Title 54.1, Title 54.1. Professions and Occupations

A. Any person having or claiming a cause of action (i) sounding in tort, (ii) for liquidated or unliquidated damages on contract, or (iii) for annulment or divorce may contract with any attorney to prosecute the same, and, upon contracting such attorney, the attorney shall have a…

No court shall decree or order any fee or compensation to counsel to be paid out of money or property under the control of the court, unless the claim is in the complaint, petition, or other proceeding, of which the parties interested have due notice.

The Board of Bar Examiners may, for good cause, revoke any license issued by it at any time before there has been a qualification under it in any of the courts of this Commonwealth.

A. Any attorney who is the subject of a disciplinary proceeding or the Virginia State Bar may elect to terminate the proceeding before the Bar Disciplinary Board or a district committee and demand that further proceedings be conducted by a three-judge circuit court. Such demand s…

A. If Bar Counsel has reasonable cause to believe that an attorney is engaging in any activity which is unlawful or violates the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct and which will result in loss of property of one or more of the attorney's clients or any other person, Bar Coun…

A. If the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals or any circuit court of this Commonwealth observes, or if a complaint, verified by affidavit, is made by any person to a circuit court having jurisdiction where the alleged violation occurred, that any law corporation or professional …

If personal service of process cannot be had upon the defendant in license revocation proceedings, proceedings may be had by order of publication on proper affidavit.

Whenever a subpoena is sought in this Commonwealth pursuant to the laws of another jurisdiction for use in lawyer discipline or disability proceedings, and where the request for the subpoena has been duly approved under the laws of the other jurisdiction, the chair or a vice-chai…

As used in this article: "Agent" means any person who acts for another with or without compensation at the request, or with the knowledge and acquiescence, of the other in dealing with third persons. "Runner" or "capper" means any person acting within the Commonwealth as an agent…

It shall be unlawful for an attorney to solicit professional employment in a manner that violates the Virginia Code of Professional Responsibility.

It shall be unlawful for any person to act singly or in concert with others as a runner or capper for an attorney.

Any contract for professional employment secured by an attorney in violation of this article shall be void and unenforceable.

The attorney for the Commonwealth, or any person, firm or corporation against whom any cause of action is or has been asserted, may maintain a suit for an injunction against any attorney who has induced another to solicit or encourage his employment, or against any person, firm, …

Any person violating the provisions of this article shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. In addition, any person employed as an officer, director, trustee, clerk, servant or agent of this Commonwealth or of any political subdivision of the Commonwealth found guilty of violat…

"Pawnbroker" means any natural person who lends or advances money or other things for profit on the pledge and possession of tangible personal property, or other valuable things, other than securities or written or printed evidences of indebtedness or title, or who deals in the p…

A. No natural person shall engage in the business of a pawnbroker without having a valid license issued by the county, city, or town in which the pawnbroker conducts such business. B. The circuit court of any county or city may authorize any county, city, or town to issue to any …

A. In addition to all limitations and restrictions and notwithstanding any other relevant provisions of this chapter, the governing body of any county, city or town may reasonably limit by resolution or ordinance the number of pawnshops that may be operated at any one time within…

A. No natural person shall be licensed as a pawnbroker or engage in the business of a pawnbroker without having in existence a bond with surety in the minimum amount of $50,000 to secure the payment of any judgment recovered under the provisions of subsection B. B. Any person who…

Every pawnbroker shall at the time of each loan deliver to the person pawning or pledging anything, a memorandum or note, signed by him, containing the information required by § 54.1-4009. A lost-ticket fee of five dollars may be charged, provided that the pawner is notified of t…

No pawnbroker shall sell any pawn or pledge item until (i) it has been in his possession for the minimum term set forth in the memorandum, but not less than 30 days, plus a grace period of 15 days and (ii) a statement of ownership is obtained from the pawner. If a motor vehicle i…

A. No pawnbroker shall ask, demand or receive a greater rate of interest than ten percent per month on a loan of $25 or less, or seven percent per month on a loan of more than $25 and less than $100, or five percent per month on a loan of $100 or more, secured by a pledge of tang…

A. Every pawnbroker shall keep at his place of business an accurate and legible record of each loan or transaction in the course of his business, including transactions in which secondhand goods, wares, or merchandise is purchased for resale. The account shall be recorded at the …

A. Every pawnbroker shall prepare a daily report of all goods, articles, or things pawned or pledged with him or sold to him that day and shall file such report by noon of the following day with the chief of police or other law-enforcement officer of the county, city, or town whe…

Every pawnbroker and every employee of the pawnbroker shall admit to the pawnbroker's place of business during regular business hours, any duly authorized law-enforcement officer of the jurisdiction where the business is being conducted, or any law-enforcement official of the sta…

No property received on deposit or pledged or purchased by any pawnbroker shall be disfigured or its identity destroyed or affected in any manner (i) so long as it continues in pawn or in the possession of the pawnbroker while in pawn or (ii) in an effort to obtain a serial numbe…

A. Pawnbrokers shall store, care for and protect all of the tangible personal property in the pawnbroker's possession and protect the property from damage or misuse. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to mean that pawnbrokers are insurers of pawned property in their posse…

A. Except as otherwise provided in § 54.1-4001, any licensed pawnbroker who violates any of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor. In addition, the court may revoke or suspend the pawnbroker's license for second and subsequent offenses. B. Additi…

For the purposes of this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning: "Coin" means any piece of gold, silver or other metal fashioned into a prescribed shape, weight and degree of fineness, stamped by authority of a government with certain marks and devices, and havi…

A. Every dealer shall keep at his place of business an accurate and legible record of each purchase of precious metals or gems. The record of each purchase shall be retained by the dealer for at least 24 months and shall set forth the following: 1. A complete description of all p…

Every dealer or his employee shall admit to his place of business during regular business hours the chief law-enforcement officer or his designee of the jurisdiction in which the dealer is located or any law-enforcement officer of the state or federal government. The dealer or hi…

No dealer shall purchase precious metals or gems without first (i) ascertaining the identity of the seller by requiring an unexpired identification card issued by a governmental agency with the current legal address and a photograph of the seller thereon, and at least one other c…

A. No dealer shall purchase precious metals or gems from any seller who is under the age of eighteen. B. No dealer shall purchase precious metals or gems from any seller who the dealer believes or has reason to believe is not the owner of such items, unless the seller has written…

A. The dealer shall retain all precious metals or gems purchased for a minimum of 15 calendar days from the date on which a copy of the bill of sale is received by the chief law-enforcement officer of the locality in which the purchase is made. Until the expiration of this period…

Each dealer shall maintain for at least twenty-four months an accurate and legible record of the name and address of the person, firm, or corporation to which he sells any precious metal or gem in its original form after the waiting period required by § 54.1-4104. This record sha…

A. Every dealer shall secure a permit as required by § 54.1-4108, and each dealer at the time of obtaining such permit shall enter into a recognizance to the Commonwealth secured by a corporate surety authorized to do business in this Commonwealth, in the penal sum of $10,000, co…

Any person aggrieved by the misconduct of any dealer which violated the provisions of this chapter may maintain an action for recovery in any court of proper jurisdiction against the dealer and his surety. Recovery against the surety shall be only for that amount of the judgment …

A. No person shall engage in the activities of a dealer as defined in § 54.1-4100 without first obtaining a permit from the chief law-enforcement officer of each county, city, or town in which he proposes to engage in business. B. To obtain a permit, the dealer shall file with th…

A. The chief law-enforcement officer of a county, city or town, or his designee, may waive by written notice implementation of any one or more of the provisions of this chapter, except § 54.1-4103, for particular numismatic, gem, or antique exhibitions or craft shows sponsored by…

A. Any person convicted of violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor for the first offense. Upon conviction of any subsequent offense he shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. B. Upon the first conviction of a dealer for violation…

Nothing in this chapter shall prevent any county, city, or town in this Commonwealth from enacting an ordinance regulating dealers in precious metals and gems which parallels this chapter, or which imposes terms, conditions, and fees that are stricter, more comprehensive, or larg…

For the purpose of this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning: "Dealer in firearms" means (i) any person, firm, partnership, or corporation engaged in the business of selling, trading or transferring firearms at wholesale or retail; (ii) any person, firm, partn…

A. Every dealer in firearms shall keep at his place of business, for not less than a period of two years, the original consent form required to be completed by § 18.2-308.2:2 for each firearm sale. B. Every dealer in firearms shall admit to his place of business during regular bu…

A. No promoter of a firearms show shall hold such show without giving notice at least 30 days prior to the show to the State Police and the sheriff or chief of police of the locality in which the firearms show will be held. The notice shall be given on a form provided by the Stat…

A. The Department of State Police shall be available at every firearms show held in the Commonwealth and shall make determinations in accordance with the procedures set out in § 18.2-308.2:2 of whether a prospective purchaser or transferee is prohibited under state or federal law…

Any person convicted of a first offense for willfully violating the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor. Any person convicted of a second or subsequent offense under the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning: "Infant formula" or "baby formula" means any food manufactured, packaged and labeled specifically for sale for consumption by a child under the age of two years. "Itinerant merchant" means a merchant who tr…