Education

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Attorney Solak is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, and received his law degree from Marshall-Wythe Law School at the College of William & Mary. He maintains a regular schedule of Continuing Legal Education courses in order to keep his knowledge current with the ever-changing aspects of the law.

For his traffic defense practice he has recently completed seminars in Medical Issues in DUI cases presented by the Maryland Criminal Defense Lawyers Association in Baltimore, and Advanced Dui Defense law presented by the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys at Columbus, Ohio.

Mr. Solak successfully completed an approved training course as an Evidentiary Breath Alcohol Technician and is qualified to perform screening and evidentiary testing for breath alcohol levels. He has also passed the exam to be certified as a NHTSA/IACP Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Practitioner after a course of study in Atlanta, Georgia.

Most recently, Mr. Solak successfully completed a week long “Forensic Blood and Urine Analysis Course” presented by world leaders in the field of forensic science, including Dr. A.W. Jones of Linkoping, Sweden, conducted on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. After successfully passing the rigorous proficiency exam given at the end of this course, he is now listed among a select group of attorneys who have completed this national forensic course.

 

Past Experience

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After law school, Mr. Solak entered law practice with John McCune at Front Royal, in Warren County, Virginia, handling a variety of civil and criminal trial matters. In 1983 Mr. Solak was elected Commonwealth’s Attorney (State Prosecuting Attorney) for Warren County, and in that position prosecuted hundreds of trials, both jury and non-jury, for offenses ranging from felony murder to misdemeanor trespass. As Commonwealth’s Attorney he acted as the chief law enforcement official for the county, and provided legal guidance, opinions, and training to state and local law enforcement agencies.

In 1988 Mr. Solak left the Commonwealth’s Attorney office, and established his law practice at Berryville, in Clarke County, Virginia. Maintaining a busy trial practice, Mr. Solak has defended a number of significant criminal cases, one of which Pugliese, 16 Va.App. 82, 428 S.E.2d 16 (1993), became the source instruction for one of the Virginia Model Criminal Jury Instructions used by all Courts in Virginia. Also in 1993, Mr. Solak became one of the few attorneys in Virginia to successfully defend a charge of Capital Murder. After a five day jury trial in Clarke County Circuit Court, the jury returned a verdict for Attorney Solak’s innocent client of NOT GUILTY on all counts, including Capital Murder.

With more of Mr. Solak’s cases coming from Winchester & Frederick County, Mr. Solak relocated his law office to Winchester, Virginia, in 1997 and he has practiced from Winchester since that time.

 

Current Practice

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Since 2001 Mr. Solak has continued his practice, with a primary focus on trial and appeal work in the areas of motor vehicle law, DUI/DWI, traffic offenses, criminal defense, vehicle accidents, and related civil cases. Due to his past experience and training, he is involved in many cases involving matters of scientific evidence and forensic issues.

Attorney Solak ordinarily handles cases in the Northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, from Winchester north to Martinsburg, West Virginia, east to Leesburg, south to Harrisonburg, and west to Romney, West Virginia, but he is also available for consultation on cases in other areas throughout Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland.

 

Pro Bono Activities

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As an attorney committed to his community, Mr. Solak has served as an attorney-member on Virginia’s Medical Malpractice Review Panels, the Virginia Lawyer Referral Service, in Virginia’s Indigent Criminal Defense Program, Blue Ridge Legal Services, and with the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program providing legal representation for veterans with claims before the U.S. Court of Veteran’s Appeals in Washington, D.C.

 

Offices

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Mr. Solak has previously held offices in the Warren County Bar Association, and he served as President of the Clarke County Bar Association from 1992-1997.

 

Memberships

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Mr. Solak is a member of the following legal organizations: Clarke County Bar Association, Winchester-Frederick Bar Association, Virginia State Bar, Maryland State Bar Association, West Virginia State Bar, National College for DUI Defense, National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys & the Virginia Association for Criminal Defense Attorneys.