About Us
The Virginia post-conviction legal firm handles criminal appeals and post-conviction cases throughout Virginia and nationwide. Our expertise includes complex criminal appeals as well as any possible way of overturning a conviction, gaining release from prison, reducing a sentence or changing a conviction to avoid collateral consequences, such as immigration consequences.
Attorneys
Co-Counsel Attorneys
Nobody can do it alone! The team at Virginia Post Conviction often
works with co-counsel to get the best possible result for their clients.
Paralegals & Staff
Legal Intern
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