Strengthen Your Fight With A Great Virginia Criminal Lawyer

Strengthen your criminal defense by assuring that you and your Virginia criminal attorney are ready for court through full case preparation, and unrattled battle, says Fairfax criminal lawyer

Strengthen your prospects in criminal court by assuring that you and your Virginia criminal attorney are not only trial-ready, but also that you both are less likely to be rattled by any unexpected or otherwise stressful matters, through improving your physical health, minds and spirits. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that I enter the courtroom ready for all expected and unexpected bows and arrows, occasional underhanded actions and words from some prosecutors and police, and some judges when they to my mind stray far from the established law, governing procedure, fairness, justice or decency. Ask your criminal defense lawyer what they do to be fully battle-ready not only through case preparation, but also to remain unrattled and fully energized at every turn.

Must my lawyer and I be combat veterans to strengthen our prospects in Virginia criminal court?

One of the key approaches to strengthen your prospects for as much victory as possible in your case is for you and your Virginia criminal lawyer to be fully prepared for anything in court. Those who have been in military combat can be well equipped for court, as can people who have successfully worked as restaurant servers, where of course the second pales in comparison to the first. Common denominators between the two include being constantly on the ready and on the move, respectively handling physical and verbal assaults, and never knowing when the shoe is going to drop next. You do not need to have been a combat veteran or restaurant server to obtain their level of court readiness. You do need, at the very minimum, to recognize that criminal defense is combat. Choosing your Virginia criminal defense lawyer on the basis of which defense attorney is the most buddy-buddy with the judges, prosecutors, and police, and which lawyers will get you the greatest plea deal loses sight of what happens when your case will not settle for the negotiation you want, when the prosecutor refuses to negotiate a plea, and when your judge declines to accept the parties' jointly recommended sentence.

If the professionals in the courthouse are smiling, do I still need to be concerned about as a Virginia criminal defendant?

The smiling prosecutors are not smiling because they are going to be a soft touch with you, but because they are at ease with their level of preparation to proceed against you. The judge can be smiling for many reasons, whether that be because s/he has no client for whom to pursue a win, or because the judge has a guaranteed income and support staff for the duration of his or her term of appointment (absent being removed for cause). The police officers in your case are smiling because, statistically, a high percentage of their cases are leading to convictions. Some prosecutors and police will smile even more when you waive your right to a lawyer or obtain an insufficiently qualified attorney. Strengthen your defense by overcovering risk, rather than praying for the prosecutor to be unprepared for court or without the necessary witnesses and evidence.

What does my lawyer need to do for himself or herself to strengthen my chances in court?

Yes, trial skills and legal know-how are vital for a Virginia criminal defense lawyer to strengthen your prospects for great court results. However, that is not enough. Find out from your prospective criminal defense or Virginia DUI lawyer what s/he does to alleviate and avoid stress, fear, being unsettled, and feeling uncomfortable in court. Ask your attorney what s/he will do to work as a powerful team with you. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I savor courthouse, litigation and criminal defense battle. It has been that way ever since the early years of my criminal defense career, to the point where a Virginia assistant commonwealth's attorney/prosecutor I know one day told me that he does not question my ability as a criminal defense lawyer, but does question why I work so hard for my clients. Why do I work so hard for my criminal defense clients? Not only because that is my moral, contractual and ethical obligation, but because when I take a criminal defendant as a client, I am resolved to battle full guns for them, fully armed, and fully able.

What does my Virginia criminal lawyer need to do for me and my attorney to be powerfully unrattled in court?

Depending on the lawyer and the defendant, criminal defense work can be stressful and unnerving to varying degrees. Such work is not for the faint of heart. Very often, the applicable law and rules -- and the way they are applied -- seem to be skewed against Virginia criminal defendants. What to do about it? Ask your Virginia criminal lawyer what s/he does to enter the courtroom unrattled and how your lawyer can help you strengthen yourself for court battle. For me, I know I am on the side of the angels with criminal defense, which provides enough oomph by itself for me to not let prosecutors nor police to distract me on that path. I know that when prosecutors and police recognize that they cannot rattle me, they might try to rattle my clients. This is a reason that I place myself figuratively and literally between my client and prosecutors and police. More is needed than all that. Read on.

Why is it crucial for my Virginia criminal lawyer to be powerfully grounded as my attorney?

A firmly rooted weed will not get uprooted by the wind. Similarly, your Virginia criminal lawyer must be firmly rooted in dealing with prosecutors and police. I do this by assuring that I have the necessary skills, experience and legal knowledge; combined with maintaining strong physical health, balanced nutrition, a strong spirit and unflappability, to strengthen me, you and your prospects for courthouse success. Part of unflappability comes from declining to figure out the cause of prosecutorial mind games, nor what makes a viciously-speaking prosecutor act that way any more than we would analyze why a mountain lion will not spare a sad-faced deer. Most of their nasty words are just wind, and any of their harsh words that have possible power can be blunted by your Virginia criminal attorney, starting with not fighting fire with fire, but by your lawyer's using the prosecutor's energy against him, which helps conserve your own attorney's energy. Your criminal defense attorney likely has more than one client, and s/he needs to be ready for the times when multiple court memo filing deadlines are at the doorstep, the need to review voluminous evidence and discovery is on a short deadline, and the ability to handle the foregoing work and many other obligations (among the most important fully helping the attorney's remaining clients and being fully ready and prepared for their defense) can only be done after hours, during those times when multiday trials do not leave much or any time for any other work during regular business hours.

What does mental and physical stamina have to do with my Virginia criminal lawyer doing a great job for me?

Being a trial lawyer -- including being a criminal defense lawyer -- means that your attorney needs to recognize that s/he is not in full control of his or her time management, because court can draw on longer than expected or desired, the prosecutor might take fifteen minutes to establish a point with a witness that did not need more than five minutes, and the judge might interrupt proceedings to handle other lawyers' matters. Prosecutors can of course have to deal with all the hurdles mentioned in this article that your criminal defense attorney faces. Your lawyer can strengthen your case by the prosecutor's knowing how capable your attorney is for your defense and how much a trial is going to take up the prosecutor's time. That will help the assistant commonwealth's attorney in your case to fully consider the costs and benefits to your attorney's case settlement offer.

Your Virginia criminal lawyer needs to be a realistic optimist who will work to achieve for you, and not a baseless spouter of inspirational words or an acid-tongued pessimist.

Your criminal court dates are your opportunity to obtain justice against Virginia DUI, felony and misdemeanor prosecutions. Court is your attorney's opportunity to shine on your behalf through realistic optimism, knowing both sides' strengths and weaknesses, relentlessly reducing the obstacles to victory in your case, and avoiding any baseless -- rather than well-founded claims -- of your prospects for success. In addition to my years of successful criminal defense and trial experience, I incorporate all of the above approaches together with the lessons I have learned from my years of martial art practice and mindfulness practice. For my clients who want to know about any and all of these practices to help strengthen them and their defense, all they need to do is ask me. I am delighted to share such knowledge and experience.

Does any Virginia criminal lawyer have a magic bullet to my best possible defense?

No magic bullet exists to winning your case or obtaining the next best possible outcome. Then again, the same chess rules applying to worldwide chess champions apply to their challengers. Find out how and what your potential Virginia criminal defense lawyer does to synthesize all of that attorney's knowledge, experience and drive to strengthen your prospects for great court results, even in the most trying of challenges and times.

Fairfax criminal lawyer Jonathan Katz pursues your best defense against Virginia DUI, felony and misdemeanor convictions. Call 703-383-1100 for your free initial in-person confidential consultation with Jon Katz about your court-pending prosecution.