| Judicial Screening 2024 |
ACBA Committee Reports on Each Candidate |
(General District Court) Rachel Crombie Collins, 40, was born in Richmond, Virginia. Ms. Collins received her bachelor’s degree in sociology with a focus in social inequality and a bachelor’s degree in human development with a focus in human service from Virginia Tech in 2006. Ms. Collins received her Juris Doctor from St. John’s University School of Law in 2010. From November 2010 to June 2013, Ms. Collins was an Assistant Public Defender in Winchester, Virginia. From June 2013 to March 2014, Ms. Collins worked as a staff attorney for Geico insurance in Richmond, Virginia. Since March 2014, Ms. Collins has been with the Office of the Public Defender for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church. She currently is a Senior Assistant Public Defender practicing in the Circuit Court, General District Court, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church. While in law school, Ms. Collins received the Cali award for scoring the highest in Criminal Procedure, a pro bono service award and was the coach of the mock trial team. In 2020, Ms. Collins co-founded the Arlington for Justice organization. The organization focuses on public safety reforms and addressing as she describes in her resume “systemic anti-Black racism in Arlington County.” Ms. Collins explained during her interview that the organization was founded shortly after the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 and the murder of George Floyd. The organization has held several forums with the police department and the Commonwealth Attorney’s office – opening a dialogue to address racial justice. During her interview Ms. Collins gave the committee insight into her personal involvement in the criminal justice system. Ms. Collins has been in situations where people have been arrested. She has friends that are incarcerated, and she has been a witness at bond hearings and as a fact witness in several other cases. LEGAL ABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT As Senior Assistant Public Defender, Ms. Collins handles all stages of a case including but not limited to bond hearings, bench and jury trials, sentencing and appeals to the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Virginia. Ms. Collins also advises her clients on the immigration consequences of their cases. Ms. Collins supervises junior attorneys and support staff in her office. Throughout Ms. Collins’ legal career, she has shown a commitment to criminal justice reform. Beginning in law school, every stage of her career shows her dedication to indigent defendants and populations she believes are unfairly impacted by the law. When asked about her limited civil experience, Ms. Collins gave a succinct answer. She explained that she has observed cases in the General District Court including numerous civil matters and that she will educate herself. She stated that she will study the law and apply it to the facts of civil cases. She was upfront and open about her lack of civil experience and seemed eager to educate herself. Ms. Collins has extensive experience as an attorney. She has been a public defender for fourteen years. The committee was impressed by Ms. Collins’ answers to several hypothetical questions and her statement during the interview expressing why she wants to be a judge. Ms. Collins believes that there is effort from the entire legal community for change and as she described bringing “more justice to the justice system” and she wishes to contribute and be a part of the momentum of change. TEMPERAMENT During her interview, Ms. Collins was professional and even-tempered. She was thoughtful in her answers and the Committee was confident that she would treat litigants and others in a courtroom with the utmost respect. Ms. Collins acknowledged that a judge cannot necessarily change the things that happened prior to a litigant coming to the court but she expressed that she would not further any injustice in the courtroom. The Committee believes that during her interview, Ms. Collins demonstrated the appropriate temperament of a General District Court Judge, and that Ms. Collins can direct litigants and maintain order in a courtroom while still making parties feel heard. IMPARTIALITYThe Committee was impressed by Ms. Collins’ dedication to community and criminal justice reform. While Ms. Collins’ life experience and commitment to indigent defendants would bring a unique perspective to the bench; some Committee members expressed concern about Ms. Collins favoring litigants that she believes may have been unfairly treated at some stage in the process. Although some Committee members questioned whether her passion for racial equality and reducing racial disparities may impact her ability to be a neutral fact-finder, overall the Committee believes Ms. Collins would exercise the impartiality required of a sitting judge. DILIGENCE AND SERVICE TO THE LAWMs. Collins has spent almost all of her career as a public servant. She has served as a multi-year participant in Law Day outreach at local schools. She is a member of the Arlington County Bar Association and was a member of the Northern Virginia Black Attorneys Association. OVERALL EVALUATIONThe committee was impressed by Ms. Collins’ extensive criminal law experience, her earnest demeanor and her desire to zealously advocate for her clients. Her passion for building a criminal justice system that continues to change to eliminate discriminatory practices is admirable. If selected to be a judge, she would be an asset to the General District Court bench. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONSHighly Recommended: 3 Recommended: 2 Not Recommended: 0 Abstain: 2 Jump to Rachel Collin's Personal Statement |
Rachel Collins, Esq. |
(General District Court) David Deane, 52, was born in Edison, New Jersey. Mr. Deane received a B.A., cum laude, in Political Science with minors in Criminal Justice and Sociology from James Madison University in 1994, and a J.D. from George Mason School of Law in 1997. He is admitted to practice in Virginia (1997), as well as the District of Columbia (2018) and the United States District Court in Virginia. Mr. Deane began his legal career as an Assistant Commonwealth Attorney in Fairfax, Virginia in 1997. In 2000, he moved into private practice with Albo and Oblon (Arlington, Virginia), where he remained until starting his own practice, David Deane, Attorney at Law PLLC, in 2011. While Mr. Deane’s current practice consists almost exclusively of criminal and traffic defense, he also has some experience in general civil litigation as well as work as a Guardian ad litem in Fairfax County. LEGAL ABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT Mr. Deane has ample experience in criminal law, having worked as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney. Mr. Deane demonstrated a clear understanding of complex criminal legal issues, with an ability to perform analysis quickly and efficiently. Mr. Deane proposed to increase the number of attorneys on the court appointed list by modeling other jurisdiction’s practice. An example he provided included assigning multiple cases to an attorney and consolidating hearing dates to be heard on the same day. While Mr. Deane’s civil experience is limited, he outlined a clear plan to educate himself in an area of law with which he is not particularly familiar. TEMPERAMENT The Committee found Mr. Deane to be candid and honest, qualities it believes are important as a sitting judge. Mr. Deane would certainly demonstrate patience and an overall calm attitude if managing a hectic docket. Mr. Deane is well-known in the Arlington Courthouse community as a kind and respectful litigant, and the Committee has no doubt he would carry those qualities into a courtroom as a sitting Judge. IMPARTIALITY The Committee believes Mr. Deane would exercise the impartiality required of a sitting judge. He demonstrated an awareness of implicit biases that can present themselves in the courtroom and appropriate ways to address them with litigants that might appear before him. DILIGENCE AND SERVICE TO THE LAW Mr. Deane embodies dedication and passion for service to both the community and the law. He is currently President of the Arlington County Bar Association and has been a member for over twenty years. He also has an established criminal defense practice, appearing regularly in Arlington County and Fairfax County courts, in addition to accepting court appointments as a Guardian ad litem. OVERALL EVALUATION The Committee was impressed with Mr. Deane’s application and interview. He demonstrated impressive knowledge of the law coupled with the compassion and fairness required of a sitting judge. It was clear to the Committee that Mr. Deane views this position as an opportunity to continue serving his community and to help improve the Arlington courthouse in any way he can. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS Highly Recommended: 4 Recommended: 3 Not Recommended: 0 Abstain: 0 Jump to David Deane's Personal Statement |
David W. Deane, Esq. |
(General District Court) Rex Flynn was born in Long Island, New York. He graduated from Hampton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1998. He obtained his juris doctor from George Mason University School of Law in 2008 and received the Dean’s Service Award, as well as multiple scholarships throughout his education. Mr. Flynn was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 2009, and is currently admitted to nine federal courts, including the Eastern and Western U.S. District Courts for Virginia. Mr. Flynn is also licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia (2011) and in Maryland (2014). Mr. Flynn has owned and operated The Flynn Law Firm, PLLC since 2010. Initially, he had a general practice, including landlord/tenant, divorce, support, custody, and other civil matters. Since 2017, Mr. Flynn’s practice has been exclusively criminal defense and serious traffic matters, primarily in Arlington and Fairfax Counties, as well as the City of Alexandria. In the past two years, Mr. Flynn has expanded his criminal defense practice to the Eastern District of Virginia. Mr. Flynn has notable recognition in the legal profession, namely he was noted by Virginia Lawyer’s Weekly as a Leader in the Law (2020). He was also the 2022 recipient of the Virginia State Bar award for Specialty Bar Leader of the Year. While the President of the Northern Virginia Black Attorneys’ Association, the organization earned the Virginia State Bar “Bar Association of the Year” award (2022) and twice earned the “Award of Merit” (2022 and 2024). LEGAL ABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT Mr. Flynn proactively seeks to enhance his legal knowledge, including outside his areas of practice, by attending 20-30 hours of CLEs each year. Mr. Flynn has extensive experience with criminal matters and prior experience with civil matters. Likewise, seventy-five percent (75%) of Mr. Flynn’s court appearances are in the General District Court. Accordingly, Mr. Flynn is well-versed not only in the operations of the Arlington General District Court, but he was also able to note the strengths of other General District Courts and offered valuable suggestions for Arlington in this regard. For example, Mr. Flynn’s response to the Committee’s question as to how he might grow the court-appointed attorney list included incorporating certain best practices in Fairfax County General District Court. Some members of the Committee expressed concerns with Mr. Flynn’s organizational and time management skills, specifically as to how that may affect a busy district court docket. Further, when responding to a hypothetical scenario set forth to elicit the application of his legal acumen, Mr. Flynn asked a question that left some committee members to question his knowledge of the legal standard for a routine defense motion. TEMPERAMENT Mr. Flynn is known in the Arlington legal community as being a people person. He expressed, and the Committee agrees, that he is adept at dealing with people that are not like him. The Committee believes that Mr. Flynn would treat all litigants and attorneys with the utmost dignity and respect, and he has the requisite temperament to be a General District Court judge. IMPARTIALITY The Committee believes Mr. Flynn would exercise the impartiality required of a sitting judge. The Committee was impressed with Mr. Flynn’s maturity in assessing what is and is not a Judge’s role with pro se litigants. Mr. Flynn told the Committee that it is important that judges do not change the rules for a sympathetic litigant or witness, nor let a focus on the greater good trump a judge’s obligation to follow the rules and apply the law. DILIGENCE AND SERVICE TO THE LAW Mr. Flynn has presented exceptional diligence and service to the law. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar Harry L. Carrico Professionalism Course Faculty (2024-27), Virginia State Bar Executive Committee (2024-25) and Virginia State Bar Diversity Conference, Board of Governors (2024-27). He is currently the president of the Old Dominion Bar Association; general counsel for the National Hampton Alumni Association; the 17th Judicial Circuit Representative for the Virginia State Bar Council; a member of the Virginia State Bar Council for Local and Specialty Bar Associations Executive Committee; and the President and Judicial Screening Chair for the Northern Virginia Black Attorneys’ Association. He is also a member of the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Board and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated. Mr. Flynn was likewise President-Elect (2019-2020), President (2020-22), Secretary (2024) and a Board Member (2017-19) of the Arlington County Bar Association. OVERALL EVALUATION The Committee was impressed with Mr. Flynn’s candor in response to his philosophy on sentencing and as he applied it to a hypothetical. He noted that serious crimes should be punished seriously, but one can’t turn a blind eye to how incarceration affects people, including lost jobs, the impact on families, housing, etc. Mr. Flynn was very pragmatic in his responses. The Committee was equally impressed with Mr. Flynn’s genuine focus on people and relationships and his notable community involvement. His ideas for the bench and respect for treating litigants equally in the legal community would be an asset to the General District Court. Additionally, Mr. Flynn would bring diversity of thought and experience to the bench. The Committee was conflicted as to whether Mr. Flynn had the requisite skills to move along a very busy district court docket. The Committee does believe that Mr. Flynn, given his capacity to invest significant time in continuing education, could improve upon and resolve these areas of concern. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS Highly recommended: 1 Recommended: 4 Not recommended: 2 Abstained: 0 Jump to Rex Flynn's Personal Statement |
G. "Rex" Flynn, Jr., Esq. |
(General District Court) Robert Edward Gray, 43, was born in Los Angeles, California. Commencing in 2002, Mr. Gray served on active duty in the United States Air Force During this service, he received his Associate of Applied Sciences in Electronic Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force (Maxwell AFB, Alabama) in 2008. He then received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in 2012. In that same year, he was honorably discharged from the Air Force whereupon he served in the Air Force Reserves from 2012 to 2015. During his service in the Reserves, Mr. Gray obtained his Juris Doctor from the Howard University School of Law in May of 2015. From August 2015 to August 2016, Mr. Gray was a law clerk for the Honorable Judge Damon J. Keith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. From April 2021 to December 2021, Mr. Gray was law clerk at the Ivie, McNeill, Wyatt, Purcell & Diggs in Los Angeles, California. In December of 2021, Mr. Gray was admitted to the Virginia Bar. He has been an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church since December of 2021. While in law school, Mr. Gray received the Cali award for scoring the highest in the following courses: Constitutional Law I & II, Torts, Criminal Law and Law Practice Management. Mr. Gray was very forthcoming about details regarding his criminal history during his youth as a juvenile and young adult primarily dealing with larceny charges. As a child he experienced significant instability in his home life and family life. In 2019, Mr. Gray had contact with the criminal justice system and was placed in a military diversion program with stringent conditions. He gives credit to the judge who was willing to look beyond his indiscretions, and instead, what he could do in the future. His experience led to, among other things, his desire to develop a veterans/military diversion program for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church. LEGAL ABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT As an Assistant Commonwealth Attorney, Mr. Gray is the primary ACA for the General District Court docket for the City of Falls Church. In that role and in addition to criminal trials, he handles sentencing dockets, bonds, arraignments, and status-disposition dockets. He is also the Burglary Unit Liaison to the Arlington County Police Department. He is a member of the Critical Accident Team and the Recovery Court Representative, among other appointments within the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office. That he received his three degrees while in the Air Force and Air Force Reserves, and application to two of the most rigorous bar exams in the nation shows Mr. Gray’s commitment to his development and to the legal profession. While Mr. Gray has limited civil experience, he has clearly researched and given considerable thought to options for implementing an eviction diversion program in Arlington County and the City of Falls Church General District Court. The Committee was impressed with Mr. Gray’s acumen in analyzing legal issues. Mr. Gray’s answers further demonstrated a personal insight as to litigants who come before the court with challenging backgrounds and combat related mental health issues. TEMPERAMENTMr. Gray is an expressive individual who conducts himself in a civil, professional and direct manner. Mr. Gray expressed that he understands the judicial decisions can have profound ramifications for those affected and that he wishes to have a positive impact on individuals to put people on a better path. The Committee perceived that Mr. Gray would treat litigants with dignity and respect. The Committee believes that during his interview, Mr. Gray demonstrated an appropriate temperament of a General District Court judge. IMPARTIALITYWhen offered a gender-based hypothetical designed to elicit an understanding of implicit bias, Mr. Gray analyzed the issue, noting that he “had to step outside of his male privilege” and ultimately said he recognized his own bias in the particular situation. While Mr. Gray’s response to resolve the hypothetical issue was appropriate, it appeared to some Committee members that he was not previously aware of his bias and was potentially limited in his ability to recognize his implicit biases. This raised concerns with some members of the Committee about how he would treat female litigants and attorneys. Likewise, Mr. Gray’s life experience appears to have imparted strong opinions regarding litigants who may have a similar life experience. Some Committee members are also concerned about Mr. Gray giving undue weight to how his rulings may be perceived by the public as opposed to basing his ruling solely upon the evidence of each individual case. DILIGENCE AND SERVICE TO THE LAWMr. Gray currently serves on the Board of Directors for both the Arlington County Bar Foundation and the Arlington County Bar Association. He is a member of the Old Dominion Bar Association and the Northern Virginia Black Attorneys Association. Mr. Gray is a guest lecturer for Howard University School of Law and regularly appears in Legal Research and Writing courses and has also appeared in a Contracts course and a Professional Responsibility course. Mr. Gray has also served as a Moot Court Judge for Howard University School of Law. While Mr. Gray’s experience in the legal system is somewhat limited, the Committee believes Mr. Gray is currently exercising diligence and service to the law by his public service as an Assistant Commonwealth Attorney, and in his participation and leadership in educational institutions and in local bar organizations. OVERALL EVALUATIONThe Committee was generally impressed with Mr. Gray. The Committee appreciated how Mr. Gray brought forward ideas to improve the services to the public such as a Veterans Docket and Eviction Diversion program. Additionally, Mr. Gray’s background and life experiences would bring a diverse perspective to the bench. Some Committee members expressed concerns with Mr. Gray’s ability to recognize personal biases that may give way to treating litigants and attorneys inequitably. The Committee agrees that Mr. Gray would benefit from more years of legal experience and being more mindful of his interactions with female litigants and attorneys. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONSHighly Recommended: 0 Recommended: 1 Not Recommended: 4 Abstain: 2 Jump to Robert Gray's Personal Statement |
Robert Gray, Esq. |
(General District Court) Adam Krischer, 49, received his B.A. in English from The George Washington University in 2000, and his J.D. from the University of Denver College of Law in 2003. Mr. Krischer is a member of the Virginia State Bar (2003) and the District of Columbia Bar (2005) and has been admitted to practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (2008), the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (2010), the U.S. Supreme Court (2011), and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (2013). Mr. Krischer began his private practice with Dennis, Stewart & Krischer, PLLC in 2010 and has been a managing partner at Dennis & Krischer, PLLC since 2024. His practice focuses primarily on criminal defense at both the state and federal levels, but he also has experience as a Guardian ad Litem and representing parents in abuse and neglect cases. He previously practiced with the National Center for Prosecution of Violence Against Women and the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for the County of Arlington and the City of Falls Church. He also served as a statutory volunteer with the United States Army Garrison I Stuttgart Legal Office while his wife was deployed to Germany. Mr. Krischer has served on the Arlington County Bar Foundation since 2016, serving as chair from 2021-2022, as a legal instructor for the Arlington Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) since 2020, and as bar council representative for the 17th Circuit since 2021. LEGAL ABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT Mr. Krischer practice is focused on the area of criminal defense and he has extensive trial experience in both state and federal courts. He has also served as Guardian ad Litem and represented parents in civil cases involving abuse and neglect, child protective orders, and foster care placements. Additionally, he has served as a substitute judge since February 2019 in the Arlington General District and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, the Alexandria City General District Court, and Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court handling both criminal and civil matters. The Committee was impressed by the depth and breadth of his legal knowledge and experience. His thoughtful answers to questions posed by the Committee demonstrated a clear commitment to achieving fair and impartial outcomes in the Arlington County and City of Falls Church General District Court. The Committee was further impressed by his vast knowledge of the resources available to the Court and litigants in Arlington County and the City of Falls Church and his desire to gather all of the mental health resources in one place to streamline the process and provide wrap around service for those in need. TEMPERAMENT The Committee believes Mr. Krischer possesses an excellent temperament to be a judge. He is well-respected by members of the bar – judges, fellow defense attorneys, prosecutors, and civil practitioners who have appeared in front of him as a substitute judge – for his professionalism and collegiality. As a practitioner, he treats everyone fairly and with respect, and the Committee is confident that his demeanor would not change if he were appointed to the bench. During this interview, he expressed humility and introspection that would serve him well as a General District Court judge. IMPARTIALITY The Committee believes Mr. Krischer would exercise the impartiality required of a sitting judge. He demonstrated an understanding of the need for impartiality and the need to be vigilant to guard against implicit biases. DILIGENCE AND SERVICE TO THE LAW The Committee was impressed by Mr. Krischer’s dedication to the practice of law and his service to the legal community. At the local level, he has been a member of the Arlington County Bar since 2005 and served as chair from 2016-2017. He has served on the Arlington County Bar Foundation since 2016 and was its Chair from 2021-2022. Statewide, he was a member of the Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Committee, Section 4-I (Arlington) from 2013-2020 and was its Chair from 2018-2019. Since 2021, he has been a member of the Virginia State Bar Council. Mr. Krischer’s participation as a legal instructor for the Arlington Department of Human Services Crisis Intervention Team, presenter for CLE credits, and role as a substitute judge demonstrate his commitment to the legal development of those around him. The Committee was impressed with his level of preparation, and thoughtfulness on the many factors, including mental health, that go into bond determinations and sentencings, and not only his desire to start a Veteran’s Court, but the necessary steps needed to implement it. OVERALL EVALUATION Mr. Krischer has spent the majority of his career committed to serving Arlington County in a multitude of roles – prosecutor, defense attorney handling both court-appointed and retained cases, Guardian ad Litem, parents’ representatives during civil cases, and substitute judge. His knowledge of the law and judicial canons, demeanor, and passion for serving the community stood out to the Committee. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS Highly recommended: 6 Recommended: 0 Not Recommended: 0 Abstained: 1 Jump to Adam Krischer's Personal Statement |
Adam M. Krischer, Esq. |
(General District Court) Jeffrey Overand, 51 years old, lives in Arlington. He graduated from Hampden-Sydney College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1995. He obtained his juris doctor degree from George Mason University School of Law in 2001. Mr. Overand was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 2001 and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in 2002. Upon graduating from law school, Mr. Overand worked as a Law Clerk at Michael H. Cantrell, PC before joining the Fairfax County Office of the Public Defender as an Assistant Public Defender in 2002. In August of 2007, Mr. Overand left the Office of the Public Defender for private practice, initially working for a small law firm and then opening his own firm with several partners in 2008. While he was working as a Public Defender and during his time in private practice, he also served as an adjunct professor at George Mason University School of Law for approximately thirteen years. During that time, he taught the Mental Illness Legal Clinic where he educated law students on the involuntary civil commitment laws in Virginia and supervised those law students who were representing Petitioners in the hearings before Special Magistrates. Mr. Overand remained in private practice until May, 2021 when he took a position with the Arlington County and City of Falls Church Commonwealth Attorney’s Office. Mr. Overand currently serves as Chief Deputy of that office. Throughout his legal career, Mr. Overand’s practice area has been almost exclusively criminal. His civil law experience has been limited to involuntary civil commitment cases and cases related to criminal proceedings such as protective order hearings and expungement hearings. Mr. Overand has been recognized in Virginia Super Lawyers from 2019-2021 and in Virginia Business Legal Elite from 2014-2021 for Criminal Law. LEGAL ABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT Mr. Overand has extensive experience in criminal cases, having worked both as a prosecutor and as defense counsel. Mr. Overand acknowledged his limited civil experience, and described a comprehensive plan of steps he would take to adequately prepare to preside over the civil cases that come before the General District Court. Mr. Overand commented that when an issue comes up in a case where that Judge is not aware of the law, a good Judge will let the lawyers educate them or will take a recess to educate themselves. He continued by saying he did not have the hubris of thinking he knows everything and has the humbleness to know he needs to learn. TEMPERAMENT Mr. Overand presented himself as very calm, genuine and professional in his interview. When asked questions of subject matters which he has little to no experience with, he was able to work through the issues and provide well-reasoned responses. The Committee agreed that he is personable; has great problem-solving skills and can assert himself in a firm and respectful manner. The Committee believes that Mr. Overand has the requisite temperament to be a General District Court Judge. IMPARTIALITY The Committee believes Mr. Overand would exercise the impartiality required of a sitting judge. The Committee was impressed with Mr. Overand’s answers to hypotheticals and his ability to appropriately balance the need to ensure that litigants understand the legal process without the Judge inserting themselves into the case to the detriment of any party. DILIGENCE AND SERVICE TO THE LAW The Committee notes that Mr. Overand has spent a good portion of his legal career as a public servant. In his positions at both the Public Defender’s Office and the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, he has trained and supervised less-experienced attorney. In addition, he has taught and mentored law students as an Adjunct Professor of the Mental Illness Legal Clinic at George Mason University School of Law. He was also a member of a panel of speakers at a CLE sponsored by the Fairfax County Bar Association discussing representing both offenders and victims in cases involving allegations of domestic abuse. OVERALL EVALUATION The Committee was impressed with Mr. Overand’s genuine, steady demeanor and his extensive criminal law experience. Although he has limited civil experience, his demeanor, experience, responses and approach clearly show that he would be a positive addition to the General District Court bench. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS Highly recommended: 6 Recommended: 0 Not recommended: 0 Abstained: 1 Jump to Jeffrey Overand's Personal Statement #PS_Overand |
Jeffrey G. Overand, Esq. |
WILLIAM “Bill” TURNER (General District Court) William Turner, 41, was born in Arlington, Virginia. He attended Georgetown University, graduating in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in Government. He attended law school at American University’s Washington College of Law, where he graduated cum laude receiving his J.D. in 2011. Mr. Turner has been a member of the Virginia State Bar since 2011. Mr. Turner began his legal career as a Deputy County Attorney in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Turner shifted to practicing criminal law, beginning at the Prince Edward County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. He moved on to work at the Arlington County and City of Falls Church Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office until 2017. Since 2017, Mr. Turner has been a partner at Newton Turner, PLLC in Arlington County, taking criminal defense cases in Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court, General District Court, and Circuit Court. Additionally, Mr. Turner serves as a Guardian ad Litem. Mr. Turner is the past president of the Arlington County Bar Association, as well as the past chair of the Judicial Selection Committee. LEGAL ABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT Mr. Turner has a wide breadth of legal experience that will make him a knowledgeable and competent judicial officer. Mr. Turner expressed to the committee that he had waited to apply for a judgeship until he felt he could gather a “well-rounded skill set.” To that end, he spent time at the County Attorney’s Office, the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, and as a member of Arlington’s defense bar. In particular, Mr. Turner has spent a lot of time on Arlington County’s court-appointed counsel list, and had good insight about improvements that could be made to encourage more private attorneys to sign up to take court-appointed cases. The Committee felt that Mr. Turner was clearly familiar with the judicial code and wants to do his best to “get it right” on the bench. It was noted that Mr. Turner’s experience with civil law is limited. However, Mr. Turner was candid about the areas of law he has less experience with, even telling the committee that he wasn’t comfortable answering a hypothetical question without accurate knowledge of the law. Mr. Turner expressed to the committee that he would seek out trainings to make up for the gaps in his knowledge, though he did not mention any particular trainings he had taken prior to the interview. TEMPERAMENT Mr. Turner came across to the Committee as very polished and careful in his answers. Mr. Turner expressed to the committee that he felt it was important for a judge to model themselves as someone “who appreciates respect and dignity so that others follow suit.” The Committee believes that Mr. Turner has the requisite temperament for a General District Court judge. IMPARTIALITY The Committee believes Mr. Turner would exercise the impartiality required of a sitting judge. Mr. Turner believes that it is integral that judges participate in implicit bias training and should be vigilant about these biases. With regards to sentencing, Mr. Turner expressed that sentencing is something that should be incredibly individualized, and that multiple mitigating factors should be taken into account. It appeared to the Committee that Mr. Turner would take the standard of “beyond a reasonable doubt” very seriously. However, Mr. Turner did mention providing additional assistance to pro se litigants, such as asking more “probing questions” of them, that could call his impartiality into question in such cases. DILIGENCE AND SERVICE TO THE LAW Mr. Turner has displayed ample diligence and service to the law. He is extensively involved in the Arlington legal community, especially the Arlington County Bar Association (ACBA). Mr. Turner has served as president of ACBA and a member and chair of ACBA’s Judicial Selection Committee. During law school, Mr. Turner worked with the Innocence Project. Mr. Turner also expressed his passion for working with veterans and helping them navigate convoluted bureaucracy they face when trying to obtain programs and resources that they are entitled to. OVERALL EVALUATION The Committee was impressed with Mr. Turner’s thoughtful answers and calm demeanor. He presented himself not just as a diligent attorney, but a compassionate human being willing to go the extra mile to ensure that the legal system is fair, especially for those who are often marginalized by society, such as those with severe mental health issues, people of color, and low-income individuals. The Committee did not express any major concerns with Mr. Turner as a candidate, though it should be noted that he lacks extensive experience with civil law. However, the Committee respects his desire to fight imbalances within the legal system and believes he has the requisite experiences and qualities necessary to serve as a General District Court judge. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS Highly recommended: 5 Recommended: 2 Not recommended: 0 Abstained: 0 Jump to Bill Turner's Personal Statement |
William Turner, Esq. |
FRANCIS “FRANK” ALEXANDER WEBB (General District Court) Mr. Webb is 44 years old, was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and has lived and worked in Arlington for over ten years. He is the son of an immigrant and was raised in a bilingual and multi-cultural home. He is the first person from either side of his family to become a lawyer. He received his A.B. (Bachelor of Arts) from Dartmouth College in 2003 and his J.D. from George Mason University School of Law in 2010. Upon graduating law school, Mr. Webb had a solo practice for approximately two years and then joined a small firm for approximately a year and a half. He then resumed his solo practice until December 2019. In his solo practice, Mr. Webb had a general practice consisting primarily of criminal and traffic defenses cases, but also some civil matters and found a niche in representing clients who wished to have a Spanish-speaking attorney. Since that time, he has practiced as an Assistant Commonwealth Attorney with the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church. LEGAL ABILITY & DEVELOPMENT As an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney, he has handled DWI prosecutions, larcenies, assault cases, narcotics-possession offenses, and traffic-related cases. He also often handles the District Court sentencing dockets and the 3A/9am mental health status and disposition docket. He is the sole attorney assigned to cases involving the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, the agency responsible for bringing dangerous dog petitions and animal forfeiture actions. He is also the sole attorney responsible for representing the Commonwealth in Voter Registration Appeals before the Circuit Court. The Committee believes that Mr. Webb has a strong understanding of criminal law and procedure. Based on Mr. Webb’s responses to hypothetical questions, it was clear that he spent a great deal of time preparing for the interview and educating himself on areas of the law where he lacked legal experience. TEMPERAMENT In his interaction with the Committee, Mr. Webb was congenial and relaxed. His responses to questions and hypotheticals were thoughtful. During the interview process, he frequently expounded on his thought process and reasoning. While this can be a positive quality, some members of the Committee were concerned that his lack of brevity could affect docket management. IMPARTIALITY The Committee believes that Mr. Webb would exercise the impartiality required of a sitting Judge as to counsel and members of the community who appear before him. In answers to some questions posed by the Committee, Mr. Webb demonstrated an awareness of the role of implicit bias. DILIGENCE AND SERVICE TO LAW Mr. Webb has been a member of the Fairfax Bar and Virginia Hispanic Bar Associations. With the Arlington Bar Association, he has served on the Executive Board since 2019, as President-Elect, President, Immediate Past President, and Director At-Large. In his solo practice, in addition to representing Spanish-speaking clients, he routinely represented special-immigrant visa holders on a reduced fee basis. OVERALL EVALUATIONS Mr. Webb had clearly researched judicial guidance on several topics which guided many of his answers to the committee’s questions and hypotheticals. He demonstrated genuine intellectual curiosity, sympathy and patience for the people he sees every day in General District Court and who he would see as a Judge. He recognized that while the volume of cases can wear some judges down, he would value the opportunity to hear the stories of the people before him. COMMITTEE EVALUATIONS Highly Recommended: 2 Recommended: 3 Not Recommended: Abstain: 2 Jump to Frank Webb's Personal Statement |
Frank Webb, Esq. |
CAMERON E. WILLIAMS (General District Court) Mr. Williams is a 33-year-old who was born in Alexandria, Virginia and grew up in Arlington. He graduated from Norfolk State University with a B.S. in Political Science in 2014. While in college he played varsity football, made the All-MEAC Academic Team, Dean’s List, and Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. Upon graduation, Mr. Williams worked for four years as a special education teacher in the District of Columbia and then with Arlington Public Schools. In 2018 he began law school at George Mason University. While in law school he was a student advisor with Mason Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic (M-VETS), had a judicial internship with the Hon. Rossie D. Alston, Jr., U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and was a summer intern with the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission. Mr. Williams earned his J.D. in May of 2021. LEGAL ABILITY & DEVELOPMENT Upon graduation from Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, Mr. Williams served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Hon. Stephen C. Shannon in Fairfax County Circuit Court. The majority of his work during his clerkship was in civil law. Since September, 2022, Mr. Williams has worked as an Assistant Public Defender for the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission (VIDC). He is scheduled to receive a promotion to Assistant Public Defender II in November 2024. Of note to the Committee is that Mr. Williams not only has criminal experience that brings him to court every day, he had approximately a year of civil experience while clerking in Fairfax County Circuit Court, and has had some, although limited, exposure to alternate dispute resolution. However, he has only been practicing for approximately three years. TEMPERAMENT The Committee found Mr. Williams to be thoughtful and even tempered. The Committee believes as a sitting judge, Mr. Williams would exercise the necessary temperament but might be better equipped to handle the difficulties of the fast-paced docket with a greater amount of experience. IMPARTIALITY The Committee believes that Mr. Williams would exercise the impartiality required of a sitting Judge as to counsel and members of the community who appear before him. His answers to the Committee’s questions demonstrated fairness and respect. DILIGENCE AND SERVICE TO LAW Mr. Williams told the Committee that he attended Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University with the goal of serving the community of Arlington, where he had grown up and worked. He has deep-rooted connections to Arlington County, having grown up here and experienced firsthand the strengths of this community. He clearly intends to serve his community and his educational and work background demonstrate that commitment. Some items of note are that he was the Winner of the Inaugural 2023 Arlington County Bar Foundation and Arlington County Bar Association Young Trial Attorney Scholarship which is now known as the William D. Dolan III Trial Attorney Scholarship. From 2022 to the present he has been a Board Member and Law Student Liaison with the Northern Virginia Black Attorney Association (NOVABAA). He has also served as Board of Directors (At Large Member) with the Arlington County Bar Association from 2022-2024. OVERALL EVALUATIONS The Committee appreciates how much Mr. Williams has accomplished in a short time and his obvious commitment to Arlington. It is clear that he has a vision of continuous learning and growing as a judge to foster a culture of integrity and respect in the courtroom. Although, the Committee feels that Mr. Williams has the possibility of becoming an excellent judge one day, at this point in his career, he could benefit from more years of practice to gain practical and legal experience in order to better understand the intricacies of the system and responsibilities facing a General District Court Judge. The Committee believes that Mr. Williams has potential to make an excellent judge in the future. COMMITTEE EVALUATIONS Highly Recommended: 0 Recommended: 2 Not Recommended: 3 Abstain: 2 Jump to Cameron Williams' Personal Statement |
The Bar extends its gratitude to the 2024 Judicial Selection Committee Members for all their hard work!
Zann Ballsun-Simms, Esq.
Colleen L'Etoile, Esq.
Ann Golski, Esq.
Courtney McCarthy, Esq. (Co-Chair)
Lamya Moosa, Esq. (Co-Chair)
Dusty Sparrow Reed, Esq.
Kevin Tamul, Esq.
