Kevin B

Review of Manikas Law LLC

My son got himself in a jam with a DWI and a refus...

My son got himself in a jam with a DWI and a refusal to take a breathalyzer; frankly, as a federal agent with thirty years experience I was of the opinion that defensively he was in a hopeless position. Though we had a few names of lawyers on our own, we began receiving promotions from attorneys once my son's name appeared in the court system. I looked them over but threw them all out, except Kyle's. What caught my eye with Kyle's information was his years as a prosecutor in Fairfax, experience that I felt was critically important. Though he was most definitely not the least expensive of the potentials we considered, once we met with him we decided he was our choice.
Court date came and we were on pins and needles, the case before ours resulted in jail time for the defendant (also a young student, though over 21) so we were preparing for the worst and hope began to dwindle. As our trial began, the prosecutor attempted to lay out her case and examine the arresting officer, but was cut off repeatedly by Kyle's objections of "here say, irrelevant, conjecture, inadmissable"...and one after the other the judge sustained his objections...to my complete surprise. My son's case was unique for a DWI in that it was not actually a moving violation, rather a fender bender in a parking lot where he then went into his nearby girlfriends house before the police arrived. Kyle locked in on the issue of an illegal search, detailing how/why the arresting police officer's entry into this residence violated the basic constitutional protection against illegal search. As the prosecutor continued to attempt to advance her argument and build her case, Kyle just as adamantly kept objecting to her attempts to introduce additional elements as irrelevant, because the initial entry into the residence to speak with my son was illegal. Long and interesting but the short story...the judge agreed and dismissed the case on the basis of the constitutional protection against illegal search - anything determined after that point was inadmissible.
I was absolutely blown away by Kyle's defense; his performance in the courtroom was professional but aggressive, his command of the constitution's protections and law was superb and finally, his reading of the judge and prosecutor spot on. Based on my observations of the judge's reaction to Kyle's defense, I believe he was rightly impressed as well...and truth be told, I think the prosecutor learned something that day as well.
Bottom line: Though slightly more expensive than his peers, Kyle Manikas will leave no stone un-turned in your defense, will not promise what he can't deliver, and ensure that he has exhausted every legal option in your defense. I cannot recommend him highly enough. And honestly, I was expecting my son to be convicted and even if he had been convicted...after hearing Kyle's passionate defense in the courtroom, I would still be providing a positive review.