Patrick O’Brien - Lawyer in Alexandria, VA

Patrick Timothy O’Brien

Criminal defense Attorney at Alexandria, VA

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Highly Recommend

About Patrick

Learn Patrick’s areas of practice.

Practice areas

Criminal defense

50%

12 years, 1,000 cases
DUI and DWI

40%

12 years, 500 cases
Expungement

10%

12 years, 500 cases

Patrick T. O’Brien is a skilled advocate whose compassion for his clients is as important to him as his skills to provide great outcomes in his cases. Attorney O'Brien is a Partner with Dischley Law, PLLC. He is a former prosecutor with nearly a decade of experience handling high profile cases and major crimes. Attorney O'Brien is known in Northern Virginia as a skilled and tenacious litigator who obtains unprecedented results for his clients. He prides himself on taking a holistic approach with all his clients, and believes strongly that such an approach leads to better results in court. Attorney O'Brien's knowledge, experience, and passion provides him with the ability to see any client through even the most difficult situation to achieve a positive outcome.

Attorney O'Brien's legal insight and experience sets him apart from other attorneys. In his career Attorney O'Brien has taken hundreds of cases to trial, including dozens of jury trials, on charges ranging from DUI, Reckless Driving, and possession of controlled substances up to murder, rape and large-scale drug distribution. In his career Attorney O'Brien has provided training to other attorneys, prosecutors, and law enforcement professionals on topics including Driving Under the Influence, Constitutional Law, trial practice, and other areas.

Attorney O'Brien’s clients benefit from his experience representing the Commonwealth in both Northern and Southern Virginia. Attorney O'Brien’s career began serving the citizens of Lynchburg, Virginia. During his time in Lynchburg, Attorney O'Brien prosecuted charges ranging from criminal misdemeanors, traffic offenses and serious felonies. Before leaving Lynchburg, Attorney O'Brien’s was handling major felonies to include narcotics distribution, robbery, embezzlement and homicide.

After five years in Lynchburg, Attorney O'Brien accepted a Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney position in the City of Alexandria. Attorney O'Brien's caseload focused on major felony offenses, primarily focused on the prosecution of narcotics distribution offenses. Beyond drug trafficking, he continued to work robbery, firearm and, homicide crimes hand in hand with the city’s Police Department.

After over nine years spent prosecuting in Southern and Northern Virginia, Attorney O'Brien brings a well-rounded understanding of prosecutorial goals and tactics. This knowledge provides his clients an advocate who can quickly diagnose the strengths and weaknesses of the Government's case. With this information, Attorney O'Brien then determines the client’s best course of action.

Attorney O'Brien’s skills as a litigator were highly respected by his peers in the legal field. Attorney O'Brien served a lecturer for prosecutors, law enforcement, criminal defense attorneys, and judges. His main focus related to the presentation of visual evidence at trial. Attorney O'Brien developed multi-day trainings related to the use of cutting-edge technology in the courtroom and best practices to communicate visual evidence to juries. Attorney O'Brien also provided insight into evidence obtained from cellular technology and social media. Attorney O'Brien has been asked to lecture at events hosted the Virginia State Bar, the Criminal Section of the Virginia State Bar, The Office of the Attorney General, The University of Virginia School of Law, Washington and Lee School of Law and the Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ Services Council.

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Licensed for 12 years

State VA

Status Active

Acquired 2010

Updated 02/04/2020

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

Contact Patrick

Dischley Law, PLLC

(703) 952-3482 Office

(800) 689-9509 Fax

108 N. Alfred Street

Alexandria, VA, 22314

https://www.dischleylaw.com

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Dischley Law, PLLC

(703) 952-3482 Office

(800) 689-9509 Fax

9255 Center Street

Suite 300B

Manassas, VA, 20110

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5.0 / 5.0

13 customer reviews

5 Star

100%

4 Star

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1 Star

Posted by Mike | November 17, 2022

Thank you!

We appreciate everything Mr. O'Brien did for our daughter with her charges for an accident. He and his law firm were excellent in getting the information to us, explaining the procedures and more important successful results with her hearing. Highly recommend!

Posted by Iraj | October 4, 2022

Highly Recommend

Impeccable Legal advice and legal handling of a personal case. While I am unable to share the personal details of the case, Patrick T. O'Brien helped us through a very difficult time in our life. He was thorough and precise in what was to come and handled every obstacle so calmly that we became happy and content. Would like to highly recommend Dichley Law, PLCC, team Dichley deserves every bit of appreciation! Not all heroes wear capes, these guys wear suits! :)

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Posted by Rich | September 18, 2022

Highly recommend

Mr. O'Brien was responsive, professional and reassuring during the entire process after I was cited with a DWI that involved hitting another vehicle and breathalyzer refusal. We meet on numerous occasions and he provided recommendations for the best strategy to best posture my case for a favorable outcome. The DWI was successfully reduced to a reckless driving and the refusal was dropped...best case scenario.

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Posted by anonymous | October 21, 2021

the most diligent/hardworking lawyer

Patrick O’Brien represented me in my DWI-Drugs and possession of marijuana case and I had an incredibly favorable outcome. He was able to reduce the DWI charge to an improper driving ticket and the possession of marijuana charge dismissed. He has worked with me tirelessly to address any issues that came up with employment along the way and was always available to respond to my concerns. At a certain point I was under a lot of stress and he told me “let me worry about this case for you” and reassured me that he will work things out. Pat is more than just an attorney, he becomes a friend and a true advocate for you. He truly cares about his clients and I recommend him without any hesitation.

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Posted by Michael | April 16, 2021

DUI charge-Impressive Results /Responsive/Thorough

After being charged with a DUI and in a situation where my chances didn't look particularly good, I went to Mr. O'Brien for representation. He was consistently honest, patient, reasonably priced and realistically reassuring. He was also very responsive and took time to explain things to me. Mr. O'Brien has a deep and thorough knowledge of DWI and traffic law in Virginia. He is confident and has a desire to represent and protect his client. I would absolutely recommend Mr. O'Brien to anyone who finds him or herself in a similar situation and is looking for the best counsel.

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Posted by anonymous | January 25, 2021

Great lawyer, 10/10 would recommend.

Mr. O'Brien, gave solid advice, which I followed and was a good communicator. He was great in court and we got the desired outcome. I'm thankful I found him and hired him.

Posted by Kevin | September 6, 2020

Fantastic Representation

I hired Mr. O'Brien and his firm to represent me on a reckless driving charge and was given the best assistance from Day 1. I was instructed to give Mr. O'Brien certain information, and when I did that, he was able to represent me and was armed with the information needed to get my charge dropped. He and his staff were super helpful during the entire process. If I need legal assistance again, I won't even hesitate to hire Mr. O'Brien and his firm again.

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Posted by Simon | August 21, 2020

Patrick O'Brien

I have been really impressed by Patrick's handling of my case. I was on a year suspended VA driver's license after conviction on DUI and had the interlock installed in my car. I was caught driving outside of my curfew and without the interlock. I contracted Patrick to represent me. I spoke with Patrick who advised me and when we went to court he got the case dismissed. To this day I don't know what he did but I owe him a lot

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Posted by Joseph | August 10, 2020

Excellent Result

Patrick O'Brien handled my case in Prince William County and achieved an excellent result. His advice was on point and allowed me to help mitigate the offense. He was always responsive to my emails and calls and listened carefully. Mr. O'Brien discussed things fully with me and was very clear in his explanations. He had a very effective strategy for handling the case and got the best possible result. I recommend Mr. O'Brien without reservation.

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Posted by David | August 3, 2020

Exceeded my expectations

A short time ago, I found myself in a situation that I never thought I would be in, I was arrested for serious traffic offenses. I had never been arrested before, and was devastated, scared, and very fearful. I had no clue how to find an attorney, one that I could trust with my case and livelihood. I Googled DUI attorneys in my area, and numerous firms were provided by the search. As I was reviewing each one, I kept going back to Dischley Law Firm. There were several reasons they piqued my interest. First, Mr. Dischley was a Marine and Marines are fighters and are squared away. That gave me confidence in his ability. Also, I was impressed with Mr. Dischley, Mr. Sherlock, and Mr. O’Brien bio’s and their level of experience. I completed the online consultation request; I was contacted almost immediately by Mr. Dischley. Via email, we set up a time to discuss my case. Mr. Patrick O’Brien was my legal representation. I could not have been more pleased. From our first conversation, he made me feel confident in the Dischley Law Firm. He was reassuring, knowledgeable, and thorough in explaining the process and possible outcomes. Throughout the process, Mr. O’Brien checked in with me and kept me updated to all the ups and downs of my case, always reassuring me that he would fight for me and get the best possible outcome. Ultimately, he was able to get me an extremely favorable outcome in my case. I was very pleased with the outcome and results. Additionally, Mr. O’Brien was extremely helpful with some issues that surfaced during the process of my case, mostly around my employment. He was very helpful and utilized the Dischley Law Firms corporate knowledge to assist with these issues. I was highly impressed how well Mr. Dischley, Mr. Sherlock, and Mr. O’Brien collaborate and share their vast knowledge to help their clients. This was demonstrated several times during my case and was very reassuring. If you are reading this, and you need professional and competent attorneys, I highly recommend hiring Mr. O’Brien and the entire Dischley Law Firm! I promise he will exceed your expectations like he did mine!

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Posted by George Sadek | June 30, 2020

Excellent Attorney

I had a very positive experience working with Attorney Patrick O’Brienon on my case. Attorney O’Brienon is a reliable, punctual, knowledgeable and honest lawyer. He was always available for my questions. He responded to all my phone calls and emails in a timely fashion. I had a serious case. Thanks to him, I won the case. He has done an excellent job in updating me with my case and assuring me that everything will be ok. He is so patient and supportive. I am very grateful that Attorney Patrick O’Brienon as my lawyer.

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Posted by anonymous | February 14, 2020

Knowledgeable and Persuasive

I had a reckless driving charge and Patrick O'Brien, despite just being hired at the firm for two weeks that I hired, was able to get the ticket reduced to a speeding ticket in a tough rural jurisdiction. He used his extensive prosecutor experience in two different jurisdictions to essentially convince the prosecutor and the officer to reduce the charge to a speeding charge removing the misdemeanor stigma on my record. I would recommend him for any case you have a tough jurisdiction. As someone else put it, "he pulled off a miracle." Whatever it was, he is well worth the money.

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Posted by Jouviole | February 9, 2020

Exceptional!!

When my options appeared limited and the likelihood of retaining a law firm was low, I found Dischley Law, PLLC to represent me. As one of the attorneys of the Dischley firm, Mr. O'Brien represented me well and exceeded my expectations. I am grateful that I had such a positive experience and outcome with my case. This attorney is most definitely a good hire.

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Response from Patrick O’Brien February 12, 2020

Thank you kindly for this positive review. It was a pleasure to help you with this case and get you through this situation.

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Cost

Resume

AVVO RATING 10.0 (Superb)

Work Experience

Partner
Dischley Law, PLLC
2020 - Present

Senior Assistant Commonwealth Attorney
Alexandria Commonwealth Attorney's Office
2015 - 2020

Assistant Commonwealth Attorney
Lynchburg Commonwealth Attorney's Office
2010 - 2015

Education

Washington and Lee University School of Law
JD - Juris Doctor
2010

Colgate University
BA - Bachelor of Arts
2006

Legal Cases

Two Reckless Driving Cases
One Reckless Driving Charge Dismissed and the second was reduced to speeding.

Negotiated Dismissal on Loudoun Drunk in Public
Nolle Prosequi

Associations

U.S District Court, EDVA
Admitted
2020 - Present

Alexandria Bar Association
Member
2016 - Present

Virginia State Bar
Attorney and Counselor at Law
2010 - Present

Languages Spoken

English

Awards

Top 40 Under 40
National Trial Lawyers
2020

Publications

Office of the Attorney General
TWELFTH AND FINAL DEFENDANT SENTENCED FOR ROLE IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA HEROIN/FENTANYL TRAFFICKING RINGS
2018

City of Alexandria
Woman Sentenced to Serve 30 Days in Jail for Driving Under the Influence
2016

Speaking Engagements

Spring Institute
Visual Trial
2015

Fall Commonwealth Attorneys Confrence
IPads in Court
2012

Attorney endorsements

Received (8)

Given (3)

Andrew Criado

Criminal defense Attorney | Apr 28
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Pat O'Brien is an outstanding attorney with broad experience in multiple jurisdictions in Virginia. As a former colleague of Pat's in the Alexandria Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, I saw firsthand the knowledge and dedication that Pat brings to every case. Apart from being an exemplary attorney, Pat is more importantly a gentleman. He is kind to others and generous with his time. I highly recommend Pat O'Brien."

Farheena Siddiqui

Criminal defense Attorney | Feb 24
Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Pat is a level-headed and skilled attorney who possesses the unique skill of being able to view a case from both sides. He will work tirelessly to ensure a good outcome for his clients."

Thomas Carter

Criminal defense Attorney | Feb 20
Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter

"I endorse this lawyer. Pat O'Brien is a former Virginia prosecutor with years of experience. He and I have been on opposite sides in several criminal and DWI/DUI cases. In every instance, I was impressed by how smart he was, how well-prepared he was and how conscientious he was. In summary, he's a really good defense attorney."

Samuel Moore

Criminal defense Attorney | Feb 20
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Pat is a phenomenally skilled and articulate trial attorney. He is no-nonsense and able to identify the key issues in every case. I highly recommend him and trust his judgment implicitly."

Kiara Swinton

Criminal defense Attorney | Feb 20
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Attorney O'Brien has a wealth of knolwedge and experience to offer his clients, having practiced in the criminal defense field for over a decade. His extensive eperience as a prosecutor makes him well-equipped to defend those accused of committing crimes as he knows how these cases will be approached by opposing counsel. Additionally, Patrick is a pleasure to work with and genuinely cares about helping his clients. I am happy to endorse him."

Douglas Marshall

Criminal defense Attorney | Feb 18
Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I highly recommend Pat O'Brien for those in need of an outstanding criminal defense attorney. His background as a former prosecutor gives him a keen ability to analyze your case, negotiate a favorable resolution, as well as try your case when necessary. His command of the law, procedure, and the rules of evidence is top notch. Pat has also made a name across the Commonwealth as a teacher of other lawyers in numerous topics. For these reasons and more, I wholeheartedly endorse Pat without reservation."

Sean Sherlock

Criminal defense Attorney | Feb 18
Relationship: Co-worker

"Pat is an outstanding attorney. The skills and knowledge he gained in over a decade as a prosecutor is an invaluable asset for his clients. More importantly, Pat is simply a great person. He truly cares about his clients and his holistic approach yields fantastic results."

David Dischley

Criminal defense Attorney | Feb 18
Relationship: Co-worker

"Pat is an outstanding private defense counsel. His intimate knowledge of the legal system coupled with sound legal analysis makes him a legal powerhouse both in and out of the Courtroom. He is a tenacious litigator who gives his clients the time and understanding so that they are at ease with him in Court."

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