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Alexandria Federal Criminal Lawyer

It is important to find an experienced Alexandria federal criminal lawyer if you have been charged with any type of federal crime. Generally speaking, the more experience an attorney has the better base of knowledge they have to build on for future cases.

Additionally, having an understanding about how a particular judge might handle a certain issue or what the local customs and practices are important things for an attorney to know

Then there are the practical items for consideration, such as where is the probation office, what do you do after a trial or if you’re ordered to probation. The more experience someone has, the better advice and counsel they’ll be able to give.

With this in mind, the experienced criminal lawyers at our firm are available to assist you in building a defense and minimizing the harm of your case. Call today to learn more. En Español.

Eastern District of Virginia: Alexandria Division

You should be aware that there is no food or drink allowed in the Alexandria Division. Obviously, no weapons and no electronics, no cellphones, nothing. It’s good to be aware of that before going because it would be a predicament for you to have to somehow get rid of your cellphone or go back to your car. There are no lockers at the courthouse.

Dress Code and Etiquette

The dress code is important. You should be professionally dressed since it’s very formal. Jeans and sneakers would certainly be inappropriate attire. Etiquette is very important in the courtroom. Most of the judges will require attorneys and defendants to speak from the podium, not just to stand up and speak to the judge.

That is different than state court. Obviously, they are strict about maintaining control in the courtroom. The dockets has a little less chaos going on. It is a lot quieter. So, maintaining that level of control in the courtroom is very important for the marshals, court security officers, and for the judges.

Parking

There’s street parking and there are several private parking garages for the public. But parking in the Alexandria Division can get very crowded. However, it is very close to the King Street Metro Station on the yellow and blue line.

Arriving Early

It is up to the attorney to advise their clients on what is a comfortable and early time to arrive. It also depends on what type of case and what you might be doing before you appear in court; for example, if you have a traffic case, you probably wouldn’t have to be there much earlier than 30 minutes.

But if you’re going there for a trial, you probably want to get there earlier than that because there might be some loose ends that need to be discussed before the trial starts. It really depends on the comfort level of the attorney, but you should always be early because you can be held in contempt of court if you are late.

It is easy to find your way around inside the courthouse. It is not a huge building. There are signs posted; it is not difficult.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in the Eastern District Courthouse

Trying to bring your cellphone would be one mistake. Also for a client, not really having a sense of the charges against them and maybe thinking that they could just go to court on their own is not advisable.

Obviously representing yourself in a criminal case is not advisable and trying to bring things in to the courthouse that are not allowed would be waste of your time.

It is always good to be prepared with all of these types of questions before your court date. It’s good to conduct online research of the court’s website to make sure you are confident beforehand. You should know when your case will start. Making sure you have the right date and time, of course, is important. Of course, these types of little things can be handled by your attorney.

These types of questions can all be taken care of with appropriate counsel. It is always good to have someone with you who knows what they are doing.

Dealing with Federal Cases

A lot of the federal crimes carry very significant penalties including mandatory prison time. Just the nature of the charges and the high stakes that are involved for a defendant make it challenging because the person is relying on you as the attorney to get them out of the mess.  

Our Approach to Federal Cases in Alexandria

As Alexandria federal criminal lawyers, we clearly find federal cases to be very interesting and engaging. However, interesting can also mean complicated and sometimes if you have a complicated case, that can make representing someone more challenging because it could take more time to figure out the facts of the case and then to sort out the facts for your defense. It may be complicated and demanding to properly analyze the facts to determine what are the defenses a person might have.

We believe it is important for attorneys to recognize that it is not just an intellectual challenge to go to trial. This is somebody’s future. It’s somebody’s life. That is the most important thing, and that is how our Alexandria federal criminal attorneys approach their cases. Call us today for more.

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