About the Firm

We are responsive and diligent in our representation of clients and tirelessly pursue justice for those facing criminal charges. During our representation of our clients, we not only look at the immediate consequences of any potential conviction but we also consider the implications on present and future employment, a client’s ability to retain or obtain a driver’s license, immigration status, public housing eligibility, civil rights and a host of other areas impacting daily life. We are attentive to our client’s needs and thoroughly investigate all aspects of the offense during our representation. The attorneys of Lepold & Freed are responsive to our clients’ concerns and will guide you through every step of the criminal justice process.

Who We Are

Bonnie Lepold

Bonnie J. Lepold graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University in 1994. She thereafter attended the Washington University School of Law (St. Louis, Missouri) where she obtained her Juris Doctorate in 1997. After a judicial clerkship, she began her legal career as an Assistant Prosecutor with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office in Trenton, New Jersey in where she served as Chief of the Juvenile Unit.

In 2000, Bonnie relocated to Charlottesville, Virginia with her husband. Bonnie developed a practice focused almost exclusively on the representation of criminal defendants and minors in delinquency proceedings and in other family law matters.

In 2012, she, along with Samantha Freed, opened their own private practice devoted to the trial and appellate representation of the criminally accused. In addition, Bonnie also serves as a guardian ad litem for minors involved in custody, abuse and neglect, emancipation, and other family law/domestic relations matters.

Bonnie’s representation of clients has included an array of charges and potential charges, including homicide, sex offenses, pornography, narcotics, child endangerment, DWI, abduction, assault, and various property and computer crimes. She has served as co-counsel for defendants facing the death penalty in both state and federal courts. Furthermore, Bonnie has extensive experience in the use of experts, including mental health professionals, in criminal trials and sentencing proceedings.

Bar Admissions

  • California (1997)
  • New Jersey (1998)
  • Virginia (2000)
  • New York (2006)
  • Western District of Virginia (2000)
  • Western District of New York (2006)

Associations

  • Charlottesville-Albemarle Bar Association (Past Treasurer/Past Secretary)
  • Adjunct Professor - University of Virginia School of Law (Criminal Defense Clinic)
  • Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Samantha Freed

Samantha Freed attended Tulane University in New Orleans, Lousiana and received a B.A. in Medical Ethics. She earned a certificate in Health Law and her J.D. at the University of Maryland School in 2005. Following law school, she clerked for the Honorable William O. Carr of Harford County, Maryland. She then moved with her husband to Charlottesville in 2007. Her practice concentrates on criminal defense, representation of minors and adult conservatorship. In June 2012, she and Bonnie Lepold opened Lepold & Freed, PLLC.

Bar Admissions

  • State of Maryland, 2005
  • Virginia Supreme Court, 2007
  • United State District Court, Western District of Virginia, 2007
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 2007

Associations

  • Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Board of Directors since 2014)
  • Charlottesville Albemarle Bar Association

Published Cases

  • Crawford vs. Commonwealth, 281 Va. 84, 704 S.E.2d 107 (2011)

Bruce Williamson

Bruce R. Williamson, Jr., New York University, B.A. 1974 (Phi Beta Kappa), and University of Virginia School of Law , J.D. 1978, has practiced law in Charlottesville since 1979, chiefly in criminal trials and appeals.

Mr. Williamson has served as President of the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (VACDL), the Charlottesville-Albemarle Bar Association, and the Charlottesville Area Criminal Bar Association and is a Life Member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). He served as a Substitute Judge for the 16th Judicial District of Virginia from 1988 to 2000. As an adjunct member of the faculty of the University of Virginia School of Law, Mr. Williamson taught Trial Advocacy and served as Director of the Criminal Defense Clinic.

Mr. Williamson’s practice is limited to criminal defense.

Bar Admissions

  • Virginia

Associations

  • Charlottesville-Albemarle Bar Association
  • Charlottesville Albemarle Criminal Bar Association
  • Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
  • National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Anthony Martin

Anthony Martin graduated with distinction from Virginia Military Insitute in 1996 with a B.A. in History and earned his J.D. (cum laude) from Michigan State’s Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2000. He was admitted to practice in Virginia in April 2001.

Anthony began practicing law as an associate attorney with Eggleston & Thelen, P.C. from 2001 through 2005, where he was engaged in general practice (criminal, civil, guardian at litem, etc.). From 2005 through 2011, Anthony was an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Amherst County where he prosecuted felonies and misdemeanors such as homicides, sexual assault, drug and firearm cases as well as handled all civil forfeiture matters.

Anthony was elected Commonwealth’s Attorney in Nelson County in November 2011 and served until February 2016. He successfully prosecuted one of the first “no-body” homicide cases in Virginia in recent decades – Commonwealth v. Randy Taylor in 2014.

In April 2015, he received the Fraud Fighter’s Award from the Virginia State Police, which recognizes those individuals who set the standard for fighting insurance fraud in Virginia.

Anthony joined Lepold & Freed in March 2016. His practice at Lepold & Freed focuses on criminal & traffic cases, family law, guardianship for children and incapacitated adults, as well as personal injury matters.

Bar Admissions

  • Virginia

Associations

  • Charlottesville-Albemarle Bar Association
  • Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Daniel Zijerdi

Armin Daniel Zijerdi graduated from the University of Virginia in 2006 with a B.A. in Political Theory, and a B.A. in Psychology. He graduated from the William and Mary School of Law in 2010. After law school he began working for the Charlottesville Public Defender’s Office. During the five years that he practiced law as a public defender, Daniel handled hundreds of complex criminal cases with many successful outcomes. Daniel has been very involved in the local justice system, and has served on the Drug Court Advisory Board, the Jefferson Area Community Criminal Justice Board, and the Thomas Jefferson Inn of Court. He is trilingual, with fluency in Spanish and Farsi. His area of expertise is primarily criminal law.

Bar Admissions

  • Virginia Supreme Court – 2010

Associations

  • Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
  • Charlottesville/Albemarle Bar Association