Varinia Van Ness

Varinia is what you hope for when you need an attorney. You will immediately feel the energy she brings to her work and her dedication to helping you. This energy combined with her knowledge, experience and resourcefulness will continue for your whole case. She is relentless in pursuing your best ...interests. We found Varinia at the last moment to help us with a DUI case. Our original attorney had continued us into a corner and then recommended to plead guilty. With next to no time left, Varinia jumped into the case. She was able to challange the arrest and have the court determine it unlawful. She then methodically tore apart the prosecution's case in the court room. After an empassioned closing argument, the jury returned a "not guilty" verdict in just twenty minutes. Besides our joy of vindication we were amazed as we left the court house. The jury was waiting on the front steps to congratulate us. They had nothing but the highest praise for Varinia's skills (all of them wanted her card in case they ever needed an attorney)!!! Our heartfelt advice is to hire Varinia. You cannot get better representation.

I was pulled over on Christmas and arrested for DUI & 2 Drug Possesion Charges. Everyone I knew told me I would not be able to beat the case because I submitted to a breathalyzer and was over the legal limit. 2 different friends recommended Varinia to me. I called a few other attorney's as well & Var...inia was the most fair price, offered a payment plan, and most importantly, immediately began putting together a plan of action. She was able to get myDUI reduced to Reckless Driving (even with a BAC of .15) and have to drug charges withheld with no further sentence. Her office staff was amazing as well. They are extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and professional. Even the judge was shocked at the deal Varinia was able to make with the prosecutor and complimented my representation. I would have had my license revoked for 2 years due to the drug charges but will have full driving privledges in 10 days! From the second I met Varinia I knew she was a tough woman and was going to battle for me. Her and her office communicated with me via e-mail and telephone on a regular basis. I never had to call to ask what was going on with my case because their communication was so effective. I have already recommended the Van Ness Law Group to 2 other friends with pending charges. I would hire her again in a heartbeat!

My father also wanted to write a review for Varinia, but since he wasn’t the actual client he wasn’t able to. So I’m writing this for the both of us. I live out of state, and was facing some old charges from Florida. After I arrived there, my dad checked around for Sarasota area lawyers and heard ...about Varinia. He first contacted her less than two days before I was to be in court for a bond hearing. Of course I had never met her, and knew nothing about her except for what little my dad told me. And since it was on such short notice, I expected that, at best, she’d only be able to ask for a continuance until she could get up to speed on the details of my case. But instead, she actually got a bond set, and I was released within hours. Because of this, I was able to go back home and be with my family for Christmas, rather than sitting in jail. And after that, while things were being worked out, Varinia managed to arrange it so most things could be handled long-distance, which allowed me to be excused from personal appearances for preliminary court dates. (Of course I still had to be there in person for the final appearance.) Also, all along the way she kept me and my dad updated on any developments, and responded quickly to each question we had. I was originally facing the possibility of several years in prison, but Varinia worked with the prosecutor to get a plea agreement which I’m pretty happy with. Most importantly that there’s no jail time involved. We all think the main charge I originally had against me was way out of proportion to the crime, and in a perfectly just and fair world I never would have been facing prison in the first place. I won’t get into the details, but the fact is, I WAS facing prison… and I think Varinia did a much better job than most other lawyers could have under the same circumstances. And something you don’t see very often with most lawyers: Varinia actually seems to CARE about not just her clients, but even her client’s family, too. Just before Christmas, long before my case was settled, she said something to my dad like, “Don’t worry about this. Let me handle it, and you guys just enjoy the holidays together.” So needless to say I’m very happy we found Varinia, and would definitely recommend her. She’s not only a great lawyer, but a great person too.

My son was in trouble down in Florida and was facing up to 8 years in prison. Of course the public defender assigned to him had already urged him to plead guilty! While in Manatee county jail, my son heard about Mrs. Van Ness, so I contacted her from here in Virginia. Not only did she visit him exac...tly when as she said she would, but upon understanding the facts of the case, assured him that everything would be ok, and continued to stay close to the case and provide him with periodic updates. Lastly, her fee was very reasonable, especially considering the amount of publicity and the popularity she'd garnered based on recent cases (she'd won) at the time; she worked with me, providing an opportunity for me to pay a flat rate, vise an hourly one. I trust, recommend, and endorse her implicitly!

After a very unsatisfactory experience with another well known attorney, we had the great fortune to find Varinia Van Ness to represent us in the same matter. From the beginning, it was clear that Varinia actually cared about our plight. We were immediately reassured as she patiently explained our ...rights, and the options we could pursue in terms we could understand. Varinia made us aware of several options that could have a significant positive result in our case that our previous attorney never even mentioned . With determination and tireless, vibrant energy Varinia guided us through the complicated legal system. She proved to be energetic, driven,enthusiastic, consoling, patient and ever diligent in her efforts. She is an excellent communicator, keeping us well informed each step of the way. If we had questions, Varinia always answered them promptly, often times within minutes (even on nights or weekends). She was always prepared, armed with facts, case law and an excellent knowledge of personalities and tendencies of the judge and opposing counsel. Her experience both as a former prosecuting attorney and defense attorney proved invaluable. Varinia was not only able to bring our case to a successful result, but she was also able to undo damage to the court record caused by our previous attorney. Varinia has earned our highest recommendation and our greatest appreciation. We know that we were not her only client, but Varinia always made us feel that we were. When we were with her, she was totally focused on us and our case and made us confident that she always had our best interest at the forefront of everything she did.