Fairfax Criminal Defense Lawyer

Rejecting police inquiries by remaining silent under the Fifth Amendment, vocally objecting to police searches, and refusing field sobriety testing in DUI cases, can make the difference between arrest or not, conviction or not, and a more favorable or less favorable sentence. As a Fairfax criminal...

Covid-19 has for the time being changed the criminal justice landscape. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know this means that the courts are delaying trial dates, some prosecutors are working more than others to consent to defense lawyer demands to reduce jail populations, and...

Commonwealth of Virginia jails will report the names of all non-United States citizens to United States immigration authorities. As a Fairfax criminal defense lawyer, I know that the Virginia legislator has passed legislation that will limit such mandatory ICE reporting to felonies only.

Reduce jail populations during this pandemic. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that doing so not only helps the health of inmates, but also reduces the risks of inmate unrest and rioting, and helps the health of jail employees, the general population, and judicial...

Misdemeanor convictions can be more of a headache than thought at first blush, not only for a criminal defendant's liberty, but also for reputation, security clearance, career and immigration purposes. As a Fairfax criminal defense lawyer, I know that a suspended imposition of sentence ("S.I.S.")...

Judge pushback on criminal defense-friendly prosecutorial discretion -- including motions to enter cases nolle prosequi / dismissed, and to amend charges downward -- is taking place in at least one county (Arlington) where a self proclaimed reformist chief prosecutor has been in office since January...

Executing people is wrong. As a Fairfax criminal defense lawyer, I know that even many former and current Virginia prosecutors now support the abolition of capital punishment. However, the machinery of state-sponsored death continues in many of the United States. Executing people convicted for being accomplices...

Incest law is commonly known to apply to relatives closely related by bloodline. As a Fairfax criminal defense lawyer, I know that Virginia law also criminalizes having sexual intercourse with one's minor stepchild. Specifically: "[I]f a parent or grandparent commits adultery or fornication with his...

Diffusing tense situations can take substantial self control when feeling that the other person has committed a major trespass. As a Fairfax criminal defense lawyer, I know the persuasive and advocacy power of dissipating tension and never escalating it. Much happens in criminal court that...

Disclosing exculpatory evidence is the obligation of all prosecutors. As a Fairfax criminal defense lawyer, I know that prosecutors risk running afoul of this Brady disclosure rule by not making full inquiry of the police in the case and by not erring on the side...