A senior corporate executive is under investigation by the Department of Justice for accounting fraud. In the course of discovery, he learns that the investigators and prosecutors secured a warrant to seize a large number of personal emails from an Internet-based electronic mail service. The executive is unsure whether or not the prosecutors can lawfully make use of this material in their investigation or at trial. Civil Litigation v. Criminal Investigations Unlike their civil [...]

In 2010, I reported on the status of protective orders under Virginia law as it existed at that time, in response to the recent murder of a player on the University of Virginia women's lacrosse team. The General Assembly, in 2011, passed legislation which revised multiple statutes regarding family abuse and protective orders. It is expected that the Governor will sign this legislation, and the new laws will become effective July 1, 2011. The [...]