Sea change with chief NoVa prosecutors- Fairfax DUI lawyer weighs in

Sea changes in Northern Virginia counties with reformer chief prosecutors- Fairfax DUI lawyer still sees need for obtaining a qualified lawyer

Sea changes are happening that benefit criminal defendants with the new Virginia chief prosecutors in Fairfax County, Arlington and Loudoun As a Fairfax DUI lawyer, I see numerous personnel changes at these Virginia commonwealth attorneys’ offices; more flexibility with numerous case negotiations; and more opportunity to agree to disagree during case discussions and  negotiations.

Why to go to court with a qualified lawyer even with beneficial sea changes

The reformist chief prosecutorial candidates ran on sea change platforms that still involve prosecuting alleged crimes, while ready to provide more criminal defendant-friendly approaches, including easier and wider access to discovery, more favorable simple marijuana possession negotiations, and the ability more often to have meaningful case discussions with prosecutors. At the same time, even sea change prosecutors will continue to prosecute, which means criminal defendants need to continue defending with the help of qualified criminal and DUI defense lawyers.

I advocate going to court with a qualified lawyer not to keep revenue flowing to criminal defense lawyers, but because prosecutors will not view all prosecutions and criminal defendants in a one-size-fits all sea change approach, the chief prosecutors are still formulating policy (and criminal defense lawyers can help shape those policies to the accused’s benefit), the best negotiations come from being fully prepared for trial, plenty of cases should proceed to trial rather than settle, and some judges need to be convinced to accept such sea change prosecutorial approaches as moving to dismiss simple marijuana possession cases in Fairfax County and Arlington County.

Enjoying a more hospitable environment for criminal and DUI defendants without viewing this as paradise

The sea change Northern Virginia chief prosecutorial candidates did not campaign on platforms of neutering the prosecution function, rather than recognizing that more humane prosecution (and avoiding or minimizing seeking the death penalty) can at once strengthen public safety while also benefiting criminal defendants and redirecting limited police and prosecutorial function to such more serious crimes as rape, robbery and murder. Consequently, now is no more reason for a Northern Virginia criminal defense or DUI lawyer to go to court any less prepared than during the now-replaced non sea-change prosecutorial regimes. This way, when prosecutors make great negotiation offers, I can enjoy how this can help my clients, while also being fully prepared for trial when negotiations are not sufficiently fruitful or where it is unwise to plead guilty or no contest / nolo contendere to any criminal offense..

Fairfax DUI lawyer Jonathan L. Katz is a highly-rated Northern Virginia criminal defense lawyer pursuing your best defense against felony, misdemeanor, DWI, drug and sex prosecutions. Please call 703-383-1100 to schedule a confidential consultation with Jon Katz.