Criminal Defense

Public intoxication arrests run rampant in Virginia. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I remember first witnessing a public intoxication (also known as drunk in public / DIP ) investigation and arrest when two courthouse sheriff's deputies called out for the suspect to "blow, blow, blow"...

I have experienced firsthand the power of my presenting closing argument storytelling to the jury in the first person of my client. Doing so in the right circumstances transports me outside my lawyer role into the very person of my client, in the moment in...

Our greatest opponent and obstacle to victory often is our egos and ourselves. When we remove our egos from the battle, then the magic of powerfully successful performance can begin.

Essential is always for me to welcome and invest the time in actively listening and engaging with my clients. Pearls of getting closer to victory often result when least expected through my spending sufficient time with my clients in my office, on the phone, in...

Some judges seem to take delight in trying to dispirit lawyers. Others do unintentional things that dispirit lawyers. The right lawyer is hard to dispirit. Being dispirited interferes with powerful battle.

"I was never read my Miranda rights," many of my clients insist. That claim is the beginning, rather than the end, of the inquiry

Today's Bosse decision is more monumental than might first meet the eye. The United States Supreme Court has at least three justices that are very friendly to preserving the death penalty.

Early on with my criminal defense clients, I develop an action plan for the work ahead for me and my client, with the goal of improving our chances with case negotiations, any trial, and any possible sentencing.

The right criminal defense lawyer truly can make the difference between a favorable and unfavorable trial outcome, not only through case preparation, but by fully internalizing and well-executing the importance of the lawyer's role in swaying the jury in the right direction.

If I keep distant from a client, I do not fully know my client. If I do not fully know my client, I cannot fully and persuasively convey to myself, the jury, the judge and the prosecutor who my client really is.