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After an arrest, the first move is to stop talking to police and contact a criminal defense lawyer right away. Once you have that protection in place, choose your attorney based on three things: jury trial experience, familiarity with the local courts, and direct access to the lawyer who will actually handle your case. Years […]

n Virginia, leaving the scene of an accident is a crime, and the penalties are more serious than most people expect. Depending on the circumstances, a hit-and-run can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony. It can reach felony level even when no one is injured, based only on the dollar value of the […]

In Virginia, malicious wounding and assault and battery sit at opposite ends of the same family of offenses against the person. Assault and battery is a Class 1 misdemeanor under Virginia Code § 18.2-57, punishable by up to 12 months in jail. Malicious wounding is a Class 3 felony under § 18.2-51, punishable by 5 […]

A felony charge in Fairfax County moves through two courts before it is resolved. It begins in the District Courts, either the General District Court or the Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court, where a judge holds a preliminary hearing to decide whether there is probable cause. If the judge finds probable cause, the judge […]

If you have been charged with a felony in Virginia, here are some important things you can do in the first hours and days, and most of them are about what not to do. Do not talk to the police without a lawyer. Do not discuss your case on a jail phone, in a text, […]