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Pender & Coward attorneys are committed to your success and peace of mind. Our motto is simple, yet effective: “Service. Integrity. Results.” Our adherence to that motto transcends the legal services we provide, whether in complicated business law, complex litigation, family law or estate planning. Our attorneys are dedicated to each client’s best interests, and strive to provide first rate legal services at a very fair value. With offices in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Suffolk, our team of experienced attorneys can provide all your legal needs.

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Opinions & Observations

What Happens after My Appeal? A Guide for Next Steps after Your Case Is Decided by The Court of Appeals of Virginia

March 25, 2025

by Scott B. Ingram

In the years following the General Assembly’s expansion of the Court of Appeals of Virginia’s jurisdiction to cover all civil matters and the notable expansion of a right of appeal in all cases, many litigants face the daunting prospect of having their case heard before an appellate court. Having finished an arduous trial or painstaking motions practice before a circuit court, a litigant must put pen to paper yet again to write a brief that they will...

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Va. Code § 8.01-626: Appealing Adverse Immunity Rulings on an Expedited Basis

March 03, 2025

by Anne C. Lahren

Virginia Code § 8.01-626 provides a mechanism for bypassing the typically lengthy appeals process for certain types of cases and decisions. Titled “Review of injunction; petitions for review,” this section of the Virginia Code not only applies to injunctions but also applies to orders “granting or denying a plea of sovereign, absolute, or qualified immunity that, if granted, would immunize the movant” from continued participation in the lawsuit. Va. Code...

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Who Owns that Unused Street? A Roadmap to Virginia’s Layered Legal Approach

February 24, 2025

by Julianne E. Kouba

Most people do not think twice about the quiet, unused, streets that hide within our neighborhoods, cities, and towns. These streets are easy to overlook, until a disrupting event—such as new property development, utility work, or a dispute between landowners—raises the question: who actually owns these forgotten streets? The ownership of unused streets can be a complex issue, that can generate legal disputes over who has the right to access, use, or...

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Are Words Alone a Violation of Fourth Amendment Protections Against Unreasonable Seizures?

February 12, 2025

by Andrew C. Harding

In January 2023, a federal jury delivered a decisive verdict in Nazario v. Gutierrez largely vindicating the conduct of Windsor, Virginia police officers Daniel Crocker and Joesph Gutierrez during a December 5, 2020, traffic stop.As a result of the traffic stop that evening, Caron Nazario filed an eight count Complaint against Crocker, represented by Pender & Coward, and Gutierrez, claiming Fourth and First Amendment violations, common law assault,...

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Our blog "Opinions & Observations" provides important updates, insights and solutions to legal questions and concerns.