Practice area
Criminal defense in Virginia
Felony, drug and misdemeanor charges, assault and battery, fraud, petty larceny and marijuana possession, defended by trial lawyers who are in Virginia courts almost daily.
Chapter 01
Where a criminal charge goes wrong for the person charged
A charge goes wrong early, and usually quietly. A person explains themselves to an investigator before speaking with a lawyer. A misdemeanor is treated as too small to bother with. A court date arrives and nobody has read the charging document closely. The firm's criminal defense work covers felony and drug charges, misdemeanors, assault and battery, murder, fraud, petty larceny and possession of marijuana, and the early mistakes look alike across all of them.
The other trap is time. Court dates, bond conditions and filing deadlines do not wait for a person to feel ready. Someone who has just been arrested is trying to understand the charge, the process and the consequences at once, and the first conversation with a lawyer is often where the shape of the case is set.
An empty defense table with two leather chairs facing the bench in a Virginia courtroom
How trial lawyers work a defense from Fredericksburg
Cornerstone Law Group is a firm of trial lawyers. Its attorneys appear in Virginia courts almost every working day, and its owners are admitted in Virginia, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, the Fourth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. Thomas Woehrle, who has practiced since 1978, handles criminal defense and traffic law.
Joseph M. Kirchgessner has tried hundreds of cases, jury trials among them, and the firm's lawyers each keep a practice shaped by their own background and experience. A defense starts with the charging document and the evidence the state actually has, then moves to what a trial would look like and whether anything short of trial is worth discussing.
That judgment is the lawyer's to make with the client, not the firm's to impose. The firm does not promise results; it prepares each case as though it may be tried.
Chapter 03
What to bring, and what happens after you call
Call (540) 898-8881 for a free consultation. Bring the summons, warrant or charging paper, the date and court of your next appearance, any bond or release conditions, and a written account of what happened that you keep for your lawyer alone. Do not post about the case or discuss it with anyone else.
The Fredericksburg office is at 2016 Lafayette Blvd, Suite 101, and the firm has offices across Northern and Central Virginia. Start with the office nearest you.
As trial lawyers, Cornerstone Law Group's attorneys appear regularly, almost daily, in Virginia courts.
The register
The charges the firm defends.
Felony side
- Felony charges
- Murder
- Fraud
- Drug charges
Misdemeanor side
- Misdemeanor charges
- Assault and battery
- Petty larceny
- Possession of marijuana
Where a charge sits depends on the charging document, which is the first thing the lawyers read. If a traffic offense has become a court case, see traffic and reckless driving; meet Thomas Woehrle and the trial lawyers on the attorneys page, or contact the firm about a charge now.