Criminal Defense

Fairfax ruling this month from the Circuit Court allows the presence of a comfort / facility dog with a testifying sexual assault complainant, after reviewing Virginia's very liberal law allowing such dogs for both sides' witnesses, and reviewing the state of the law in several...

Virginia probation supervision invites more risks of probation violation charges and convictions therefor, than when on unsupervised probation. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I talk to my clients about how seriously probation conditions must be taken when probation is a part of their sentencing. Probation...

Snitches abound in Virginia who will sell their own grandparents down the river, so they will have no trouble attempting the same with you. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that even plenty of Virginia criminal defendants who swear up and down that they...

Virginia arrest warrants need to be acted on timely and with a solid approach, lest you get arrested at the worst moment, and even when the next available bond hearing date is not for several days. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that the...

Virginia suspended sentences -- and their related probation lengths and conditions -- need to be taken seriously by criminal defendants, because sentencing judges take seriously every aspect of the sentences they impose, and not merely any active jail and prison time they order. As a...

Mischaracterization of evidence from Virginia police is so common as to be beyond exasperating to those who do not know that such evidence distortion may well be coming from around the corner. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know to expect, address and remedy such...

Controlling runaway prosecution witnesses is an approach and skill that is essential in a criminal defense lawyer's arsenal. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I accept as a given that plenty of Virginia police and civilian prosecution witnesses are going to try to take control of...

Fairfax trial judges -- and all judges -- must follow the requirement of Miranda v. Arizona to preclude trial testimony and evidence from being presented by the commonwealth's attorney about the defendant's answers to questioning after asserting their right to remain silent or to the assistance...

Virginia obstruction of justice convictions cannot be obtained for mere flight from police. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that the foregoing scenario changes if the criminal defendant pushes on a police officer to get away from him or her. Lucas v. Commonwealth of Virginia,...

Virginia street gang law makes it a class 5 felony (1) to participate in or be a member of a criminal street gang, and (2) to knowingly and willfully participate in any predicate criminal act (3) committed for the benefit of, at the direction of,...