Criminal Defense
Judges benefit all by giving litigants compassion and sufficient time for their cases
Whether or not their colleagues or administrative judges pressure them to do so, many judges in very busy courthouses place a disproportionately high premium on moving dockets along even if at the expense of delivering true justice,
Persuading juries and judges in the Internet and television age of information overload
If the trial lawyer has done his or her job well enough, at the end of the trial, not only will s/he win, but will leave the jury and judge wanting to hear the lawyer talk even more, rather than rushing to their cellphones to...
The tragedy of unrepresented defendants pleading guilty
Unrepresented criminal defendants do all sorts of harmful things to themselves when they appear for their trial date without a lawyer. One recent situation took the cake.
Convictions must not come from scientific shortcuts
Convictions must not come from scientific shortcuts. Yet, we have junk breathalyzer tests for DWI cases used more often than the more reliable blood testing approach
Devotion to clients drives the path to victory says VA criminal lawyer
In a day an age that some lawyers unabashedly say that their practice is all about making money, all lawyers must understand that when lawyers put clients ahead of money, they will earn more money in the long run than doing the opposite...
Winning through owning the outcome- Fairfax lawyer comments
One weekend day I went for a long distance run, intending on taking a beautiful nearby trail into a much longer trail. I was pumped, I warmed up, I started running, and then I twisted my ankle in a small ditch in the dirt after...
Justice Department on pretrial jailing- Not okay for mere indigency but okay for drug charges
We need to reverse federal and state laws creating no-bail presumptions for designated felonies.
Battling by rattling the opponent’s agenda while keeping both eyes on the prize
If the prosecutor comes to court with a smirking attitude, the defense lawyer does not need to do anything to wipe the smirk off the prosecutor's face other than doing the criminal defense lawyer's job, keeping his eyes on the prize.
Defending criminal and DWI cases in Virginia General District Court – Don’t blink
O.J. Simpson's criminal murder trial dragged on for months before the jury reached a not guilty verdict. That is a big contrast to how quickly matters move on a Northern Virginia General District Court date.
The prosecutors approaching their jobs as stepping stones, careers, aimless wandering, and fascist endeavors
One approach to persuading prosecutors is to consider why they became a prosecutor in the first place. The word is out on the streets that if a lawyer wants to become a litigator with a prestigious large corporate law firm, one should buck to attend...
