Top Rated Criminal Defense Attorney in Fairfax, VA

Attorney Manuel E. Leiva is the founder of The Leiva Law Firm P.L.C. in Fairfax, Virginia. Mr. Leiva practices in the areas of criminal defense and personal injury, serving clients in Virginia and the District of Columbia. He has experience with personal injury matters involving motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice and wrongful death, and defends individuals facing criminal charges such as assault, battery, DWI and reckless driving.

Mr. Leiva has more than 20 years of experience and is a seasoned trial attorney. Northern Virginia magazine named him a “top lawyer for criminal defense and personal injury” in 2017 and a Best Lawyers publication named him a “top lawyer for criminal defense” multiple years in a row.

An active member of the Virginia legal community, Mr. Leiva belongs to the Fairfax Bar Association, the Virginia State Bar, the Hispanic Bar Association of Virginia, Justice Forward Virginia and the Virginia Coalition for Racial Diversity in the Justice System. He serves on the boards of the Virginia State Bar’s criminal law section and diversity conference and is a member of the Virginia State Bar’s Indigent Defense Task Force committee.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in international relations and political science from American University, Mr. Leiva received his law degree from American University Washington College of Law. He is qualified to practice in all Virginia state courts and before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Before founding his firm, he worked as an assistant public defender in Fairfax County and as an associate at a private firm.