So this firm primarily handles serious felony cases in state and federal court in Virginia. Mostly northern Virginia but throughout Virginia. However, at any given time I’m doing other kinds of cases too like misdemeanors and lower level felonies. I like going to court regularly but it isn’t the kind of firm where we’re trying to go to court every single day or to have a volume practice. So generally, we do big cases but I also like to go to court a couple times a week on smaller cases and I like to have a blend in that way.

That’s a really good question and a really complicated one, you know, because these days there’s so much advertising out there. Because of the internet, people go on the internet and they google lawyers in a certain area and there are people advertising all kinds of things and criminal defense for cases that really, they don’t have any experience in and jurisdictions they hardly even go to. So it’s hard to sort it all out. One of the best ways but unfortunately not everyone has this way is somebody you know that actually works in the legal system that can call around and figure out who are the good people to talk to.

But one of the biggest things is that I would say to any client or potential client is never let yourself be pressured into hiring a criminal defense attorney. It’s not an emergency to do so. Even if you’re in jail, the long run is what counts and if you’re on the phone with someone or if you’re meeting with someone and that lawyer is urging you to hurry up and pay them, to hurry up and make the decisions that’s a bad sign. The lawyer should talk to you about the case, learn about it, get a real assessment of it. If that means there’s some delay, if that means you’re in jail an extra day, it’s worth it. That choice up front is really important and it lasts the whole way. So my biggest thing is be patient, see if you can find some people that know things about the system, pay attention to whether the person is really talking about your case before they’re demanding your money.