Top Best Criminal Defense Lawyers | 26216 Available

Jennifer Stanton is an experienced, effective and aggressive trial attorney. With twenty five years of trial experience, her current practice is dedicated to the defense of the accused in federal and state trial courts.. Stanton graduated from Duke University, Durham, North Carolina in 1983. Since receiving her Juris Doctorate degree from New England School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1990, Ms. Stanton has been sworn before the following courts: the Virginia Supreme Court and all the lower Virginia courts; United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia; United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia; the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ; and the United States Supreme Court.. Jennifer Stanton provides criminal defense services to clients in matters of federal and state trials, pre- and post-trial motions, sentencings, and post-conviction relief matters.  Ms. Stanton frequently acts as local counsel for out-of-state attorneys who practice in Virginia on a pro hac vice basis.. Dedicated to providing the highest caliber of legal services, Ms. Stanton has been a speaker for the Capital Defense Workshop sponsored by the Virginia State Bar, having successfully tried several capital defense cases.  While in law school, Ms. Stanton wrote for the New England Journal on Criminal & Civil Confinement (1989-90) and was a finalist in the NESL Mock Trial Competition.  She is a former prosecutor and is a member of the Virginia State Bar and the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association.

Michelle is a Florida native and came to Virginia for the Military, serving in the United States Navy as a naval helicopter mechanic. After her service, Michelle attended George Mason University, graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Integrated Studies with a Concentration in Legal Studies, as well as a double minor in Social Justice and Women and Gender Studies. During her time at GMU, she was selected to internship at the White House NEOB building and as the student speaker at her graduation ceremony. After college, Michelle attended the University of Richmond School of Law, pursuing her two passions, criminal and family law. She completed two internships and one post-grad fellowship with various Commonwealth's Attorney's Offices and one internship with the Children's Defense Clinic. Michelle also graduated with a Certificate in Family Law.. After passing the Virginia Bar, Michelle accepted a position with the Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney's Office. Throughout her time there she handled a variety of cases including possession of narcotics, possession of firearms, DUI's, sexual assault, murder, robbery, and domestic assault. Michelle moved to the Chesapeake Commonwealth's Attorney's Office where she was the Lead Gang Prosecutor for the City of Chesapeake. While there, Michelle specialized in handling gang cases to include a wide variety of violent crime.. While Michelle enjoyed her work as a Commonwealth Attorney, she wanted to explore the private sector and include family law back into her practice. Michelle enjoys working with people and looks forward to being a zealous advocate for her clients directly at Parks Zeigler.. Michelle enjoys spending time with her family, including her two French bulldogs. She loves reading, being outdoors, and traveling. Michelle and her husband, Joe, are also huge Miami Dolphins fans and often travel during the NFL season to football games across the East Coast. Go Fins!

Rachel Elizabeth Wentworth, Esquire, is a native of the Midwest, having lived in Indiana and Michigan much of her life. After graduating from Hillsdale College with a degree in History and Speech, Rachel moved to Virginia Beach in 2004 to further her education at Regent University School of Law. While attending law school, Rachel fell in love with her husband Daniel and decided to make Hampton Roads her home. She and her husband now reside in Chesapeake with their daughter, beagle and 3 cats.. Rachel graduated from Regent University in 2007 and immediately went to work for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for the City of Portsmouth. This job gave her immediate experience preparing and trying criminal cases. In 2010, Rachel went into private practice learning numerous aspects of criminal defense work as well as civil practice. Now as the owner of her own firm, Rachel is proud to continue to serve the Hampton Roads community in the areas of criminal defense, traffic, wills, power of attorney, advance medical directives and document review.

James F. Davis ("Jim”) graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a B.S. in Accounting in 1994 and received his Juris Doctor from the George Mason University School of Law in 1997. While in law school Jim successfully passed the Certified Public Accountant examination. In addition, he was a member of the George Mason University Civil Rights Law Journal.Since graduating from law school, Jim has shared his time and talent on numerous community and local bar activities including mentoring new law students, participation in pro bono work on behalf of Legal Services of Northern Virginia, and serving on committees within the Fairfax Bar Association.Prior to opening his own law firm, Jim was a partner at the law firm of Greenspun, Shapiro, Davis and Leary, P.C. Jim is an experienced trial attorney and focuses his practice primarily in the areas of criminal law, traffic law, civil litigation and personal injury law.A Washington D.C. native, Jim lives with his wife Jennifer and two children in Fairfax Virginia.

Jonathan Shapiro graduated from Northwestern University in 1971 and from American University, Washington College of Law in 1974. He has been litigating cases ever since, with a three-year break to serve as a Clinical Instructor at the Criminal Justice Clinic, and as Director of the Institutionalized Persons Clinic at Washington College of Law. In 2001, he was honored by his law school with the Peter Cicchino Alumni Award for “Outstanding Advocacy in the Public Interest Within the United States,” as a distinguished criminal defense attorney.. Jon has handled countless criminal cases in the state and federal courts, including conspiracies and white-collar crimes, and has extensive appellate experience. He has also litigated a number of civil rights cases involving jails, prisons and institutions for the mentally disabled. Along with his partner Peter Greenspun, he handled the defense of John Muhammad, the accused “Beltway Sniper.” Jon also handled the defense of Jim Nicholson, a CIA Station Chief, and of Brian Regan, an NSA employee, both charged with espionage.. Jon has been listed for years in the Best Lawyers in America for White-Collar and Non-White-Collar Criminal Defense. He is frequently listed in Washingtonian Magazine’s Top Lawyers, most recently in 2011 for the best criminal defenders in the Washington DC area. Also, he is always included in The Washington Post Magazine’s yearly listing of The Washington DC Area’s Best Lawyers. Jon was the long-time chair of the Criminal Law Committee of the Alexandria Bar Association and is a frequent speaker at Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars. He was selected as a Faculty Member for the Virginia State Bar Professionalism course. Jon handles complex criminal law cases at the trial and appellate levels in the state and federal courts. In 2009, Jon became an adjunct professor at Washington and Lee University College of Law.