Shuttleworth, Ruloff & Giordano, P.C. v. Nutter

At issue before this Court is the enforceability of a provision in an addendum to an employment contract entered into between Shuttleworth, Ruloff and Giordano, RC. (Shuttleworth), a law firm, and R.J. Nutter, II (Nutter), who was both a stockholder and an employee of Shuttleworth. Because we find that the disputed addendum provision does not violate the Virginia Code of Professional Responsibility, we will reverse and remand for proceedings consistent with this opinion.

I

On May 26, 1987, at the outset of his employment with Shuttleworth, Nutter signed an “Employment Agreement.” Subsequently,…