The Law Of Evidence In Virginia

This 2021 edition of the Virginia Rules of Evidence provides the practitioner with a convenient copy to bring to court or the office. Look for forthcoming Virginia Rules titles.

A concise comparison of the federal and Virginia rules of evidence, reprinting (in full) the evidence code of each jurisdiction side-by-side, along with expert analysis of salient distinctions. Comparisons of federal and state evidence rules can be immensely helpful to attorneys, judges, and law students who are often well versed in one set of rules, but not the other. As a result, book-length federal-to-state rule comparisons exist for most major United States jurisdictions. Virginia has until now been a notable exception. For each rule of evidence, this book sets out the full text of the federal and corresponding Virginia rule, followed by a "Comparison and Commentary" section that (1) analyzes salient distinctions between the text of the federal and Virginia rule; (2) describes how those differences operate in application; and (3) highlights distinctions between the rules in application that may not be apparent from the rules' text. The "Comparison and Commentary" section also flags areas where the Virginia codifiers arguably went beyond Virginia case law in creating the codified rules, creating uncertainty as to the controlling evidence rule. Finally, the "Comparison and Commentary" sections reference (and reprint) a number of Virginia statutes that touch on evidentiary principles, but are either not completely captured within the relevant evidence rule or are not referenced at all in the evidence codification. The book is intended for lawyers or law students who already possess an understanding of either Virginia or federal evidence law. This is a comparison of the two evidence codes, not a comprehensive analysis of either one. Non-lawyers or those with only a passing familiarity with evidence law will find many questions left unanswered. In addition, the book is short, just over 200 pages. To keep the volume manageable, only major distinctions are discussed.

This handbook summarizes and analyzes Virginia evidence law. Covered are Virginia Supreme Court decisions, federal cases applying Virginia law, and other authorities. Reference to the Federal Rules of Evidence is included where the Rules conflict with Virginia law, or where they point to new trends in the law.

Virginia Criminal Law & Procedure, Second Edition is the definitive authority on criminal law in the Commonwealth of Virginia, offering comprehensive coverage of dozens of substantive crimes, plus the procedural, constitutional, & ethical issues involved in criminal practice. Author John L. Costello discusses problems encountered in pretrial, trial, & appellate practice offering valuable guidance at each stage. From arrest to appeal, Virginia Criminal Law & Procedure is the practice manual criminal lawyers in Virginia can't afford to be without.