The Law of Evidence in Virginia

The late Charles Friend was a Professor of Law who taught evidence for many years at the University of Richmond Law School, where he served for a time as Acting Dean, and at George Mason University Law School. He lectured extensively at CLE programs on evidence throughout the state, including many presentations on evidence on behalf of the Virginia Supreme Court for Virginia's trial and appellate judges. Since 1977 he was the author and co-author of The Law of Evidence in Virginia, now appearing in its eighth edition. He was also author and co-author of Friend's Virginia Pleading and Practice, Personal Injury Law in Virginia and other works. A former editor-in-chief of the William & Mary Law Review, he also served for over twenty years as editor of The Virginia Bar Association Journal, and wrote a number of articles on evidence and other subjects for law reviews and other professional publications.

Professor Sinclair is Professor of Law Emeritus and has served as Associate Dean at the University of Virginia School of Law, where he has taught Evidence, Civil Procedure and Virginia Practice for 35 years. Professor Sinclair served as a United States Magistrate Judge for seven years. He currently serves as Reporter of Decisions for the Supreme Court of Virginia, chair of the Advisory Committee on Rules of Court for the Commonwealth, and reporter for the Boyd-Graves Conference Evidence Project. He is a frequent lecturer on Virginia practice & procedure and the law of evidence to judges’ groups and lawyer CLE programs. He has served as an expert commentator for the LexisNexis legal research service, and has been accepted as an expert on Virginia law by the High Court of London, by the High Court of the Netherlands, and by the High Court of Australia. He is author of Sinclair on Virginia Remedies, and Personal Injury Law in Virginia. He is author of Sinclair, Virginia Civil Procedure, Friend & Sinclair, Virginia Pleading & Practice, and several other books. Professor Sinclair served for more than 20 years as editor and reporter for the four-volume Virginia Model Jury Instructions.