HERE.

Lara Ballout, one of the recipients of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Foundation scholarships, successfully tried her first personal injury case in Stafford General District Court last week, handling every aspect of the case from start to finish under the watchful stewardship of attorneys at Marks & Harrison. Thank you to Marks & Harrison for introducing personal injury law to Lara, as well as Charlene Morring at Morring Law who is closely working with another of the recipients. 

Take a new look at summer reading - summer learning! VTLA has an extensive on demand library of past programs that you may have missed. You can listen and watch on the beach, on your porch, on your travels - all while learning and earning credits.

So whether you are seeking practical insights, latest developments, or CLE credits, VTLA has what you need!

View all the options here.

VTLA

919 East Main Street, Suite 620 | Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 343-1143 | www.vtla.com