I Fight for People Who Cannot Fight for Themselves.
I have wanted to be a lawyer since I was a kid growing up in North Dakota. Not because it sounded important, but because I wanted to fight for people who could not fight for themselves. That has not changed.
The Path That Brought Me Here.
Five stops. Each one pushed me closer to the work I was always supposed to be doing.
Where it started.
I grew up in North Dakota. I wanted to be a lawyer since I was a kid — not because it sounded important, but because I wanted to fight for people who could not fight for themselves. That has not changed.
Howard University School of Law
Howard taught me what it means to lawyer for people the system was not built for. It shaped how I think about the law, who deserves a real defense, and what it means to show up.
Dorsey & Whitney LLP — Trial Group
After Howard I went to Dorsey and Whitney. Trial litigation, class actions, commercial disputes, M&A. I was good at it. I loved the people. But it was not where I was supposed to be.
Target Corporation — Associate Counsel
Target called. Employment Relations Division. Within a year, they slid a check across the table and asked me to leave quietly. They said I was not the right fit. That was the best thing that ever happened to me.
The Law Firm of Sellano L. Simmons, PLLC
I started my own practice and spent my career doing what I set out to do as a kid: fighting for the accused, the injured, the wronged, and the businesses under attack.
Why I Fight
“I watched a family member go to jail in Texas for a year because their lawyer showed up late, took all their money, and did not fight for them.”
That stays with me. It drives everything I do.
I have seen what happens when a lawyer treats your case like a number. When they plead you out because it is easier for them. When they meet you in the hallway and call you by the wrong name. I refuse to be that.
When I walk into a courtroom, I know the case better than anyone in the room. I know the law. I know the judge. And I know my client. That is not a marketing line. That is how I was trained, and that is how I work.
Over 50 Jury Trials. That Number Matters.
There are lawyers who have been practicing 30 or 40 years who have never tried 50 cases to verdict. I have. Murders. Federal cases. White collar. Drug and gun cases. Civil cases.
I have won. I have lost. I will tell you the truth: I have lost more than some lawyers will admit to. But even when I lose, my clients know I gave them everything. That is why they call back. That is why they refer people to me.
The number matters for one reason. When the other side knows you can try the case, the case settles differently. When a prosecutor knows you do not blink, they make different offers. When defense counsel in a civil case knows you have been in front of a jury 100 times, they think harder about going the distance.
The trial record is the leverage.
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"I'm just a dog when it comes to this."
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I’ve never been the smartest person in the room. I’ll tell you that straight. But nobody has outworked me. I get up early and go to bed late. I go to court when other lawyers are settling. I read the file when other lawyers are skimming. That is just who I am. It always has been.
Credentials and Affiliations
Education
- Howard University School of Law, J.D.
- Howard University, Bachelor of Arts
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia Bar
- Minnesota Bar
- Texas Bar (of counsel relationship in Texas)
Court Admissions
- D.C. Superior Court
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- D.C. Court of Appeals
- United States District Court for the District of Minnesota and Minnesota State Court
Professional Service
- Faculty, National Criminal Defense College
- Former Vice Chair, D.C. Bar Individual Rights Section (2019 and 2020)
- CJA Panel attorney, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Prior Experience
- Dorsey and Whitney LLP, Trial Group associate
- Target Corporation, Associate Counsel, Employment Relations Division
Media/Publications
- Featured on Democracy Now representing client Brian McGinnis
- The Nexus of Food Dye and Hyper Kids”; Law360; April 26, 2011
- “What’s in a Label: Food and Drug Administration Considers Nexus Between Food Color Additives and Hyperactivity in Children,” Dorsey and Whitney Products Liability News Alert; April 4, 2011
- Count Them Too, The Journal of Negro History, Vol. 85, 2000
Here is What Happens When You hire Me.
01
First, we talk.
You call. You tell me what is going on. I listen. I ask questions. I am honest with you about where things stand and what your options are. If I do not think I am the right lawyer for your case, I will tell you that too.
02
If we decide to work together, I get to work immediately.
I pull the case. I review every document. I learn the facts, the law, and the people involved. By the time we step into a courtroom, I know that case better than anybody else in the room.
03
I stay connected to you the entire time.
You are not going to chase me down for updates. You are not going to wonder what is happening with your case. I pick up the phone. I respond to your messages. Because when your life is on the line, you deserve to know that your attorney is on it.
04
I tell the truth about outcomes.
I will never tell you we are guaranteed to win. No honest lawyer can. I will tell you what the case looks like, what the realistic outcomes are, and what fighting will take. Then I will fight.
What I Handle
I represent the accused, the injured, the wronged, and the businesses under attack. The cases look different. The standard does not.
TAKE THE FIRST STEP
Let’s Talk.
If you are facing a serious legal fight and you want a trial attorney in your corner, the first step is a phone call.