I provide personal representation of my clients. If you or a loved one is facing criminal charges, you need an experienced criminal defense lawyer, not a secretary or a paralegal responding for a lawyer who does not communicate directly with you. I will be personally available to keep you fully informed about all aspects of your case and involve you in all important decisions concerning your case. I don't handle divorces, car wrecks, bankruptcy, slip and fall cases and then call myself a criminal defense attorney because I'll take a criminal case if one walks in the door. My entire practice is devoted to criminal defense and I have the knowledge and experience you need when you are charged with a crime and your case will have my full attention. I attended West Virginia University (B.A. Political Science and History, Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa), George Washington University, and the West Virginia University College of Law (J.D., Order of the Coif, Order of Barristers, Managing Editor - West Virginia Law Review, President - Lugar Trial Association, National Trial Team, West Virginia Invitational Trial Competition Champion). I am admitted to the West Virginia State Bar and to the bars of the United States District Courts for the Southern and Northern Districts of West Virginia, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. I am a member of the West Virginia State Bar White Collar Criminal Section and also the Criminal Justice Section, and hold membership in the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. I also have extensive experience in trials and appeals in both state and federal courts and have handled hundreds of cases involving a wide range of matters as a criminal defense lawyer. I also teach lawyers at seminars on criminal law in West Virginia.