Shifting terrain is a constant – Virginia criminal lawyer (Pictured: Rome’s Coliseum)

Shifting terrain and circumstances are a constant in court – Virginia criminal lawyer

Shifting terrain and circumstances are the only constant in criminal court. As a Virginia criminal lawyer, I know that Benard Ighner could have been singing about criminal defense with “there are not many things in life you can be sure of, except rain comes from the clouds and sun lights up the sky…” Similarly, my lawyer taijiquan instructor Len Kennedy was speaking to trial combat when reminding us to work with rather than resist change.

Virginia criminal defense attorney on knowing the shifting circumstances from courthouse to courthouse

As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that shifting circumstances can take place both with time and location. A courthouse in Count A may do things very differently from a courthouse in County B, which is reason enough for criminal defense attorneys to communicate with colleagues practicing in the county to learn about those peculiarities.

Those shifting circumstances can run from items as simple as whether court filings may be delivered to the courthouse by fax and whether the court clerk will accept a proposed substitution order not yet endorsed by a prosecutor. The practices of each courthouse get even more vital in dealing with scheduling time sensitive hearings and learning whether pretrial motions may be heard on the Circuit Court bench trial date.

Fairfax criminal lawyer on remembering that judges, prosecutors and police have their own agendas

Judges, prosecutors and police have their own shifting agendas and predispositions. Even if one of them is very helpful and kind on day one, that does not mean the opposite will not take place on day 2, or vice versa. Consequently, while a criminal defense lawyer should make the effort to bring about actions from them that serve the criminal defendant well, the lawyer should never rely on such results.

Virginia criminal defense can be proverbial gladiator fighting, and criminal defendants need to know that as they work as a team with their lawyers with the shifting terrain. (Thus today’s photo of the Coliseum.)  Complaining during the battle about unfair fighting and unfair rules only enhances the chance that the fighter will be harmed.

Virginia criminal defense lawyer Jonathan L. Katz pursues your best outcome in felony, misdemeanor, and DUI prosecutions. To discuss your case with Jon Katz, please call his staff at [rw-me show=”phone1″ to schedule a confidential consultation.