Criminal Defense

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....

Repeatedly, police harass and arrest people for unobtrusively filming their public activities, despite the countless times that video reveals police misconduct.

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,...

Put beneficial agreements in writing, and sleep more soundly as a result.

Recently, video footage was released of South Boston, Virginia, police in 2013 repeatedly tasing handcuffed Linwood Lambert, who died soon thereafter.

Virginia has not joined the jurisdictions that require providing criminal defendants a prosecution witness's written statements and substance of oral statements after the witness testifies for the prosecution. This rule is known as the Jencks Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3500. All federal prosecutions are governed...

When fully prepared for the day's curveballs, merely annoying or otherwise offensive words are more likely to roll off my back like water off a duck's back. High vibration and high energy diminishes low energy, at least in perception, and such perception is critical. When...

Police have awesome power. Power conferred will lead to power abused. Having police misconduct so ingrained in so many police from generation to generation, that old habits will die hard, and the right systemic changes will not come about right away, particularly when the systemic changes...

Too many people feel a false sense of anonymity on the Internet. However, each Internet address is connected to a unique Internet Protocol address that is clearly visible to a website owner when the IP address visits the website. Law enforcement easily can track down...

It may be easier for a committed criminal defense lawyer to put his or her all into the clients' case than convincing a judge, jury or prosecutor to do the same, and from the defendant's perspective. However, it is vital for the criminal defense lawyer...