Criminal Defense
A search is invalid where the suspect squeals after cop claims non-existent probable cause to search
When a person lights a fire in a dry-wood forest, s/he will not be able to stop the firestorm that follows, burning down multiple trees, spreading far and wide, polluting the air and waterways, and killing and maiming animals and destroying their habitats. Government is...
Beware turning your back on prosecutors and wrestling opponents – Don’t be paranoid, either
How much compassion should I show for someone directing a meat cleaver at the throat of me or my client? Even with my over two decades of experience defending over three thousand criminal defendants, I still witness new ways that some opposing prosecutors and witnesses...
Getting an appellate victory after a conviction is justice delayed, at best
Behind the orderly-looking appearance of courtrooms are repeated instances of no-holds-barred trial battle, and holding cells attached to each courtroom or down the hll. The fights can get expensive in terms of time, attorney fees, frustration and sweat expended. Criminal defense is battle and often...
Should a judge who assaults a lawyer be let back on the bench?
Why do some judges act more civil to some lawyers and litigants than to others, and act downright hostile to others? The short answer is that it is a combination about what is going on with the judge, the lawyer, the litigant, and outside circumstances. In...
Ideas on the path to victory
The trial litigation battlefield is often far from the elegant setting of a Supreme Court oral argument. Here are a few thoughts that I add on the road to trial court victory: When you are at zero you are not an impediment to the people...
Police are on high alert during holiday weekends – Caveat emptor
NOTE: Police are on high alert during holiday weekends with extra human power on the streets. This Memorial Day/unofficial start of summer will be beautiful and filled with merriment., and the police will be on the lookout for arrests to make. You can have fun...
Challenges versus problems in Virginia criminal court
In many ways, my Fairfax criminal defense lawyer blog is a tool for my self exploration and self development, and to remind myself of the best ways to get and stay on the right path. If I do not write down and crystallize my key...
The difference between handling flung dung in the battlefield versus from behind the keyboard
Deepak Chopra once replied to a barb that he is full of dung: “But shit recycles as life !” Without taking away from Dr. Chopra my praise for his reply, he replied from the distance of space and time from the Twitter attacker. Dr. Chopra’s...
SCOTUS erodes Fourth Amendment by giving too much credence to 911 callers
No matter how non-plussed, at best, that I am overall about President Obama, his two Republican opponents doubtlessly would have placed much bigger threats on the federal bench than Obama would ever nominate. On April22, 2014, the dangers of Ronald Reagan’s, George Bush I’s and...
Engaging with clients in the place where they are, even if on a roller coaster
One of my favorite clients and I were debriefing about his case, and talking and joking a lot just as regular people — not as lawyer to client — in a courthouse conference room, after we scheduled the next proceeding in his case. This man...