Caring Virginia criminal lawyers focus on the best possible outcome for the accused, and not how great the lawyer looks in the process

Caring is an essential quality of a winning Virginia criminal defense lawyer. Why do I say that? As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that caring fully for one’s client — and  fully respecting and not judging the accused — provides not only essential the essential oomph for constantly and tirelessly developing and refining ideas and strategies for obtaining the best possible results in court, but also helps keep the lawyer’s ego at bay, to keep the lawyer focused on obtaining as much victory as possible rather than constantly wondering how the lawyer is perceived along the way, other than the extent to which that perception helps persuade the prosecutor in negotiations, and the judge and jury in court.

The Fairfax criminal courthouse and other Virginia courthouses are often great places for lawyers to share ideas for how to win

The saying goes that we must hang together, so that we instead do not hang. Fairfax and other prosecutors are backed up not only by the tax-paid resources and support staffs of their offices, but also by police that are both in their county and beyond, both at the local, state and federal level. We caring Virginia criminal defense lawyers do not have access to the police resources that assistant commonwealth’s attorneys do. Instead, we are able to rely on ourselves, our experience, our own staff and fellow law firm lawyers, our wits, and each other as lawyers. I freely share what I know with other Virginia criminal defense lawyers not only because if I gave back many hours per day that it would still not represent all the gifts of knowledge, idea and strength that I have received from other colleagues, but because I am devoted to the criminal defense side, and always want to see criminal defendants obtain the best possible result.

A caring Virginia criminal lawyer does not have to like all his colleague in order to help each other obtain great results

A caring Virginia criminal attorney does not have to like all fellow Fairfax criminal lawyers and other attorneys to still need to deal with them, whether to brainstorm, to learn from their talents, or to obtain ideas that only their unique experience will be able to share. For instance, I know a lawyer who, when shortly out of law school, was long on talk but short on sufficiently beneficial contribution, that I saw him as an impediment to wanting to join future criminal and trial lawyer gatherings for collectively collaborating to find ways to win our court cases as much as possible. Fast forward six years, and now I see him contributing beneficially to this criminal and trial lawyers preparation group, and once even witnesses him successfully assisting a lawyer in re-enacting critical aspects of the key parts of the story that had to be presented in pursuing as much possible victory at trial as could be obtained.

Great Virginia criminal lawyers will bare their souls if that is what it takes to win

At the Trial Lawyers College –which I attended for a full month, ten miles from the nearest paved road — our exercises starting on the second day included our baring our souls to others whom we had never known only two days before. It can be scary to do that at first, but it can be even more uncomfortable to be ostracized by the soul-baring group for not baring one’s own soul. And by baring our souls as Virginia criminal lawyers, we shed the seemingly protective armor, that acts as an artificial and weakening barrier between us and judges, jurors and anyone else we are trying to persuade. And at the Trial Lawyers College, after one has bared his soul, the group shares from their own relevant experience, to help return the skin to the protagonist, who has so courageously let down all his or her guard, in order to pursue the best possible outcome in criminal court. When lawyers reveal their true selves to jurors — their best true selves — they can become more credible to the jury and judge, more likable, and more persuasive, and this soul-baring is contagious, sometimes even leading to the jury deliberation room, which for caring Virginia criminal defendants can be instrumental in obtaining acquittals.

Fairfax criminal lawyer Jonathan Katz relentlessly pursues your best defense against Virginia DUI, misdemeanor and felony prosecutions. Call 703-383-1100 for your initial strictly confidential in-person consultation about your court-pending case, with Jon Katz.