Kevin D. Mills is the founding attorney of The Criminal Law Center and has been practicing in the area of criminal defense for his entire 30+ year career. After obtaining his Commonwealth of Virginia general education degree (GED), he received degrees from Radford College (BA) and the West Virginia University College of Law (JD). While in law school he served an 18 month internship with United States Justice Department working at the Kennedy Correctional Center in Morgantown, West Virginia. After graduation, he learned the practice of criminal law working as an associate with attorneys John Flowers Mark, William B. Moffitt, and Nina Ginsberg in the Alexandria, Virginia, firm Mark and Moffitt. In 1989, he accepted a position as a public defender in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and continued concentrating his law practice in the area of criminal defense. In 1991, he founded Kevin D. Mills and Associates, PLLC, which is still today the entity that guides and owns The Criminal Law Center. Having concentrated his practice in criminal defense law since law school and throughout his career, he has tried over 50 jury trials. His benchmark case was a homicide first-degree murder case where it was alleged that the decedent was shot five times in the back by Mills’ client. The State of West Virginia called renowned forensic scientist Henry Lee among many other witnesses. Mills’s cross examination of Henry Lee was key in the jury’s return of a not guilty verdict in less than two hours. Mills has handled a variety of other jury and bench trials as well as thousands of criminal cases involving DUI and driving offenses, sexual offenses, white-collar offenses, and crimes of violence, as well as winning acquittals in each of these areas of the criminal law. Kevin was born in Queens, New York, and grew up on a variety of Marine Corps bases on the East Coast as the son of a U.S. Marine Corps family. He is a grateful father of four, married to the love of his life Laura Lee Mills for the past 23 years, and is happily sharing time with her and his children between Martinsburg, West Virginia, and the nearest beach.

Tenacious, bold, and passionate, Emily Hawk Mills puts her unwavering work ethic to use for her clients and her community. A tireless advocate for victims of crime, personal injury, trucking and automobile accidents, and other injustices, Ms. Mills has secured justice for hundreds of clients. Emily is also an advocate for children whose parents refuse to pay child support and has assisted many families through the challenges of divorce. As the daughter of a teacher, Emily Mills has worked tirelessly for the rights of educators. Emily received her law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1999, and while there, served as a student editor of the Alabama Law and Psychology Review, was inducted into Bench and Bar Legal Honor Society and was a member of the Student Bar Association. As an undergraduate at Jacksonville State University, she served as student government president, president of her sorority and was named Young Women of the Year in Calhoun County. She is a member of the Etowah County Bar Association, Alabama Bar Association, Alabama Association for Justice, and the American Association for Justice. She serves on various committees related to the legal profession. She is a member of the Board of Governors for the American Association for Justice and a board member for the National College of Advocacy. Emily’s community service has included board of directors’ work with YMCA Alabama State Youth and Government, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, YMCA of the Coosa Valley, Rose Haven Center for Domestic Violence, Mental Health Association, Etowah County United Way and others. Ms. Mills is currently serving as a board member for the CED Mental Health Center for Etowah, Dekalb and Cherokee Counties. The Board of Directors of the American Bar Foundation has invited Emily Hawk Mills to become a Fellow of the ABF. This is an honorary society of lawyers and jurists and limited to the top one percent of lawyers admitted to practice in the United States and its territories and to a limited number of lawyers in jurisdictions outside the U.S. Recognized as the premier institute in the United States, the ABF conducts cutting-edge, interdisciplinary, empirical research that addresses critical questions at the intersection of law and society. Emily will tell you her greatest achievement is her family: her husband, son, and two chosen daughters.

While serving as the Firm’s Managing Partner, John has concentrated his practice in in the area of finance – relating to commercial real estate, commercial and industrial collateral, equity and venture capital funding and municipal bond issues. John has been involved in transactions, ranging from less than $1 million to complex transactions exceeding $150 million, on behalf of numerous national and regional lending institutions which provide construction and permanent financing for all types and sizes of projects and purposes, as well as credit facilities for municipal bonds. He has served as bond counsel to a number of municipal issuers, as underwriter’s counsel on a variety of transactions and as developer’s counsel for properties such as shopping malls, hotels, multi-family housing projects, retail strip centers and office buildings. ? John’s varied experience also includes structuring various business organizations, preparing and negotiating documents for investment, equity financings, advertising, e-commerce and general business transactions. John preceded his legal career as an elementary special education teacher and, when he’s not managing the Firm or working on a financing transaction, John enjoys golf, exercise, music and spending time with his family.

James ?Jake? Minick devotes his practice to helping and defending individuals charged with Driving While Impaired. ?Most of my clients charged with DWI have never been in trouble before and are dealing with the social stigma associated with this crime. We help these clients get their lives back on track and remind them that this arrest is not going to be what defines them as a person.? James is a General Member of the National College for DUI Defense and regularly writes about, speaks on, and attends conferences related to DWI. Minick Law P.C. has offices in Asheville, Charlotte, Gastonia, Waynesville, and Wilmington. James and his beautiful wife Laura have seven children.

Laura M. Miranda Counselor At Law Graduate of Cornell Law, JD '89, Cornell University School of Arts & Sciences, AB ‘86 For the past 34 years, Ms. Miranda has effectively defended cases including DWI, Murder, Manslaughter, Criminal Negligent Homicide, Vehicular Assault/Homicide, Gang Assault, Assault, Drug Trafficking, Conspiracy, Weapons, Sex Crimes, Burglary, Robbery, Larceny, and White Collar crimes. Although her law firms are in NYC, 1 block North of the World Trade Center, & in PR, Ms. Miranda has sued & deposed in Guadalajara, Mexico; defended clients in CT, MA, NJ & PA, state courts, & PR Federal District Court. Admitted: NYS 1st Dep't., NYS Eastern, Southern, & Northern Federal District Courts; 1st & 3rd Circuit, Court of Appeals; Federal District Court of Puerto Rico (304804). CONSULTANT Fifteen (15) years of experience, Ms. Miranda has been hired by other law firms as a Consultant to assist in defending their clients. Ms. Miranda has advised on Voir Dire, Trial Strategies and Negotiated Plea-Bargains with Prosecutors on NY State & Federal felony cases. 2015 & 2009 PUBLICATIONS Ms. Miranda's expertise was also sought by Thomson Reuters when the publisher requested she write chapters for "Inside the Minds, DEFENDING DUI VEHICULAR HOMICIDE CASES" to advise trial lawyers. Both chapters Ms. Miranda submitted were published: "Checklist for Effective Representation on a DUI Vehicular Homicide" and "Selecting a Defense Strategy: Understanding the Charges, Analyzing the Evidence, and Always Considering Your Client." LECTURER - 28 YEARS Throughout the five (5) boroughs and upstate NY, including New York Law, Brooklyn Law, Fordham, Hofstra, and Cornell, Ms. Miranda has lectured on Criminal Defense practice. Likewise at the Brennan Center for Justice,“The Future of Social Justice Lawyering”; CUNY Law School, "Progressive approach to Defending a Criminal Case" and "Cross-Examination"; John Jay College, "Sex Abuse Crimes" and "Stop & Frisk"; Cornell Law School, "Legal Aid to NYS Supreme Court Clerkship to Private Practice, and "Race, Class & Gender"; Fordham Law School on "Sex Offenses"; NY County District Attorney's Office, Internship Program, "Defending the Criminal Case"; and New York Law School on "Motion Practice". LEGAL EXPERIENCE In 1989 after graduating from Cornell Law School, Ms. Miranda began living her teenage dream to be a Public Defender. The first seven (7) years of her career Ms. Miranda was a trial attorney at the NYC Legal Aid Society, Criminal Defense Division. She was also responsible for investigations, line-ups, grand jury presentations, legal memoranda, habeas writs, hearings, teaching interns and young attorneys the ropes. Ms. Miranda began lecturing on Criminal Defense in 1991 and has continued throughout her career. She was one of two (2) attorneys chosen for the first time to join management at the NYC Legal Aid Society, Criminal Defense Division, in recruiting attorneys. CLERKSHIP Due to Ms. Miranda 's litigation excellence she followed Legal Aid with a two (2) year clerkship in NYS Supreme Court, advising Judge Nicholas Figueroa on complex felony legal issues at pre-trial hearings and criminal trials. She drafted nine (9) legal decisions published in the NYLJ, two (2) in which evidence unlawfully obtained was not admitted against the accused at trial. Both decisions made the front page. As a Law Clerk, Ms. Miranda was also responsible for teaching legal interns and young attorneys criminal law and procedure, assigning legal issues for them to research and critiquing their memos of law. At her own law firms for the past 22 years, Ms. Miranda has defended serious and minor crimes, State and Federal, upholding her commitment to make a difference in how People of Color and Immigrants are treated and viewed by our society. Critically empowering her clients to have a voice, to stand up for themselves and others.