Criminal Defense

Firearm convictions are possible without the weapon's recovery, at least when it has been fired. As a Virginia criminal/Second Amendment lawyer defending prosecutions for firearms, handguns, knives and other weapons, one of my first lines of defense in such cases is to attack whether the prosecutor...

Why allow inmate snitch testimony to cause an inmate's execution? Testimony from inmates serving substantial prison terms can too often be expected to be manufactured for seeking to improve their lot, with little concern about the truth. 

Why is a well-prepared assault defense needed for one's court date? Because as a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know how damning is an assault conviction on one's criminal record, and also the sentencing risks if convicted for assault.

Avoiding a drugged driving conviction starts with silence. Drugged driving arrests are many and, like DUI cases, sometimes follow serious car accidents. As a Fairfax, Virginia criminal lawyer, I know that the temptation to speak with the police and the court magistrate is great after...

Virginia criminal lawyer on trial readiness steering all negotiating

As a Virginia criminal lawyer, I know the risks of appealing a District Court misdemeanor conviction to the Circuit Court. First, a criminal defendant's District Court sentence does not cap the maximum possible sentence that might be received if convicted on appeal. Second, if a...

As a Virginia criminal lawyer, I know the power of the option to appeal a District Court misdemeanor criminal or DUI conviction to the Circuit Court. Numerous of my appeals have turned District Court convictions into Circuit Court acquittals, case dismissals, or more favorable settlement...

As a Virginia criminal lawyer, it is essential for me to be sensitive to the specific affects of Virginia criminal and DUI case dispositions and sentences on immigration status. Northern Virginia and the greater national capital region have a high percentage of non-United States citizens...

Great lawyer Gerry Spence wins trials by embracing and revealing his entire self, warts, fears, vision, astounding ability, oration, and all. For the entire month of August 1995, I was in Wyoming at the then one-year-old Trial Lawyers College, at Gerry's beautiful Wyoming Thunderhead ranch ten...

Contested sentencing in Virginia is a gamble. Unless the criminal defendant and prosecutor enter a plea deal involving an agreed sentence that binds the judge, the only sentencing guarantee is that the judge is prohibited from sentencing beyond the statutory maximum.