You may recall back in early June, teenage wunderkind Kenton Ngo wrote a story here at RaisingKaine entitled, "Follow the Money: Dave Albo?s Carpetbagging and Corporate Cash." At the time, Kenton wrote about Albo (R-42):
Of the $141,125 raised by Albo, $126,925 comes from companies and PACs. And at first glance, one industry glares at you.Booze.
$16,000 of Dave Albo?s money (fully 11% of his contributions) come from the alcohol industry, which is interesting, because Dave is a DUI lawyer by trade.
What Kenton didn't mention at the time -- probably because it hadn't happened yet! (ha ha) -- was the following letter to the editor of The Connection Newspapers (bold added by me):
Mixed Signals
Letter to the Editor
August 3, 2005To the Editor:
I think we can all agree that underage drinking is a problem that is tragically killing the youth of our state. Del. Dave Albo (R-42) wrote a commentary (July 7) on how he has attempted to tackle the problem of underage drinking. There's an interesting twist that lies behind his effort.First off, and with all due respect, he is the head partner at the law firm Albo & Oblon that defends people under arrest for DUI (Driving Under the Influence). On his firm's Web site, under "Virginia DUI Defenses," they discuss strategies on how to mount a defense for people accused of driving under the influence ? one being how to avoid having the breathalyzer test introduced as evidence ? a major tool used by law enforcement.
Here's the irony: The firm's Web site indicates that Albo "is a leader on the Courts of Justice and General Laws Committees." Simply put, he writes the DUI laws. There is clearly a case of conflict of interest here. On one hand, he's writing DUI laws and on the other he is helping his clients skirt these same laws.
Mixed signals are being sent to our youth when our lawmakers are defending alcohol abusers. Del. Albo is on both sides of this issue and that dilutes the message that underage drinking is wrong.
Nils Lindenblad
Springfield
Now, here's the relevant section of Albo and Oblon's website on being "aggressively" represented if you get arrested for DUI in Virginia:
Virginia DUI Law is Complicated
This area of law is surprisingly complicated. The law occupies 42 pages of the Virginia Code. Conversely, the law outlawing murder is a mere sentence. In 2001 alone, the Virginia Supreme Court or the Virginia Court of Appeals issued over 15 opinions in cases involving DUI. This law changes every year. However, in July, 2004, the General Assembly dramatically overhauled the law.We Have the Experience to Aggressively Represent You
Our firm?s Traffic Law section has experienced lawyers who aggressively defend these serious cases. The section leader, David B. Albo, served as a Fairfax City prosecutor for three years before devoting his full time to private practice. Three other attorneys are former prosecutors, as well. Some of our lawyers teach DUI defense law to other Virginia lawyers at leading Continuing Legal Education programs. Most recently, Albo & Oblon?s innovative DUI and traffic defenses have been featured in editions of Virginia Lawyers Weekly and The Washington Times. Some of the firm's lawyers have also appeared in the national broadcast news.Free Consultation
Since people who meet with us usually hire us, we never have to charge an initial consultation fee for DUI cases.Contact Us Today
To contact our firm, please call (703) 312-0410. We are located at 2200 Clarendon Boulevard, Suite 1201, Arlington, Virginia 22201. We also have branch offices in Fairfax County and Richmond
So, now you know where to go if you're in trouble for driving drunk: Dave Albo's law firm. Alternatively, you could vote for his opponent, Greg Werkheiser, a fantastic young candidate with an amazing life story and a great deal to offer southeastern Fairfax County as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Go Greg!