David Lloyd

David Lloyd, Virginia Criminal Defense Attorney

Senior Attorney | DUI, Reckless Driving and Criminal Defense

David Lloyd is a senior attorney at NOVADefenders. He has practiced criminal defense in Virginia for more than a decade and is now in his seventh year with the firm, representing people facing traffic charges, misdemeanors and felonies in General District, Juvenile and Domestic Relations District and Circuit Courts across Northern Virginia.

David grew up in Reston and has spent his whole career in the courts around it. He knows that a charge rarely stays inside the courtroom. It can raise questions about a job, a security clearance, immigration status or a professional license, and it can hang over a family for months before the court date arrives. He brings a steady, practical approach to that worry: he explains what is happening, what the options are and what comes next, and he keeps clients informed about what to expect.

Traffic and criminal defense is the heart of David’s practice, and he has represented thousands of people on traffic charges. He regularly handles DUI and DWI cases, reckless driving by speed and after accidents, hit and run, speeding, following too closely and other driving offenses. His criminal defense work runs from misdemeanors such as petit larceny, trespassing and drunk in public to domestic assault and battery and felonies such as grand larceny, fraud, felony eluding and felony destruction of property.

David approaches each case on two tracks at once. The first is the Commonwealth’s evidence: the stop, the officer’s observations, the statements, the video, the testing and the records, read closely for the legal issues and gaps that support a defense. The second is the client’s own position. Where it makes sense, he helps people complete constructive steps before court, such as a driver improvement course, an alcohol or drug education program, counseling or restitution, because those steps carry weight when the outcome is being decided. Working both tracks, he evaluates what the evidence actually supports, tells the client candidly where the case stands, and prepares for the courtroom while pursuing the best resolution the facts allow.

Many of David’s clients work in Northern Virginia’s technology and government sectors. He has represented many people whose charges raised security clearance, immigration or employment concerns, and he keeps those stakes in view from the first conversation to the final hearing, so that the way a case is resolved accounts for what the client has to protect afterward.

David is in court almost every day, appearing in the General District and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts of Fairfax, Prince William, Arlington, Loudoun, Stafford and Fauquier counties, and the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church. He also appears in the General District Courts of the Towns of Herndon and Vienna and represents clients in Circuit Court. Each of those courts has its own procedures and expectations, and he prepares clients for the one they are actually in.

David earned his undergraduate degree in Government and International Politics at George Mason University and his law degree from the George Mason University School of Law, now the Antonin Scalia Law School, in 2015. At Mason Law, he competed on the Moot Court team.

David’s early legal experience included internships with the Fairfax County Public Defender’s Office and private criminal defense firms. He was admitted to the Virginia bar in 2015 and practiced criminal defense before joining the firm in 2020. In 2026, David became a member of The National Trial Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40 for criminal defense.

Credentials and Recognition

Practice and Courtroom Experience

• Senior Attorney at NOVADefenders; with the firm since January 2020; Virginia criminal defense attorney since 2015.
• Interned with the Fairfax County Public Defender’s Office and private criminal defense firms.
• Represents clients in DUI and DWI, reckless driving, hit and run, speeding, following too closely and other traffic cases, including cases that involve a security clearance, immigration status or employment.
• Handles misdemeanors including petit larceny, trespassing and drunk in public, domestic assault and battery, and felonies including grand larceny, fraud, felony eluding and felony destruction of property.
• In court almost every day, appearing in the General District and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts of Fairfax, Prince William, Arlington, Loudoun, Stafford and Fauquier counties, and the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church. Also appears in the General District Courts of the Towns of Herndon and Vienna and represents clients in Circuit Court.
• Prepares cases on two tracks: examining the Commonwealth’s evidence for legal issues that support a defense while helping clients complete constructive steps that carry weight at resolution.

Honors and Recognition

• The National Trial Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40, Criminal Defense, 2026.

Education

• J.D., George Mason University School of Law (now Antonin Scalia Law School), 2015. Member of Mason’s Moot Court team.
• B.A., Government and International Politics, George Mason University.

Bar Admission

• Virginia, 2015. Admitted to practice in the state courts of Virginia.

Outside the Office

David was born and raised in Reston. He lives in Fairfax with his wife and their dog, Tango.

Contact Us for a Free Consultation

If you or someone you care about is facing a DUI, a traffic charge or another criminal charge in Northern Virginia, call 703.273.6431 or fill out the contact form. A real person answers 24 hours a day, and the consultation is free.