Criminal Defense
Intimidating judges- Fairfax lawyer on not letting them succeed
Intimidating judges act intimidatingly either out of non-intent or intending to push guilty / no contest pleas, to move things along, or to create lack of confidence by a criminal defendant in his or her lawyer. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I notify my clients...
Virginia police uniforms are what to beware, not Halloween ghouls
Virginia police uniforms are worn by people who have their own agenda, which does not automatically align with the interests of criminal suspects and defendants. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know how overly simplistic my elementary school principal was being when introducing a police...
Expert testimony in Virginia DUI and criminal trials
Expert testimony is involved in many of my Virginia DUI and criminal trials. As a Fairfax DWI lawyer, I further address here some of the key aspects of the law governing expert testimony in Virginia criminal trials, including when the defense calls a forensic toxicologist...
Motivations for your potential criminal defense lawyer to do such work
What motivates your potential criminal defense lawyer to do the work s/he does? Being a former prosecutor does not answer whether the lawyer has the drive to do criminal defense work, nor does such experience preclude the lawyer from being great in criminal defense. Coming...
Challenges in dealing with fellow criminal defense lawyers
Many times I write about addressing challenges in dealing with clients, judges, juries, prosecutors and witnesses. Another challenge sometimes arises in dealing with fellow criminal defense lawyers, including in the following ways:
Virginia Court of Appeals affirms animal cruelty felony conviction where defendant claimed insufficient funds to get veterinary care
In Virginia, a person who "willfully inflicts inhumane injury or pain not connected with bona fide scientific or medical experimentation" is guilty of a class 6 felony if death results from such behavior.
Taking the community service task by the horns
My community service recommendations come in the context of my advising my criminal defense clients to complete some tasks or "homework" to assist in negotiating their cases and to assist with any possible sentencing.
Wake the recklessly nasty opponent up to reality, and use the opened proverbial incision to weaken the opponent and strengthen your side
The criminal defense lawyer must be ready to hold a proverbial mirror to the contemptuous prosecutor and a flashlight to his or her eyes and face to put the prosecutor's true self on ugly and point-losing display
The fight for justice is no popularity contest, and the battle can be exhilaratingly powerful
My client can get swept up with me in that fireball of positive energy that focuses on directing a fan at any dirt thrown our way rather than descending into curses and complaints.
When you feel grounded, the ground will feel more level and firm
By now, I already know that even the most sturdily built courthouse has proverbial quicksand traps, booby traps, and areas of flimsiness. Therefore, I have myself to feel grounded before I ever step foot in the courthouse, so that my client also will feel more...