Criminal Defense

---

Schertler Onorato Mead & Sears’s criminal defense practice has deep roots in the firm. Through the background of many of our attorneys as former criminal prosecutors, we are well-versed in the substance of the criminal laws and the procedures of the local and federal court systems. We have represented clients in criminal cases of all kinds, including the federal prosecution of an attorney for obstruction of justice, a complex federal prosecution of former military contractors involving events during the war in Iraq, a high-profile District of Columbia prosecution involving alleged obstruction of justice and evidence tampering, the District of Columbia prosecution of a special police officer charged with involuntary manslaughter following the accidental death of a hospital patient, and separate District of Columbia assault prosecutions involving a well-known recording artist and a professional athlete.

Because our criminal defense practice includes representations of many high-profile clients, we have experience interfacing with the press and other media when it serves our clients’ interests. In all of our criminal defense representations, we provide our clients with experienced assistance in navigating pretrial procedures and proceedings, advising and strategizing on the range and likelihood of potential outcomes, negotiating resolutions when that is advantageous to the client, and fighting for our clients vigorously in the court system when cases proceed to trial.

We also regularly assist criminal defense clients with collateral proceedings that can arise from criminal charges, such as college or university disciplinary hearings and professional licensing board inquiries. Moreover, for criminal cases that result in outcomes that qualify for record expungement, we have in-house experience in the law and procedures and regularly assist clients with this process so that, when possible, they can move forward with their lives unhampered by a past criminal arrest. Our goal in criminal matters is to bring all of our skill and experience to bear in achieving the best possible result, both short-term and long-term, for the client.