About Us
Attorney Jon Sheldon - Criminal Defense
Mr. Sheldon focuses his work almost exclusively on criminal trials, criminal appeals and Post conviction in the state and federal courts. Mr. Sheldon is the author of the only treatise on habeas corpus and post-conviction remedies in Virginia: “Virginia Law and Practice: A Handbook for Attorneys – Virginia Continuing Legal Education (vacle.org),” VaCLE 2020, and is co-author of “Trial of Capital Murder Cases in Virginia,” VaCLE 2019. Mr. Sheldon started his career as a law enforcement officer. After law school he gained a unique insight into the perspective and attitudes of federal judges by working on criminal appeals in his role as a pro se law clerk with the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York. Ten years later Mr. Sheldon took a year off from private practice to work as an attorney-advisor for the Federal Courts, focusing on advising attorneys on criminal appeals in the most serious cases.
Mr. Sheldon recently served for three years as the Chair of the Virginia State Bar’s annual conference on how to defend a capital murder case. Mr. Sheldon has either appeared in or been asked to consult on numerous books and television shows, including CNN, CBS News, Law & Order, Larry King Live, Laura Lippman’s book I’d Know You Anywhere, and is featured in the 2013 book Fighting for Their Lives: Inside the Experience of Capital Defense Attorneys.
Mr. Sheldon is listed in Arlington Magazine as one of Virginia’s most respected attorneys, as nominated by his peers in the legal community
Attorney Jon Sheldon earned a reputation for a tireless, creative and skillful approach to cases that has resulted in winning our clients’ release from prison or overturning convictions via virtually every remedy imaginable including appeal, habeas corpus, writ of innocence, pardons, parole, motion to vacate, coram nobis, independent action for fraud, expungement, nunc pro tunc, motion for modification of sentence and other remedies.
Education
- William & Mary Law School – Williamsburg, VA. J.D. 1995
- U.Mass, Amherst – B.S. in Mathematics 1987
Admissions
- Virginia Bar
- Massachusetts Bar (1996-2018)
- District of Columbia Bar (1999-2025)
- New York Bar (1996-2010)
- United States Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals For The D.C., 4th, 5th, 6th & 9th Circuits
- U.S. District Court for D.C., E.D. & W.D. of Va., E.D. & W.D. of Ky., & S.D. of Tx.
Practice Areas
Get the Right Criminal Defense Representation
Co-Counsel Attorneys
Attorney Sheldon often works as co-counsel or in collaboration with other attorneys. The key is to arrange the relationship to achieve the best outcome for the client considering work load and skill sets. Attorney Sheldon has worked for years on multiple cases with the following lawyers who you are likely to see on your case, if it would assist in better representation.
Meghan Skelton – Attorney
Meghan began her career as a federal prosecutor at the Department of Justice through the Attorney General’s Honors Program. She is also a former Assistant Federal Public Defender. In addition to representing individuals in federal criminal trials ranging from murder to drug possession, she has argued more than 40 appeals before the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and District of Columbia Circuits. She has briefed well over 100 appeals from the notice of appeal to cert petition, post conviction, and extraordinary writs. Meghan has a command of search and seizure, sentencing, forensic, evidentiary, constitutional, and procedural issues.
Sarah Hensley – Attorney
Notable Cases of Jon Sheldon
- Coleman v. Dotson, 160 F.4th 472 (4th Cir. 2025) (granting habeas and overturning 29-year sentence)
- Curry v. Commonwealth, 84 Va. App. 339, 913 S.E.2d 350 (2025) (overturning conviction for computer solicitation of a minor)
- Miranda v. Dotson, CL2024-3321 (Fairfax Cir. Ct. 2024) (granting habeas and overturning murder conviction)
- Shirafkan v. Commonwealth, 2024-6054 ((Fairfax Cir. Ct. 2024) (finding “fraud on the court” and overturning 1997 felony conviction)
- Keeton v. Dudley, 753 F. Supp. 3d 444 (E.D. Va. 2024) (civil rights case for injuries while in jail)
- Carter v. Clarke, No.7:21cv00113 (W.D. Va. 2023) (granting habeas and overturning murder conviction)
- Turcios v. Commonwealth, CL2021-9844 (Fairfax Cir. Ct. 2022) (finding “fraud on the court” and overturning a 2019 felony conviction)
- Commonwealth v. Kalinski, GC21000158 (Arlington GDC 2022) (overturning conviction as void ab initio)
- In Re Calvin Cunningham, Conditional Release for Terminally Ill Granted (May 3, 2021)
- In Re Daniel Ford, Parole Granted (December, 2020, parole granted in Fishback case, cutting sentence in half)
- In Re Weneta, Pardon Granted (April 23, 2020, conditional pardon granted by Governor Northam)
- In Re Dion Coleman, Parole Granted (April 10, 2020, parole granted in case of a life sentence for a wrongful conviction of robbery and murder)
- Luong v. Kincaid, CL2020-00577 (Fairfax Cir. Ct. 2020) (overturning criminal convictions that had adverse immigration consequences and granting habeas relief)
- In re Watford, No. 161187, 2018 Va. LEXIS 11 (Mar. 1, 2018) (granting Watford the first contested writ of innocence in the history of Virginia)
- In Re Burns, Commutation Granted (December 29, 2017, commutation of sentence granted by Governor McAuliffe)
- Contreras v. Davis, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11679 (E.D. Va. Jan. 26, 2017) (granting writ of habeas corpus for a new sentencing proceeding for a 15 year old sentenced to 77 years imprisonment).
- Contreras v. Davis, 136 S. Ct. 1363 (2016) (granting Contreras’s appeal, reversing the Fourth Circuit’s adverse judgment and remanding for further proceedings)
- Dir. of the Dep’t of Corr. v. Kozich, 779 S.E.2d 555 (Va. 2015) (granting Kozich a writ of habeas corpus)
- Escamilla v. Superintendent, Rappahannock Reg’l Jail, 777 S.E.2d 864 (Va. 2015)
- Dominguez v. Pruett, 756 S.E.2d 911 (Va. 2014)
- Gray v. Pearson, 526 Fed. Appx. 331 (4th Cir. 2013) (reversing denial of habeas relief)
- United States v. Khan, 451 Fed. Appx. 262 (4th Cir. 2011)
- Williams v. Thaler, 602 F.3d 291 (5th Cir. 2010)
- Burns v. Commonwealth, 688 S.E.2d 263 (Va. 2010) (reversing the Circuit Court’s denial of relief)
Publications of Jon Sheldon
- Virginia Law and Practice: Post-Conviction Remedies in Virginia – A Handbook for Attorneys – Virginia Continuing Legal Education (vacle.org) VaCLE 2020
- Trial of Capital Murder Cases in Virginia, VaCLE 2019
- How to deal with a judge’s interference at trial, The Champion, 2016
- Ethical Implications of Modifying LI Protocols PLoS Medicine 2008
- Chemical Asphyxiation? PLoS Medicine 2007
- Can Lethal Injection Be “Fixed”? The Lancet 2007
- Inadequate Anaesthesia – Reply The Lancet 2005
- Inadequate Anaesthesia in Lethal Injection The Lancet 2005
