Armed with only a high school diploma and very limited knowledge of the legal system, I won my first trial at age twenty-two, concluding a long and tumultuous custody battle over my oldest (then my only) child.
After the trial, the judge pulled me aside and asked whether I had ever considered a legal career. I grew up in an unsafe home, amidst violence and substance abuse. Nobody in my close family had gone to college, let alone law school. I was interested in the law, without a doubt. But until that moment, noticed by a judge after my first courtroom win, it had never felt like an accessible dream.
Plus, I was downright fed up with the struggle and layoffs of the industrial workforce. I lied about my age for my very first job and became a site supervisor for a commercial construction company by age seventeen. I’ve done work with welding, built commercial lighting equipment, manufactured armaments for the military, and driven city buses.
So, with my kid in tow, I earned an Associate’s Degree in Police Science, then a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Radford University, and finally, a Juris Doctor from William and Mary Law School. I met my wife in law school, too. Not to oversell my persuasive skills, but I did convince her to come back to Virginia (and take an additional bar exam) after she graduated, and we now have a son together as well.
My one long ago child custody case was more than enough for me, so I’ve centered my career around criminal defense. Until I joined Holcomb Law, I served as a Public Defender for the City of Hampton, handling a large caseload in the Juvenile, General District, and Circuit Courts. I firmly believe that individuals facing criminal charges deserve an advocate who cares about preserving their rights and their dignity throughout their time interacting with the justice system.
With a home compromised of a teenager, a toddler, and an attorney wife, I’m always kept on my toes. But when I’m not lawyering, I try to unwind with building projects in my garage, fishing, and perhaps too fittingly, binging on true crime documentaries.
