DISTRICT 1

Katherine Poindexter

My name is Katherine Poindexter, and I am announcing my candidacy to become a member of the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Board of Directors representing Virginia’s Region 1 District. 

I live and have established my law office in Bon Air, Virginia (Chesterfield County) and practice criminal defense work all over the Commonwealth of Virginia, but primarily the Richmond-Metropolitan area.  Having graduated from University of Richmond’s T.C. Williams School of Law in 2003, I have practiced law for over 17 years and am licensed in both Virginia and North Carolina.  Earlier in my career, I served as a law clerk and attorney in several civil practices, but in 2005, joined the Indigent Defense Commission’s Public Defenders Office for the City of Richmond.  There, I served as a senior supervising assistant public defender.  In 2010, I opened my own law firm, Davenport & Poindexter, P.C., where I was partnered in practice until 2013. In 2013, I ventured out into solo-practice and have been working independently since then d/b/a Katherine E. Poindexter, P.C.

As a private bar member, I continue to accept court-appointed cases and offer pro bono and low-bono (sliding scale) services to our indigent community, as I believe access to a zealous defense in criminal courts should not be a privilege enjoyed only by the wealthy.  I also volunteer my time teaching “Know Your Rights” seminars to children at Rise for Youth, patrons of REAL Life, and to other organizations where the need arises. Additionally, I have been a member of the Robert E. Shepherd Juvenile Law and Education Conference Planning Committee since 2013 and in that capacity, assist in developing conference content for Juvenile and Education Law practitioners in attendance.  I am particularly proud of the work that I do as a volunteer at the Chesterfield County N.A.A.C.P. (Branch# 7120), as Chair of the Legal Redress Committee.  Through that role, I field complaints from our community members related to any potential act of discrimination through the court system, education system, housing systems, and beyond.  Where we can help, we do, and where we cannot, we refer complainants to attorneys that can.

While the practice of criminal law is my truest calling, I believe as attorneys that we are uniquely positioned – and should exercise this position – to engage in the political process, to hold our elected officials accountable and to do what we can to ensure our community’s civil rights are safeguarded.  To that end, I attempt to stay in contact with my state House of Delegate and Senate-elected officials, to share with them what is occurring in our courtrooms and have even been a campaign director for a Progressive Commonwealth’s Attorney candidate (Scott Miles for Chesterfield County Commonwealth’s Attorney).  

Based on the practice history I detail here and my love of volunteerism for organizations that seek to improve the ‘justice’ experiences and life conditions of the accused, I believe I am qualified to join the other esteemed members of the Board of Directors for the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. 

Should I be lucky enough to be elected, I would be honored to serve and would seek to grow our association, to improve engagement among the attorneys we represent, and to work tirelessly to be a loud voice for progress, compassion and fairness across this Commonwealth

DISTRICT 4

[OPEN]

DISTRICT 7

Patricia Bolen

Patricia Bolen is a deputy public defender at the Fredericksburg public defender’s office. She has worked at that office since 2017. Prior to that, she was a public defender in the 13^th Circuit PD Office in Greenville, South Carolina and the 8^th Circuit PD Office in Greenwood, SC.  She has presented at the annual South Carolina Public Defender and South Carolina Public Defender Investigator Association conferences as well as at the spring 2022 VACDL conference, and also used to teach as an adjunct in pre-law at Lander University. Patricia graduated from Michigan State law school in 2005 and Cornell in 1998.  Patricia has three kids and two retired greyhounds, and enjoys reading, music, and running long distances (really, really slowly).

DISTRICT 11

Blake Woloson

Blake Woloson is a criminal defense attorney/solo practitioner with his office in Woodbridge, Virginia. He has been in practice for over 30 years handling over 60 jury trials in his career, including two murder acquittals and reversals from the Virginia Supreme Court and the Virginia Court of Appeals. While he has handled cases throughout the Commonwealth, his practice centers around Fairfax County and Prince William County.

Mr. Woloson graduated from The University of Richmond in 1985 with a BA in Political Science and Speech Communications and from George Mason University School of Law in 1988. He has been a member of the Virginia State Bar since 1988.

Mr. Woloson served recently as Vice-Chair of the Criminal Practice Section of the Fairfax Bar Association. He also speaks to local high schools for the “So You’re 18” program for the Prince William Bar Association as well as acts as a moderator on the Northern Virginia Criminal Defense List Serve. He has presented and spoken at CLE’s for the Fairfax Bar Association, the Prince William Bar Association, and the VACDL.

Mr. Woloson is an avid motorcyclist and Civil War history buff. He lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

AT-LARGE (2 seats available for the upcoming term; please vote for 2 candidates ONLY on your ballot)

David B. Hargett

David B. Hargett has been handling criminal defense, appeals, and habeas cases (as well as other post-conviction remedies) since 1996.  A University of Richmond Law graduate, David is a former Chair of the Criminal Law Section of the VTLA, former VTLA Board member, former Vice-Chair of the Appellate Practice Section of the VBA, long-serving Board member of the VACDL, and Past President (2016) of this great organization.

Douglas A. Ramseur

I am seeking to continue to serve on the VACDL Board of Directors.  I am the founder of The Ram Law Firm PLLC in Richmond, Virginia.  I defend criminal cases in state courts throughout Virginia and in federal courts across the country.  Prior to starting this firm, I served as the head of the Office of the Capital Defender for Central Virginia and Southeastern Virginia.  I have twenty-six years of experience in criminal defense in both Virginia and Georgia.  I served as President of VACDL in 2014 and have been a board member for about a dozen years.  I have served as the legislative committee chair and on the executive committee.  I have been active in helping to draft and lobby on VACDL’s behalf for criminal justice legislation for several years and I was one of the two primary drafters of the criminal discovery rules.  In 2019, I was awarded the B. Leigh Drewry, Jr. Defender of Justice Award by VACDL.  I look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve and to work to increase justice for all of our clients.  Thank you for your consideration.

Daniel Winegard

I joined VACDL as a law student and have been posting on the listserv since. I've worked at the Newport News Public Defender's Office for six years, and through this experience I have both taught Intro to DWI and driving suspension CLEs for court-appointed counsel and written many legal guides. I believe that VACDL is the best clearinghouse to provide all of Virginia's criminal defense attorneys more training opportunities and resources, which is why I am running for an At-Large Seat.

VACDL President-Elect 2023/President 2024

Brian Goodman

Bio:

Brian Goodman is the Senior Trial Attorney in the Fairfax County Office of the Public Defender and currently serves as Vice President of the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He joined the office in May 2011 after graduating from The George Washington University Law School in May of 2010. While studying, he worked at his current office, the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, a criminal defense firm in Fairfax, and the criminal section of the DC Law Students in Court Clinic. Upon graduation, he practiced court-appointed criminal law until a position opened at the Fairfax County Public Defender’s Office. In his time at the Public Defender’s Office, he has represented thousands of clients, charged with everything from trespassing to murder. In addition to serving as faculty in the new public defender “boot camp” trainings provided by the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission, Brian is the leader of PRIDC, the LGBTQIA+ affinity group within the VIDC. He is also a member of the George Mason American Inn of Court, and in his spare time volunteers with the Virginia Equality Bar Association’s “TIES” clinics, pores over car magazines, and cuddles with his rescue dog and cat.

Statement:

I am seeking the position of President-Elect of VACDL. If chosen for this role, I hope to continue the great work that André, Eugene and Elliot have done as President to make the organization more supportive to the defense bar, effective for our clients, and impactful in the legal community. In recent years, VACDL has increased our lobbying efforts, provided top-notch CLE’s, published excellent articles in The Champion, facilitated support and collegiality through our listserv, and spoken truth to power with our strike force. I would like to continue to build upon these strong foundations, support our members, and continue to fight for the rights of our clients.