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life sentencing

Virginia DWI defense- Attacking claim of substantially similar criminal convictions

June 1, 2017

Part of defending such allegations is not only to challenge the newest DWI charge, but also to attack whether the prosecution has proven the prior convictions, and whether any prior out-of-state DWI conviction are substantially similar to Virginia's DWI statute. Va Code § 18.2-270(E). Virginia's...

SCOTUS strengthens giving retroactive effect to its procedural opinions benefitting criminal defendants

January 25, 2016

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court gave retrospective effect to Miller v. Alabama, 567 U. S. ___ (2012), which prohibits mandatory, versus discretionary, life without parole sentences for those who committed crimes while under eighteen years old.

He fought his hardest every step of the way

Jon is devoted to the craft of criminal defense, and he always seeks the best outcome for his clients. I got charged with marijuana PWID, and he fought his hardest every step of the way. He got me a result even better than the one I was hoping for. Long After my case was settled, he continued to help me with several issues that occurred during my probation, and answered questions very quickly whenever I had them. He is also very personable, and helped me relax during very stressful situations.

J. M.
Source: Google
He's a compassionate, committed and hard-working lawyer

Let me tell you something, if you really like your freedom DO NOT LOOK FURTHER, PLEASE! What other people said is totally true. Mr. Katz is the best in his field and you WILL NOT REGRET HIRING HIM.

I was charged with one felony theft and two petty theft. I am an F1 student and I thought that this stupid choice was going to ruin my life. It was the first (and the LAST) time I was being charged of anything and I really did not know where, how to find a good lawyer. THANK GOD I listened to people in those reviews. All the lawyers that I saw before him told me that I might go to jail for few days, but Mr. Katz reassured me that he will fight for me and will not leave the Court with a jail time sentence. Final decision: the misdemeanors cases’ were dismissed and the felony case was reduced to a disorderly conduct charge. This was the best scenario that I could get in order to not suffer from any immigration consequences and he GOT IT. I mean… if after reading this you keep searching…

Anyway, DO YOUR HOMEWORK and listen to HIM. He knows what is best for you. He’s a compassionate, committed and hard-working lawyer.

Thank you again. Mr. Katz, You are one of a kind. C’est vous, le chat!

Anon.
Source: Avvo
He runs a meticulous outfit, and his support staff was excellent.

FAIRFAX CRIMINAL LAWYER I met Jon two days ago. He had started driving from Fairfax at six in the morning – crossing nearly the entire state to defend me in a small town that looked like it was frozen in the nineteen-forties.

The town looked like a set for Mississippi Burning. There were some beautiful buildings – but it also seemed menacing. I had been charged in this small town, and had spent months trying to arrange an adequate legal defense – from my home in Miami.

When I was first charged, I was overwhelmed by the situation. I then did what you are doing now: looked thru online reviews for the best lawyer for my case. Jon fit the bill so I called him. Since then, it has been several weeks of intense back and forth with him. He runs a meticulous outfit, and his support staff was excellent. They worked very hard to collect and compile all the useful documents. Everything worked. No mistakes.

I had multiple phone conversations with Jon, but, because of the long distance, had not met him in person. The court date was two days ago. I had arranged to meet Jon in a diner a few blocks from the courthouse. Before Jon arrived, I was in pretty bad shape. I had made a series of stupid mistakes, which had led to the charges, and I understood that, if things didn’t break my way – I was facing serious prison time. Jon walked into the diner, and sat down across from me. He has more than a passing resemblance to Bobby Kennedy. He also has something rare: Star Power. People in the diner, and later in the courthouse, followed him with their eyes. He is a person who immediately meets your eyes, and holds the eye contact. It was like suddenly being in a John Grisham movie, and you are on the side of the angels. Think of it like having Gus Grissom from CSI Las Vegas, sit down across from you at a diner- and he says he can help you. Jon ordered a black coffee and lifted two huge brown paper binders on to the table. He carefully flipped thru pages that he and his staff had organized with tabs. He had all my important defense documents immediately accessible.

Jon and I walked a few blocks to the courthouse. The sky was a steely overcast slate grey. We went thru the security guards with their holstered Glocks. He went thru some heavy doors to talk to the Prosecutor. The court doors then opened and we were directed to approach the bench. The prosecutor was an attractive woman, in a perfectly tailored outfit. She started talking to the Judge and seemed to be advocating FOR ME! I don’t fully understand what happened, but Jon had arranged for the case to be amended downwards, and then an on the spot dismissal with no guilty plea, no conviction, and several thousand dollar fines were reduced to a hundred dollar court cost.

We left the Courthouse – back into the worn brick town. He drove me to my hotel in his vintage sport’s car. I was left standing there outside my hotel on a cold January day in rural Virginia. My life had changed in a matter of hours. Jon had saved my life.

K. H.
Source: Google

life sentencing

Virginia DWI defense- Attacking claim of substantially similar criminal convictions

SCOTUS strengthens giving retroactive effect to its procedural opinions benefitting criminal defendants

Jon Katz Practices in the Following Courts and Beyond