Criminal Defense

Contraband abounds in terms of such material as weapons and drugs. As a Virginia criminal lawyer, I berate myself that after the bar exam and two years before becoming a criminal defense lawyer I made the error of bringing a friend's locked suitcase to Singapore...

Capital punishment in the United States has proceeded somewhat away from an arbitrary and capricious system that previously allowed judges rather than juries to decide a death sentence, and for people to be executed for crimes other than murder. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I...

Ralph Northam is rightfully in the news over the 1984 photograph accompanying his medical school yearbook entry, depicting a person in a KKK hood next to another in black face makeup. Other writers have already written much of Virginia governor Northam's admitting and later denying...

Criminal discovery reform in Virginia finally achieved a breakthrough in 2018, when the commonwealth's Supreme Court directed a mid-2019 substantial discovery expansion for felony criminal defendants. This Virginia discovery reform needs to be seen as but a first step, seeing that it does not cover...

Dealing with challenging people is a frequent part of my work as a Fairfax criminal lawyer. At my best in dealing with difficult prosecutors, police, opposing witnesses, and judges, I apply the lessons of having fun on the battlefield while applying the lessons of taijiquan...

Animals of the non-human variety sexually attract some humans, which is a condition known as zoophilia. As a Virginia criminal lawyer, I know that in "the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V, 2013), the American Psychiatric Association listed zoophilia as a paraphilic behavior, but not generally...

Firearms, including handguns, are very popular to purchase. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that some people are so excited or anxious to buy the perfect weapon they have found at the right price -- whether for recreation, safety or both -- at a...

Commercial sex prosecutions- Virginia criminal lawyer on defending them. Commercial sexual activity thrives in the United States, including adult films and private online shows, live performances, and erotic activity running from massages to penetrative sexual activity. I know this not only as a Virginia criminal...

Judges in a Virginia felony or class 1 misdemeanor Circuit Court jury trial sitting with a jury must first preside over a jury sentencing trial (if the jury convicts) before the judge sets the final sentence. Va. Code § 19.2-295.1. The sentencing risks of a...

Embezzlement is not limited to employee misdeeds, says Virginia criminal lawyer. Embezzlement in Virginia is defined as wrongfully and fraudulently using, disposing, or concealing any valuables "received for another or for his employer." Va. Code § 18.2-111 Embezzlement is a form of theft. As a...