This is where I’m supposed to write about myself in the third-person, to make myself sound more awesome (“John went to Impressive University, where he majored in Saving Orphans…”). But I’m a fan of honesty, and I hate talking like that, so here’s my story:
The first college I attended was Northern Virginia Community College–which is a first-rate school, despite being saddled with a “community college” moniker. After some years of wandering haphazardly through the halls of academia, I was awarded an Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts, with a Specialization in Philosophy. As they say, “that and [two dollars] will get you a cup of coffee” (adjusted for inflation). I also worked as an actor, a writer, a private investigator, a bouncer, a stagehand, a knife-seller, and a loud guy at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. Eventually, I ended up bouncing for a chain of Southern California gentlemen’s clubs, and wondering occasionally how I got there.
So, I went back to school. I received a B.A. in English Literature (with Honors and Departmental Honors) from Cal State’s San Bernardino campus. Since graduating with honors required maintaining a consistent 3.9 while I was at Cal State (to balance my considerably less impressive transcript from NVCC), I think it’s worth noting. From there, I went to Loyola University Chicago for law school–primarily because of their amazing study abroad opportunities. It would have been possible for me to graduate a semester early, but I wanted to go to London. In addition to some amazing travel experiences, I also received a Certificate in International Law with my J.D.
I always knew I wanted to be a trial lawyer, so I interned at a Public Defender’s office in Northern Virginia during my second summer of law school, and then went to work for the Public Defender’s office in Bedford, VA (my father’s home town) once I passed the bar.
After a short stint in Alexandria, I now have an office in Winchester, Virginia, righ across from the courthouse. I’ll be happy to see you there!