Underdog Blog – Fairfax Criminal Defense Lawyer | Virginia DUI Attorney

At first blush, the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution looks like something slipped past legislators by skilled ACLU lobbyists slipping mickeys into legislators’ cocktails: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and...

See my interview in Tara Brach’s "Finding True Refuge" in mindfulness series. The series includes Krishna Das, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, U.S. House member Tim Ryan, and, of course, Tara Brach. My interview was taped in mid-June before the start of Tara’s weekly meditation gatherings that draw at least...

In criminal trials, the prosecutor has the burden of proof. Often the defense puts on no witnesses and fights for victory through arguing suppression, acquittal for insufficient evidence to prove a crime, and reasonable doubt. Just as the pause can be as important in a...

NOTE: Today’s blog entry only addresses matters in Virginia state courts. A Virginia drunk driving/DWI conviction, at minimum, brings one year of suspended driving with the option to apply for restricted driving privileges, payment to complete alcohol education, and a fine and court costs. Jail...

“What happens to federal student financial aid after a drug conviction?” That is a concern I often hear. Here is what I have to share: 20 U.S. Code § 1091 provides for temporary or permanent loss (depending on the circumstances) of federal student financial aid...

A jury acquittal is spectacular for drama and a lawyer’s battle exercise and ego. However, for a defendant, the earlier he or s/he wins the better on the defendant’s psyche. In that regard, yesterday I won a trial through the latter approach. A police officer...

To sufficiently protect free expression, we always must err on the side of overprotecting free expression than underprotecting it, even with such socially unhelpful expression as that of Xavier Alvarez. Alvarez was not satisfied enough with having become a regional water board member. Instead, at...

Earlier this month (June 2012), I unplugged from email and the phone except for a handful of communications with my family and office, for the apparently first Cultivating Balance law world retreat at the Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine Bush, New York, where anything but...

My work is never dull. Criminal defense, for me, is blissful battle on the side of the angels, no matter how rough and tumble the battles get. It is a constant opportunity for me to hone being calm in the eye of the storm. The extra...

A criminal defense lawyer at once needs abundant compassion, empathy, and a cast-iron stomach. Even with that ongoing goal, I am still retching over yesterday’s Virginia appellate case opinion concerning the following allegations proven against a woman — and apparently admitted to by her trial testimony —...