Criminal Defense

Confessing crimes is what police want from suspects. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that silence is golden, and that criminal suspects are playing with fire to talk with police -- if at all -- without the presence and assistance of a qualified lawyer....

Jury trial practice is the ultimate of criminal defense. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer I know that great criminal defense and cross examination teacher Terry McCarthy may have overstated that a non-jury trial is akin to a slow plea, but I have nonetheless experienced the...

Incarceration time and convictions are what my clients and I fight mightily to avoid. Nonetheless, as a Virginia criminal attorney, I know that the jails have inmates, and they want to know when they will be released. In Virginia, non-mandatory minimum jail release dates are...

Enemies are obstacles that are found in abundance if a criminal defense lawyer wants to find them. However, as a Fairfax criminal attorney, I know that acquittals and other court victories are obtained by not getting bogged down by seeming enemies nor by apparently insurmountable...

Minors are heavily protected under Virginia law against adults seeking sexual activity with them. As a Virginia criminal lawyer, I know that adults are prohibited from knowingly and intentionally doing the following with children under fifteen years old (and even with cops posing as such...

Appeal after a Circuit Court trial conviction on an indictment, says Fairfax criminal lawyer Appeal your Virginia Circuit Court guilty finding at trial on an indictment. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer I say this (there are exceptions to every rule) because governing caselaw generally prevents...

Jeopardy is among the essential avenues for criminal defense lawyers to consider. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that prosecutors might have the temptation to dismiss a case mid-trial when they see their chances of victory slip, but that such action precludes later renewing...

Testing for allegedly illegal drugs/ controlled dangerous substances -- other than marijuana plant material (versus hashish oil) -- commonly takes at least four months in my clients' drug cases, and often longer. An exception is for marijuana plant material testing, where I have seen recent...

Tire chalking is a common way for police or other parking ticketers to monitor whether a vehicle has overstayed the maximum duration for a parking space. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer I know that any incursion of government employees onto one's property might implicate the...

Negotiations are typically a critical part of criminal defense, always from a position of trial readiness. As a Fairfax criminal attorney, I know that negotiations are not always about seeking a guilty/ no contest/ Alford plea deal versus working to convince the prosecutor to dismiss...