The General Assembly enacted legislation dealing with wills, trusts, and estates that added or amended a number of sections ofthe Virginia Code in its 2006 Session. In addition, there were sixopinions from the Supreme Court of Virginia during the periodcovered by this review that presented issues of interest to the general practitioner as well as the specialist in wills, trusts, and estates. This article reports on all of these legislative and judicial developments.
This paper seeks to establish a framework for studying real estate futures. In doing so, it explores the general climate of change within which property decisions will have to be made, and examines the specific real estate opportunities that might emerge as a result of that change. For the purpose of appraisal, the forces of change are grouped into six sectors - cultural, demographic, economic, environmental, governmental and technological. Property perspectives are then portrayed for each of these sectors, and some conclusions drawn regarding the likely directions of change in the fields of real estate investment, development and management. Above all, the paper aims to provoke thought and provide a means for identifying and evaluating the forces of change as they affect decision making in the real estate industry.
Real estate development is a highly regulated, high value industry: this book examines0its efficiency, its role in shaping the built environment and its relationship with planning and planners. It considers issues such as the role of the state development and property markets and whether it is valid to blame the planning systems for dysfunctional housing markets. It also provides a useful grounding into development companies' decision making and how the property development process, financing and pricing system operates in a market economy. It explains the UK's Development Led system and Development Appraisals, before comparing various alternative international systems to see how they treat, or prioritise, Real Estate and Development Interests. It questions which policies might lead to high levels of speculative activity and if so, whether this is sustainable, in political, economic or environmental terms. It looks to the future to see whether the planning system can prevent future property bubbles and identifies key lessons and implications for planning and property markets.
Telecommunications Law is under pressure from fast-paced technological advances and changes in the industry structure. As the high-stakes debates plays itself out in federal and state legislatures, agencies and courts, the academic study is struggling to catch up. The author poses provocative questions about the present and future of Telecommunications Law. Of paramount interest are the ill-fitting legal categories that continue to influence crucial determinations about the level of First Amendment protection accorded various communications media, and the reach of Constitutional Takings doctrine that pits incumbent regulated industries against government regulators and up-start competitors looking to shake-up the established order. This Foreword previews many of the legal issues explored in depth in this Special Issue.
