ABOUT THE FIRM

George Holton Yates, P.C., is a  law firm  located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. We specialize in criminal defense and personal injury litigation.  Mr. Yates, a former prosecuting attorney with years of specialized training in criminal law, is experienced, dedicated, tough, and committed to getting the absolute best possible result in any and every case.  We fight to win and have had great success.   

Fighting for a client  takes many different types of skills. We are expert problem solvers. We fight to win. Winning though is always a relative thing.   Sometimes it means a jury trial  and a fight for an acquittal . Another time it might be a fight for a reduced charge or probation or a deferred finding.  And many times we are successful in making sure that charges don't get filed at all.

 We prepare every case from the moment it comes into our office as if it w
ill be going to trial.  We have a keen eye for detail  and are skilled at identifying and presenting a compelling theme that will help our clients prevail in their dispute.  

Prior to going to trial we will advise our clients of the risks and rewards of their options ,  after we have made a thorough investigation of all the facts relevant to their case, and reviewed the applicable statutory and case law with them.  Being fully prepared to go to trial insures that even if we and our clients decide not to go to trial, we will be in a good postion to negotiate a  plea agreement that will be acceptable  as an alternative to trial, or a fair settlement in the case of a personal injury matter.

  ( See our "Recent Cases" section).

Whatever the facts of the case and the needs of each individual client, we fight for the best possible  result.  And we don't ever forget that  you are going  through the most terrible ordeal of your life.

Mr. Yates has 28 years experience as lead counsel in thousands of criminal cases, to judges and juries in  every city and county in the Greater Hampton Roads region. He has also defended in North Carolina, West Virginia, and Florida.

Mr. Yates is a former Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Virginia Beach (1985-1989) and has been certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a Criminal Trial Specialist (1987, 2002, and re-certified in 2007).

Mr. Yates is a 1982 graduate of Wake Forest Law School. where he was a member of the Moot Court team.  He specialized in civil and personal injury litigation for three years before leaving private practice to become a prosecuting attorney. 

In 1985 Mr. Yates was appointed Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney in the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Virginia Beach. From 1985 to 1989,  he tried hundreds of jury and judge trials of every kind of criminal case, from child sex abuse to DUI to murder. He successfully prosecuted the first criminal trial ever televised in Virginia, Commonwealth v. Wilmoth in 1988, in addition to many other highly publicized cases.

During his time with the Commonwealth's Attorney office, Mr. Yates became more aware of the special needs of criminal defendants, and how poorly some of them were represented by their lawyers. There were many times during those years as a prosecuting attorney that he observed defense lawyers failing to make critical arguments for their clients. He often found himself making those arguments for the defense simply to make sure those defendants were treated fairly by the judge or jury.

Mr.Yates left the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office in 1989 and started this firm. Later in 1989, Mr. Yates was appointed Special Prosecuting Attorney for about 40 felony criminal cases, and continued to prosecute as well as defend criminal cases for another two years. From 1989 to 1995, he did every kind of law: criminal defense, personal injury, civil and construction litigation, domestic relations, wills and trusts, real estate, even some business law. He taught a business law class for the City of Virginia Beach and continued to serve as a commercial law arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association. 

 Since 1995  Mr.Yates has specialized in criminal defense  and serious personal injury matters.      For more information on his "track record",  Go to ourRecent Cases section for examples of  the firm's trial  results.