Bill > HB555

This bill requires that any initial legal document, such as a pleading or motion, filed in a court of record by a party represented by an attorney must include the attorney's mailing address, their Virginia State Bar number (which is a unique identifier for lawyers in the state), their email address, and their telephone number. This information must be on the first document that attorney files in that specific case. The bill also mandates that if a party is not represented by an attorney and is filing in a court of record, their initial filing must include their mailing address, email address, and, if available, their telephone number. These requirements are intended to ensure that legal documents are properly identified and that contact information for both attorneys and unrepresented parties is readily available, and this change is based on a recommendation from the Boyd-Graves Conference, a group that reviews and proposes improvements to Virginia's laws.