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.

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 WatfordNo. 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)