Fairfax satellite courts- Make sure your Virginia criminal lawyer knows the terrain

Fairfax satellite courts handle a limited portion of misdemeanor cases in this county, when a Fairfax City, Herndon or Vienna police officer arrests or otherwise charges the defendant in their respective city or town. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, when my client has been arrested in this county, I check whether their case will proceed in the county courthouse or a satellite courthouse (which is actually the city’s or town’s legislative chamber), with Vienna on Monday, Fairfax City on Tuesday and Thursday, and Herndon on Wednesday. That is important not only for knowing which court to go to, but also for knowing which prosecutor group to deal with, and also to know which court clerk’s office to work with. All of the foregoing in the abstract might sound like dry data, but when it is your own case, it is very important; and keep reading for some more interesting discussion about satellite court defense. Notice that I have not said that your set of judges needs to be known when you have satellite courts, because the same judges who sit in the Fairfax County General District Court (GDC) take their turn presiding in the county’s satellite courts. While it is harder than ever to predict or know who your judge will be in the county courthouse for GDC cases, once you know which Fairfax GDC judge is sitting in a satellite court on Monday, that same judge is likely going to be sitting in satellite court the rest of the week.

Herndon has a new set of prosecutors for the first time in years

For many years, the Herndon prosecutor was Manuel Capsalis — until he became a judge — followed by his now-former law partner Kate Fitzgerald. In late January 2024, the law firm (Briglia Hundley) prosecuting Town of Vienna GDC cases took over handling such cases in Herndon. I am pleased with this change in the Fairfax satellite courthouse. I found the predecessor Herndon prosecutor to be less favorable to defendants for settlement negotiations than I generally find the Fairfax County assistant commonwealth’s attorneys/prosecutors. My experience with the Briglia Hundley firm in Vienna thus far has generally been more favorable to my clients for settlement negotiations than with the predecessor Herndon prosecutor. Moreover, whereas a sole lawyer was previously prosecuting Herndon cases, the current prosecution team there has at least two lawyers of first contact, which can foster better decision-making among them.

The Fairfax City satellite prosecutors are a new recent team

The longtime Fairfax City chief prosecutor — John Kassabian — became a judge, and he was replaced by Jennifer Leffler and her law partner Jonathan Phillips. I have particularly known Jonathan over the years, and thus far have had positive dealings with this new team. With the Fairfax City satellite court being only three blocks from the county courthouse, it is particularly important that you know which courthouse you are visiting. I make sure before the court date to confirm the court location to my clients, and to email and text them at least a day before court with the precise address, courtroom and time for their court date. Your lawyer needs to know that the Fairfax City courthouse has its own court clerk’s office, and that the remaining two Fairfax satellite courts use the resources of the Fairfax County GDC clerk.

Your lawyer is the most vital component of your defense

Yes, it is important to know your judge and your prosecutor and to know about the Fairfax satellite courts (when defending in Northern Virginia), but most important is that you have the best possible Virginia criminal defense lawyer for your defensive and collateral needs. Just as a person’s loyal dog might one day mercilessly attack them for seemingly no reason, even a criminal defense lawyer’s favorite prosecutor or judge can come across completely differently on a particular day, in a particular case, or as a long-term change. The only reliable constant on your side is when you have the right criminal defense lawyer.

How important is it for my Virginia criminal lawyer to know my prosecutor and judge well?

Judges and prosecutors in Northern Virginia tend to be familiar faces to me. The benefit of me knowing them is that I have a better idea of what makes them tick, and when they know me they may be more ready to open their ears to what I have to say. At the same time, when I appear before a judge before whom I have never appeared (for instance when we have a substitute judge who retired long ago or from another county, or who is a private practicing attorney who only recently started doing substitute judging), I gather the relevant intelligence that I can about them and use that information as best I can in pursuing the best defense for my Virginia criminal defense clients. Also, we can consider that your lawyer is not likely to know your jurors (with maybe a few exceptions), which is an example of why your lawyer needs to be ready for anyone and anything in the courthouse in pursuing victory and justice for you.

Fairfax criminal lawyer Jonathan Katz relentlessly pursues your best defense in even the most challenging of situations and terrains, against Virginia DUI, felony and misdemeanor prosecutions. Find out how with a free in-person confidential consultation with Jon Katz about your court-pending case. Call 703-383-1100 to calendar your meeting with Jon, who usually can calendar you for the same day or next business day after you call.