If you’re a criminal defense attorney who tries cases, you inevitably experience the pain of losing in court.  Some losses are more painful than others. In many cases, you walk into court knowing that you’re almost certain to lose. It’s never fun to lose, but it’s a lo...

My law partner Bassel recently posted on our blog about Myles Garrett cracking Mason Rudolph upside the head with his own helmet and posed the question of whether he should be criminally charged. The post got a lot of attention by our standards. Over 1,300 people voted...

     In basic terms, an assault is an unwanted harmful or offensive touching. Of course, when you decide to play football (or box, or play hockey, etc.), you consent to the inherent “harmful” violent contact that the sport entails. No one’s catching a charge for making...

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — In a jarring report, the resort city of Virginia Beach has declined from the No. 1 safest metro city in the country to No. 187 (last place) according to Safewise, a company that specializes in home security reviews. 

Police officials and criminolog...

Director of Department of Corrections Stephen Strange Pictured Calculating An Inmate's Sentence

Virginia Beach, VA — In what is the saddest story to come out of Virginia in decades, local attorneys Westendorf & Khalaf have torn the fabric of time and space by sending th...

On May 31, 2019, Jon McIvor fled from his workplace in Building 2 of the Municipal Center, to escape a murderer who gunned down and killed 12 of his co-workers. On June 25, less than a month later, supervisors told Jon that he would be required to return to work in the...

If you've been charged with a DUI in Virginia Beach or Hampton Roads, this is your free must read guide written by experienced Virginia Beach DUI attorneys. (Click the above for a nice readable .pdf format. 

For those of you without adobe or a means to view pdf files, w...

The 6th Amendment provides in part that “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to...the assistance of counsel for his defense.” In other words, when the government says you committed a crime, you have the right to have an attorney fight for yo...

In January, Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Greg Underwood sent judges a letter telling them he intended to dismiss all misdemeanor possession of marijuana cases referred to his office. In legal terms, this is what is called:

In an effort to convince judges to go along...

The famous words of musician, chicken tycoon, and luxuriously bearded American Kenny Rogers:

You've got to know when to hold 'em

Know when to fold 'em

Know when to walk away

And know when to run

Not only the chorus of a country classic, but words of wisdom for any criminal...