Bassel graduated from the University of Hawaii in 2005 and Washington & Lee Law School in 2008. Right out of law school, he worked as a magistrate, conducting bond hearings and issuing search warrants. It didn't take long to see how the system chews people up and spits them out. After that, he served as a public defender in Virginia Beach, defending clients in serious felony cases. He handled massive caseloads, tried hundreds of cases, and learned what it takes to win when everything is on the line. He's secured not guilty verdicts after jury trial in cases involving murder, rape, malicious wounding, robbery, assault on law enforcement, and firearm charges. Read the actual trial transcripts to see how he works in a courtroom.​ He also handles appeals in Virginia's highest courts, overturning convictions and winning reversals. Bassel has won dismissals in high-profile cases, including one that got national media attention: an Uber driver falsely accused of rape who walked away with all charges dropped. 

 

Bassel started the WK podcast, which has developed a following in the local legal community. He's also pushed for systemic change. In 2021, he successfully lobbied Virginia Beach City Council to raise public defender salaries. He co-founded Westendorf & Khalaf because too many people facing criminal charges get treated like cannon fodder in a broken system. They deserve lawyers who actually fight back. Bassel lives in Virginia Beach with his three kids.