Criminal Defense
Devotion to clients drives the path to victory says VA criminal lawyer
In a day an age that some lawyers unabashedly say that their practice is all about making money, all lawyers must understand that when lawyers put clients ahead of money, they will earn more money in the long run than doing the opposite...
Winning through owning the outcome- Fairfax lawyer comments
One weekend day I went for a long distance run, intending on taking a beautiful nearby trail into a much longer trail. I was pumped, I warmed up, I started running, and then I twisted my ankle in a small ditch in the dirt after...
Justice Department on pretrial jailing- Not okay for mere indigency but okay for drug charges
We need to reverse federal and state laws creating no-bail presumptions for designated felonies.
Battling by rattling the opponent’s agenda while keeping both eyes on the prize
If the prosecutor comes to court with a smirking attitude, the defense lawyer does not need to do anything to wipe the smirk off the prosecutor's face other than doing the criminal defense lawyer's job, keeping his eyes on the prize.
Defending criminal and DWI cases in Virginia General District Court – Don’t blink
O.J. Simpson's criminal murder trial dragged on for months before the jury reached a not guilty verdict. That is a big contrast to how quickly matters move on a Northern Virginia General District Court date.
The prosecutors approaching their jobs as stepping stones, careers, aimless wandering, and fascist endeavors
One approach to persuading prosecutors is to consider why they became a prosecutor in the first place. The word is out on the streets that if a lawyer wants to become a litigator with a prestigious large corporate law firm, one should buck to attend...
More on persuasion – Keeping suffering in the offensive person’s corner
Achieving and maintaining equanimity is critical in the courtroom battlefield and all battlefields. The challenges to powerful equanimity abound. When we recognize and remember that sh*t coming from others is coming from their own roller coaster and suffering
Engage people as participants in the circle of the story
Once the persuader fully immerses himself or herself into the circle of the story, and fully engages others from that circle, they will be more likely to want to join the persuader in that persuasive circle.
Negotiating and talking with prosecutors in the right zone/circle
In the taijiquan martial art that I practice, we have the concepts of sparring inside a circle, disrupting the opponent's circle, and preventing the opponent from disrupting our own circle.
Similarly, it is ideal for me to speak and negotiate with prosecutors in a proverbial...
Virginia adopts the police collective knowledge doctrine
Today, the Virginia Court of Appeals adopted the police collective knowledge doctrine that already applies in federal courts. Edmond v. Virginia, ___ Va. App. ___ (Aug. 2, 2016). Under the collective knowledge, "an officer is justified in acting upon an instruction from another officer if...