Criminal Defense

Fairfax criminal defense has its own rhythm, peculiarities and challenges, just as does each Virginia county courthouse. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that a significant part of successful criminal defense is knowing your judge, how to deal with prosecutors (now with an entirely...

Searching homes is not permitted by police under the Fourth Amendment without a search warrant, consent of a resident, or exigent circumstances. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that one present occupant's objection to such an otherwise consensual search trumps the consent of the...

Judge pushback on criminal defense-friendly prosecutorial discretion -- including motions to enter cases nolle prosequi / dismissed, and to amend charges downward -- is taking place in at least one county (Arlington) where a self proclaimed reformist chief prosecutor has been in office since January...

Executing people is wrong. As a Fairfax criminal defense lawyer, I know that even many former and current Virginia prosecutors now support the abolition of capital punishment. However, the machinery of state-sponsored death continues in many of the United States. Executing people convicted for being accomplices...

Incest law is commonly known to apply to relatives closely related by bloodline. As a Fairfax criminal defense lawyer, I know that Virginia law also criminalizes having sexual intercourse with one's minor stepchild. Specifically: "[I]f a parent or grandparent commits adultery or fornication with his...

Diffusing tense situations can take substantial self control when feeling that the other person has committed a major trespass. As a Fairfax criminal defense lawyer, I know the persuasive and advocacy power of dissipating tension and never escalating it. Much happens in criminal court that...

Disclosing exculpatory evidence is the obligation of all prosecutors. As a Fairfax criminal defense lawyer, I know that prosecutors risk running afoul of this Brady disclosure rule by not making full inquiry of the police in the case and by not erring on the side...

Pill popping is all too common, but that -- without more evidence -- does not make a car's driver culpable in Virginia for one illegal drug pill found in the console between the front seats. As a Fairfax criminal defense lawyer, not only do I...

Beating a DWI prosecution can stem from such approaches as convincing the judge that the traffic stop or arrest did not pass Fourth Amendment Constitutional muster, and convincing the factfinder(s) that the prosecutor has failed to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. One of my...

Cop arrest quotas are antithetical to the United States Constitution, civil liberties, and justice for criminal suspects and defendants. As a Fairfax criminal defense lawyer, I know that police have a temptation to justify their jobs in part through working to total up a high...