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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>376288</law_id><section_number>64.2-520.1</section_number><catch_line>Legal duty; action for damages from legal malpractice concerning estate planning; third parties</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2026/" slug="2026" current="TRUE" last_updated="2026-08-02">2026</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="136" identifier="64.2">Wills, Trusts, and Fiduciaries</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="2" identifier="II">Wills and Decedents' Estates</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="4" identifier="5">Personal Representatives and Administration of Estates</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="3" identifier="3">Authority and General Duties</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Notwithstanding &#xA7; <a class="law" title="When person not a party, etc., may take or sue under instrument" href="/55.1-119/">55.1-119</a>, an attorney does not owe a legal duty to any person other than the client in any engagement for the purpose of the client&#x2019;s estate planning, including the provision of legal advice or the preparation of legal documents, unless the client and attorney enter into a signed, written agreement that expressly provides that the client and attorney intend to confer a benefit upon a third <span class="dictionary">party</span> by specific reference to this subsection. <a id="paragraph-1404914" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/64.2-520.1/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, no action shall be based upon <span class="dictionary">damages</span> that may reasonably be avoided or that result from a change of <span class="dictionary">law</span> subsequent to the representation upon which the action is based. <a id="paragraph-1404915" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/64.2-520.1/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2017, cc. 43, 93; 2025, cc. 450, 467.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
