Criminal Defense

Guilty pleas in Virginia must only be the result of the defense's fully preparing for trial. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that this trial readiness approach to pleading guilty, no contest/nolo contendere, Alford, or facts sufficient to prove guilt (collectively for this article,...

Statutory rape prosecutions are risked at the Virginia state level whenever an adult engages in sex with a minor, whether or not the defendant knew the minor was a minor. At the federal level, a prosecution for sex trafficking requires that the defendant “knew, or...

Virginia prostitution defense often involves police stings, where alleged Johns/hobbyists are set up to meet with would-be prostitutes/providers who instead are police officers/police hires. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know how much prostitution prosecutions waste limited police resources that could instead

On past Veterans Days, I have warned against overglorifying the military, and about the human weaknesses and errors that bring war atrocities and other abuses of military power. Today, I will address some better and more humane ways of fighting, both with the military and...

Advocating for criminal defendants when judges blunder is part of the job of a criminal defense lawyer. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that many judges will royally blunder in making numerous vital decisions. The humble judges who blunder have better potential for getting...

Court victory is never obtained through wishful thinking, stroking a lucky rabbit's foot, nor good looks. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that court victory comes from a lawyer's relying on his or her own ability, wits, human greatness, sweat and toil.

As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that police would prefer the non-existence of the half-century-old Supreme Court Miranda opinion that requires police to advise in-custody criminal suspects of their Fifth Amendment right to remain silent before non-booking police questioning begins.

Child porn is a crime that garners revulsion and little immediate sympathy from judges, jurors, prosecutors and the public. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer who defends such cases in Virginia, I know how vital it is to humanize the client (as with all criminal cases)...

When I blogged about using threat ability a as a key component of winning, a non-lawyer friend told me he saw a glaring absence of my addressing compassion, which subject is essential for me as a person and Fairfax criminal lawyer. That point is well...