Assault & Violent Crime Defense

These cases are personal in a way that most criminal charges are not. They often involve family, partners, neighbors, or coworkers, and the emotional temperature is high on every side. That does not change what the government has to prove.

Maryland: degrees matter enormously

Maryland divides assault into degrees. Second-degree assault is the more commonly charged offense. First-degree assault involves allegations of serious physical injury or the use of a firearm and is a substantially more serious matter with correspondingly serious exposure. Much of the early work in these cases is about which of those the case ends up being.

Washington, DC: the jury trial problem

In the District, most misdemeanors carry a maximum of 180 days, which places them below the threshold for a jury trial. The practical effect is that a defendant can face multiple counts, consecutive sentences, and a great deal of jail exposure while never appearing before a jury of peers — with a judge serving as both referee and fact-finder.

This is a subject our office has written about at length, and it materially shapes strategy in District cases.

Read: All defendants in Washington, DC should have the right to a jury →

Self-defense is a real defense

People who defended themselves are charged all the time — often because the other party called first. Self-defense requires a genuine belief that you were in danger and a response proportionate to that danger. Establishing it means reconstructing the incident carefully: who escalated, what was said, what injuries each person actually had, and what the physical evidence supports.

Domestic matters and protective orders

A domestic allegation frequently produces two proceedings at once: a criminal case and a civil protective or peace order petition. They move on different schedules and different standards of proof, but testimony in one can be used in the other. Handling them as a single coordinated matter — rather than two unrelated problems — is important, and doing otherwise causes real damage.

When the complaining witness wants to drop it

This surprises people: the decision is not theirs. Prosecutors can and do proceed over a complaining witness’s objection, sometimes on other evidence entirely. A withdrawn complaint helps, but it does not end a case on its own, and treating it as though it does is a common and costly mistake.

Consequences beyond the sentence

An assault conviction can affect firearm rights, employment, security clearances, professional licensing, immigration status, and custody proceedings. In this region, where a substantial share of clients hold federal positions or clearances, those consequences frequently matter more than the sentence itself.

Common questions

The other person started it. Does that matter?

It can matter a great deal, but it has to be established with evidence rather than asserted. Injuries, messages, witnesses, and the sequence of events all bear on it.

Can the case be dropped if the alleged victim doesn't want to press charges?

Not automatically. The decision to prosecute belongs to the State, and prosecutors sometimes proceed without a cooperative complaining witness. It is a helpful fact, not a conclusive one.

Will I lose my security clearance?

A charge alone can trigger a reporting obligation and review depending on your agency and position. This should be part of the strategy discussion from the beginning, because how a case is resolved can matter as much as whether it is.

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