Criminal Defense
The fight for justice is no popularity contest, and the battle can be exhilaratingly powerful
My client can get swept up with me in that fireball of positive energy that focuses on directing a fan at any dirt thrown our way rather than descending into curses and complaints.
Rampantly insufficient guilty/no contest plea colloquys in Virginia General District Courts
Criminal defendants live with the damage from convictions their entire lives. They should be entitled to a few extra moments to better assure that they are entering guilty and no contest pleas knowingly and voluntarily.
Criminal defendants need to face even the ugliest aspects of their cases, with their lawyers backing them up
Criminal defendants' mere need for my services does not automatically mean anything worse than that they have been accused of a crime and are presumed innocent and well may be innocent, but the very risk of a conviction can clash for them with their sense...
When you feel grounded, the ground will feel more level and firm
By now, I already know that even the most sturdily built courthouse has proverbial quicksand traps, booby traps, and areas of flimsiness. Therefore, I have myself to feel grounded before I ever step foot in the courthouse, so that my client also will feel more...
Daniel Blue obtains a rare Fourth Circuit published conviction reversal
Let us not have high federal conviction statistics become self-fulfilling prophesies. Criminal defense lawyers can reassure their federal prosecution clients, and all clients, that each case needs to be reviewed and prepared individually for the chances possibly to obtain the same excellent results that Daniel...
Enabling the jury to convict on a lesser count
In Virginia, “'A defendant is entitled to have the jury instructed only on those theories of the case that are supported by [more than a scintilla of] evidence.'" Witherow v. Virginia, ___ Va. App. ___ (Dec. 1, 2015) (quoting Eaton v. Virginia, 240 Va....
What would have happened if Video had not Captured Laquan McDonald’s Murder by police
Repeatedly, police harass and arrest people for unobtrusively filming their public activities, despite the countless times that video reveals police misconduct.
Dealing with Difficult Prosecutors, Judges & Opposing Witnesses on their Place on their Roller Coaster
Many people wake up feeling ungrounded each morning and awkward in public. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that many people feel uncomfortable in or about their bodies, clothing, and hair; feel sickly, out of balance with drafty places and stinky venues, under-acknowledged, underappreciated,...
Memorialize beneficial agreements with prosecutors
Put beneficial agreements in writing, and sleep more soundly as a result.
Linwood Lambert of Virginia died after twenty tasings
Recently, video footage was released of South Boston, Virginia, police in 2013 repeatedly tasing handcuffed Linwood Lambert, who died soon thereafter.