LeCruise Law Blog

As a member of the Board of Governors for the Virginia State Bar Young Lawyers Conference, Norfolk Defense Attorney Jamilah LeCruise is featured on the cover of this month’s edition of the Virginia Lawyer Magazine. You can read more here. In 2020, she was selected as the Virginia Young Lawyer of the Year and recognized…

In Virginia, you are eligible to petition the court to have your record expunged if: You were found not guilty and acquitted of the charges The charges against you were dismissed The Commonwealth withdrew the charges against you and they were nolle prossed You received a pardon from the Governor Someone else committed a crime…

The Virginia General Assembly passed a new record sealing law, which will allow for the automatic sealing of some misdemeanor convictions as well as a petition-based system for lower level felony convictions. However, this law does not go into effect until 2025. The existing expungement laws remain unchanged. If you are looking for assistance with…

The following legislation has been approved by the Virginia General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Northam. The Virginia Indigent Defense Commission (VIDC) has published very useful summaries of the new criminal laws and here are the most important changes going into effect. Bail Admission to Bail: Eliminates the rebuttable presumptions against being admitted…

This June, Virginia Lawyers Weekly announced its 2021 class of “Influential Women of Law” and Norfolk defense attorney, Jamilah LeCruise, was among the women included. The program recognizes women lawyers and judges for their contributions to the justice system, tireless efforts on behalf of their clients, commitment to community service, and service to the legal…

Effective July 1, it will be legal for adults 21 years and older to possess no more than one ounce of marijuana for personal use. It will still be illegal to possess more than one ounce of marijuana. A person possessing more than one ounce but less than one pound of marijuana will be subject…

Effective July 1, 2021, adults 21 and over can grow up to four (4) marijuana plants per household. This law only permits 4 plants to be grown at a main place of residence and permits 4 marijuana plants to be grown per household, not per person living in the home. There are additional requirements for…

Attorney Jamilah D. LeCruise was selected again this year as a Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2021, which is the fifth consecutive year that she has been selected. Last year, there was a two-page feature about her legal career in the magazine. After being nominated, Super Lawyers engage in in-depth independent research and evaluate candidates…

Currently, under the Code of Virginia, “if any person commit robbery by partial strangulation, or suffocation, or striking, or beating, or by other violence to the person, or by assault or otherwise putting a person in fear of serious bodily harm, or by the threat or presenting of firearms, or other deadly weapon or instrumentality…

During the most recent legislative session, the Virginia General Assembly passed a variety of criminal justice reforms. One significant change implemented was in the area of bail and bond. Specifically, the General Assembly repealed the long-standing presumption against bond that existed for many criminal offenses. In practice, this meant that magistrates were not permitted to…