Co-Presenter, "Chat HOA: The Impact of AI on the CIC Industry," for the Washington Metro Chapter of the Community Association Institute, February 2026
Co-Speaker: "Working with a Divided Board of Directors," for EJF Real Estate, January 23, 2026
Co-author, Viginia Legislative Updates for Trust and Estates: 2025, for the Virginia State Bar Trusts and Estates Newsletter, Winter 2026
Co-Presenter, EV Charging in Virginia Common Interest Communities, for Southwestern Virginia Chapter-CAI, September 2025
Panelist at Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys (VADA) 2022 Spring Sections Seminar – Corporate & Commercial Litigation Section
Author, Deeper Into The Thicket: Navigating The Increasingly Complex And Curious World Of Virginia General District Court Civil Litigation, The Journal of Civil Litigation, Vol. XXX, No. 3, Fall 2018
Co-Author, USLAW Retail Compendium of Law: Virginia, Retail, Restaurant, and Hospitality: Guide to Virginia Premises Liability, 2017 & 2018
Co-Author, USLAW Commonwealth of Virginia Compendium of Law, 2017
Co-Presenter, roundtable discussion, Responding to AI Generated Owner Requests and Communications, for the Southwestern Virginia Chapter-CAI annual meeting, on January 23, 2026
Co-Author, Community Association Management Transitions in Virginia: Potential Legal Hazards and Best Practices for a Smooth(er) Handoff, in CVC-CAI’s Consensus News Journal, Winter 2025
Co-Presenter, CICB Virginia Law Training, for Southeastern Virginia Chapter-CAI, on October 29, 2025
Author, Why and When Do Associations Need Legal Counsel, Southeastern Virginia Chapter-CAI Currents Magazine, Q1 2022.
ARTICLES
March 12, 2026
Being named as executor of an estate in Virginia is a significant responsibility. You are expected to administer the estate according to the terms of the will, manage assets prudently, and act in good faith toward all beneficiaries. But what happens when a beneficiary, or someone who expected to be a beneficiary, decides to challenge the will you are tasked with carrying out?
February 17, 2026
In Virginia, when a person (the principal) signs a power of attorney (POA), they authorize an agent to act on their behalf. Transparency is essential. If an agent will not provide information, concerned loved ones must act promptly to protect the principal’s interests while respecting privacy and legal limits. Virginia law provides several avenues for requesting information relating to an agent’s actions under a Power of Attorney.
Virginia law provides certain individuals the right to request an accounting of the agent’s actions. Understanding how a request can be made and what information can be requested is crucial for both agents and those concerned about the welfare of the principal.
February 13, 2026
Will contests are among the most common and also the most emotionally charged types of estate disputes. A will is a legal document setting forth a person’s directions for the disposition of their probate estate upon their passing. As a general matter, a person may revoke a prior will and execute a new will as they deem fit.
February 12, 2026
Families often confuse the roles of an Agent under a Power of Attorney and an Executor or Administrator of an Estate. Understanding the distinction is essential to minimizing disputes and ensuring proper estate management. Understanding the distinction is also critical in evaluating your potential recourse in the event of a dispute involving one or both of these fiduciaries.
January 26, 2026
When a loved one leaves you a life estate in land that has natural resources (like timber, minerals, or natural gas), you receive the right to use and enjoy the property during your lifetime. But that right comes with limits designed to protect the “remainder” owners, the people who will own the property after your life estate ends. In Virginia, those limits matter a lot when it comes to cutting timber, mining coal, or using other natural resources on the land.
January 7, 2026
- The Virginia Court of Appeals recently ruled, in the case of Teel v. Teel, on a dispute involving the elective share of a surviving spouse and allegations that such spouse abandoned the marriage.
- This ruling provides helpful guidance for how a Virginia court would resolve such a dispute.
- Under the Court of Appeals ruling, Sue Anderson Teel lost her right to a share of her late husband Gene “Bull” Atkins Teel’s estate due to intentional abandonment, pursuant to Virginia Code § 64.2-308.14(E).
- Despite being married since 1988 and never divorcing, the surviving spouse was found to have “willfully deserted” Bull, who left his estate to his brother.
- Regarding the elective share, under Virginia Code § 64.2-308.3(A), a surviving spouse can claim 50% of the marital property portion of the augmented estate (subject to the limitations and conditions contained in the Virginia Code), but this right is forfeited if the surviving spouse willfully leaves the marriage.
- The Virginia Court of Appeals employed a 2018 Supreme Court framework to assess the issue of abandonment, focusing on the surviving spouse's actions and intent.
- In this case, the evidence showed that the surviving spouse moved out, had minimal contact and engaged in a new relationship, indicating her intent to end the marriage.
- The case highlights the importance of documenting circumstances related to abandonment in estate planning.
November 25, 2025
Owning property with the right of survivorship can sometimes create conflicts with the terms of a person’s will. This can lead to confusion, unintended outcomes, and even disputes. Disputes about right of survivorship retitlings of property (for example, real property or other property including bank accounts) are fairly common in estate dispute matters.
October 28, 2025
When someone acts as an agent under a power of attorney, they are entrusted with significant responsibility over another person’s property, finances, and affairs. Disputes may arise regarding what the agent is doing or has done pursuant to the power of attorney.
October 8, 2025
In Virginia, once a lawsuit is filed, the door is open for the litigants (parties to a lawsuit) to engage in “discovery”. As a general matter, discovery is the set of formal processes whereby the parties can obtain information and documentation from each other and third parties in order to investigate their claims and defenses and prepare their cases for trial.
October 7, 2025
The Virginia General Assembly passed several laws that affect trust and estate litigation in Virginia in 2025. They include more protections for estate planners, simplification of transfer-on-death deed revocation under certain circumstances, and changes in multiple financial figures in several statutes. These are important updates to note for trustees, executors, estate administrators, attorneys, and beneficiaries.
September 15, 2025
Virginia has specific provisions for those wishing to arrange for the disposition of their body upon their death.
August 5, 2025
Executors and administrators of estates in Virginia must swear an oath before the probate clerk that they will “faithfully perform the duties of [their] office to the best of [their] judgment.” These duties are called “fiduciary” duties and have been established by both the General Assembly as well as the Courts of Virginia.
August 1, 2025
When loved ones become incapacitated and have no estate planning documents in place appointing a guardian or conservator (or when replacement of a current guardian or conservator is necessary), Virginia law allows the filing of a petition with the court to appoint/replace one.
