• Recent Posts

  • Martindale Hubbell AV Rating

    The Greater Williamsburg area is an exciting place to live and work, especially because of the large number of entrepreneurs who have built businesses from the ground up. These entrepreneurs have taken their passion and made it their profession. Many of us want to take that step. Before you begin, you need to think of the type of business entity you want to form. Our attorneys have extensive business experience, from small one-person companies to publicly traded major corporations. Our attorneys are among the leaders in Virginia in the representation of Common Interest Communities. These communities are generally referred to as "homeowners associations," or "HOAs," and "condominium associations." In the greater Williamsburg area alone, we provide legal assistance to nearly 100 associations. Our attorneys have successfully prosecuted and defended a wide array of civil disputes involving community association covenant enforcement, commercial transactions, construction disputes, contracts, real estate matters, boundary line and easement disputes, employment matters, antitrust litigation, copyright violations, administrative proceedings, and estate issues. Real Estate law encompasses a wide variety of matters, and our attorneys have vast experience to assist you. Whether you need assistance with a commercial or residential closing, or you have questions relating to residential or commercial leasing, we provide experienced advice and counsel to our clients. Zoning law can be a complicated maze of statutes and ordinances. We have ample experience in successful applications for rezoning, variance, and special use permit requests. Finally, commercial and residential construction provide special challenges with respect to financing issues and the construction process. We serve as counsel to various financial institutions.
  • Tarley Robinson, PLC

    Promote Your Page Too
  • View John Tarley's profile on LinkedIn

4 Tips to help your HOA protect its Attorney-Client Privilege

April 23, 2020 on 2:35 pm | In Common Interest Community, General Interest, HOA, HOA litigation, State & Federal Litigation, Susan B. Tarley, Unit Owners Association | Comments Off on 4 Tips to help your HOA protect its Attorney-Client Privilege

The Attorney-Client Privilege protects confidential communications between an attorney and his or her client.  This privilege includes communications made to the attorney and communications from the attorney. The Attorney-Client Privilege is designed to encourage clients to communicate with their attorney freely, without fearing disclosure of those communications made in the course of representation. The Attorney-Client Privilege is important because it permits clients to give their attorney complete and uncensored information, enabling their attorney to provide informed and thorough legal advice.

For community associations, the Attorney-Client Privilege belongs to the association and can only be expressly waived by the a decision of the association board or executive organ. However, the privilege can be impliedly waived based on the client’s conduct.  A determination on whether the privilege has been waived will depend on the specific facts of each case. The association will have to establish that the attorney-client relationship existed, that the communication is privileged, and that the privilege was not waived.

Here are four basic tips for the board of your Common Interest Community to follow so that it protects the association’s Attorney-Client Privilege:

Continue reading “4 Tips to help your HOA protect its Attorney-Client Privilege”

Comments Off on 4 Tips to help your HOA protect its Attorney-Client Privilege

Attorney-Client Privilege: What is it and how do you protect it?

April 23, 2020 on 2:34 pm | In Business Planning, Common Interest Community, State & Federal Litigation, Susan B. Tarley | Comments Off on Attorney-Client Privilege: What is it and how do you protect it?

The attorney-client privilege permits confidential communication between an attorney and her client.  The objective is to encourage open communication, which permits an attorney to provide thorough, competent and complete advice.  Generally speaking, only a client can waive the privilege, but as found by the Virginia Supreme Court in Walton v. Mid-Atlantic Spine Specialist, PC, et al., a client’s inadvertent disclosure of a privileged communication may operate as a waiver of the attorney-client privilege.

In this Williamsburg medical malpractice case, a defendant doctor wrote a letter to his attorney calling into question his medical diagnosis he gave to his patient. The doctor kept this letter in a separate notebook. During discovery the defendant medical practice used a third party service to copy document requests. The letter was provided inadvertently to the plaintiff.

Although the defendant claimed that he did not produce the letter or permit anyone else to produce the letter, the Court found that the defendant did not take adequate protection to protect the letter. The Court noted that the notebook in which the letter was found was not marked as confidential or privileged. Furthermore, the Court held that the client did not take prompt action following disclosure.

The Virginia Supreme Court considered five main factors in determining whether the inadvertent disclosure waived the client’s privilege.  The Court looked at:  (1) the reasonableness of the precautions to prevent inadvertent disclosures, (2) the time taken to rectify the error, (3) the scope of discovery, (4) the extent of the disclosure, and (5) whether the party asserting the claim of privilege or protection for the communication has used its unavailability for misleading or otherwise improper or overreaching purposes in the litigation making it unfair to allow the party to invoke confidentiality under the circumstances.

As a start, clients should maintain attorney-client privileged communications in a separate file or notebook and clearly mark the file or notebook and each communication as “CONFIDENTIAL-ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION.”  Then, if an inadvertent disclosure is made, the client should contact her attorney as soon as possible to determine a plan of action to restore the attorney-client privilege.

Tarley Robinson, PLC, Attorneys and Counsellors at Law

Williamsburg, Virginia

Comments Off on Attorney-Client Privilege: What is it and how do you protect it?

3 tips for safe emailing with your attorney

May 9, 2023 on 7:41 pm | In Business Planning, Common Interest Community, John Tarley, State & Federal Litigation | Comments Off on 3 tips for safe emailing with your attorney

Obviously the use of email has changed many aspects of our world, including the practice of law. As with all new technology, we sometimes learn hard lessons. The attorney-client privilege is the foundation of effective communication between counsel and clients. Only a client can waive that privilege. Although email has far more positives than negatives, to protect attorney-client communications, use these three tips.

Williamsburg Virginia Business Lawyers

Attorney-Client Privilege

 

Continue reading “3 tips for safe emailing with your attorney”

Comments Off on 3 tips for safe emailing with your attorney

Update on using work email – American Bar Association says lawyers must caution clients of risks

May 6, 2023 on 4:27 pm | In Construction litigation, John Tarley, Merger & Acquisition, State & Federal Litigation | Comments Off on Update on using work email – American Bar Association says lawyers must caution clients of risks

We continually warn about the use of work email accounts to correspond with your attorney:

The American Bar Association has now opined that lawyers should “warn the client about the risk of sending or receiving electronic communications using a computer or other device, or e-mail account, where there is a significant risk that a third party may gain access.” Although the ABA’s opinion is not binding upon any state regulatory bar association, it is likely that state bar associations, like the Virginia State Bar, will review this opinion with interest.

Williamsburg Virginia Business Lawyers

Client Email

Most of our communications are not private, even though we think they are. Work emails are not secure. Regardless of whether lawyers are required or suggested to warn clients, it is not a good idea to use your work email account to email your attorney.

Tarley Robinson, PLC, Attorneys and Counsellors at Law

Williamsburg, Virginia

jt photo 150x150 Using a company computer to email your attorney may be a bad idea

 

 

 

 

 

Comments Off on Update on using work email – American Bar Association says lawyers must caution clients of risks

Emails from work computer can waive rights to privileged communications

April 26, 2023 on 4:13 pm | In Business Planning, Construction litigation, General Interest, HOA litigation, John Tarley, Real Estate Litigation | Comments Off on Emails from work computer can waive rights to privileged communications

We have written on the issues that arise when employees use their work computer for personal business. In that blog article, we referred to a California case in which an appellate court ruled that an employee’s emails to her attorney were not protected by the attorney-client privilege because the company had a written policy that informed employees that computers were not to be used for personal matters, that emails could be monitored to ensure that employees complied with the policy, and that employees should not expect any privacy in the use of their computers.

In local news, former Delegate Phil Hamilton raised a “marital privilege” objection to the use at trial of emails he sent to his wife. Certain communications to and from a spouse can be protected from disclosure. There were complicating factors to this case’s analysis.

 

Email

 

Continue reading “Emails from work computer can waive rights to privileged communications”

Comments Off on Emails from work computer can waive rights to privileged communications

Using your business’ computer to email your attorney may be a bad idea

April 24, 2023 on 7:19 pm | In Business Planning, Common Interest Community, General Interest, HOA litigation, John Tarley, Real Estate Litigation, State & Federal Litigation | Comments Off on Using your business’ computer to email your attorney may be a bad idea

Email

Well, we have written about protecting the attorney-client privilege and about safe emailing tips when emailing your attorney. Although we thought we had it pretty well covered, a recent decision from a California appellate has given us something more to think about.
Continue reading “Using your business’ computer to email your attorney may be a bad idea”

Comments Off on Using your business’ computer to email your attorney may be a bad idea

Virginia Statute – HOAs must adopt “Cost Schedule” to recover copy costs

May 14, 2023 on 1:23 am | In Common Interest Community, General Interest, HOA, HOA litigation, Real Estate Litigation, Susan B. Tarley, Unit Owners Association | Comments Off on Virginia Statute – HOAs must adopt “Cost Schedule” to recover copy costs

The Virginia Code has provisions that provide members of condominium associations and homeowner associations with the ability to request copies of books and records. The statutes have also permitted  associations to recover the costs of copying the requested books and records.

This blog post highlights a new statutory provision affecting common interest communities. On July 1, 2012, HOAs and condo associations will only be able to recover these copying costs if the association has adopted a cost schedule.

Continue reading “Virginia Statute – HOAs must adopt “Cost Schedule” to recover copy costs”

Comments Off on Virginia Statute – HOAs must adopt “Cost Schedule” to recover copy costs

2-Minute Drill Weekly Tweets for 2012-02-03

February 3, 2012 on 7:55 pm | In Weekly Tweets | Comments Off on 2-Minute Drill Weekly Tweets for 2012-02-03

Powered by Twitter Tools

Comments Off on 2-Minute Drill Weekly Tweets for 2012-02-03

Recap of the 2011 Virginia Leadership Retreat

September 30, 2011 on 7:55 pm | In HOA, HOA litigation, John Tarley, Susan B. Tarley, Unit Owners Association, Weekly Tweets | Comments Off on Recap of the 2011 Virginia Leadership Retreat

The 2011 Virginia Leadership Retreat was held this past weekend at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia.  The Virginia Leadership Retreat is the leading educational and networking forum for community association professionals in Virginia. This was the 3rd annual retreat and it was a great success!  The attorneys at Tarley Robinson, PLC participated in many events at the Retreat. From teaching to sponsoring to working at the VLR, our attorneys devoted dozens of hours to this event.

Susan Tarley serves as a member of the Virginia Leadership Retreat Committee.  The Committee is comprised of members of the Washington Metro, Central Virginia and Southeastern Virginia Chapters of the Community Associations Institute.  Susan is a representative of the Central Virginia Chapter, serving on the Board of Directors as well as the Virginia Legislative Action Committee.

Both John Tarley and Susan Tarley presented educational sessions that provided community association managers with their annual continuing education credits.  Susan’s topic was Protecting Confidentiality:  The Attorney Client Privilege.  The importance and purpose of the privilege for homeowner and condominium associations was discussed along with best practice tips to protect the privilege. We have blogged many times on this important topic.

John’s area of expertise in social media provided the backdrop for his presentation on how to use social media, including Facebook, Twitter and blogging to help move management companies to the forefront in the industry. John provided a roadmap on how to implement social media into a business, and related the benefits that gained as a leading professional in the field.

The keynote speaker was one of Williamsburg’s own Deborah Reeser McKinnon who presented an inspiring session on leadership.

John, Susan and Philip Chapman, also attended the educational forums and retreat events.  The event includes many industry professionals. We find that sharing information and socializing with colleagues is a tremendous learning experience, helping us provide even better service for our clients. Pictures will follow!


Tarley Robinson, PLC, Attorneys and Counsellors at Law

Williamsburg, Virginia

Susan Tarley

John Tarley

John Tarley

Comments Off on Recap of the 2011 Virginia Leadership Retreat

How to Run An Effective HOA Board Meeting

May 20, 2023 on 2:14 am | In Business Planning, Common Interest Community, HOA, HOA litigation, Unit Owners Association | Comments Off on How to Run An Effective HOA Board Meeting

Have you ever asked yourself after an Association board meeting “what went wrong?” The flow of the meeting was off, the meeting went on way too long and the atmosphere was unwelcoming for the owners who came to observe. With some careful preparation and attention to some simple tips, you can leave your next board meeting with the feeling that everything was right on track.  Although we go into much greater detail when we hold our annual Board training seminars for our clients, this blog post provides some helpful tips to run your next board meeting.

Continue reading “How to Run An Effective HOA Board Meeting”

Comments Off on How to Run An Effective HOA Board Meeting
Next Page »

  • Phone Numbers

    (757) 229-4281- Office

    (757) 229-7439 - Fax

  • Address

    4801 Courthouse Street Suite 122 Williamsburg, Virginia 23188
Web Development by OneWaveMedia.Com