72/100LFR Score
Ranked #1 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 304 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Emergency Criminal Defense Lawyers in Portsmouth, VA (2026)
Top 50 of 163 criminal defense lawyers, in emergency orderUpdated 0 paid placements in this rankingHow we rank
25 of the 50 criminal defense lawyers on this list post 24/7 hours. 24/7 law firms come first, then same-day, each ranked by LFR Score with availability weighted higher.
If you or someone you know is arrested: you can stay silent and ask for a lawyer before answering questions. Calls from jail are usually recorded, so do not discuss the facts of the case on them.
The short answer
- 1
#1 for emergency criminal defense in Portsmouth: Driving Defense Law, open 24/7.
Rankings can't be bought. Lawyers can't pay to change their rank or score. How we rank
Top emergency criminal defense lawyers in Portsmouth at a glance
Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.
| Rank | Business | LFR Score | Google rating | Based in | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Driving Defense Law | 72 | 4.9★ (304) | Norfolk, 1 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 2 | Anthony Montagna, III, a Partner at Montagna Law | 72 | 5.0★ (225) | Norfolk, 1 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 3 | Welch & Wright, PLLC | 71 | 4.9★ (209) | Norfolk, 2 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 4 | Dorsk Law Office, Plc | 71 | 4.8★ (169) | Norfolk, 1 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 5 | The Law Office of Peter John Louie | 71 | 5.0★ (439) | Virginia Beach, 13 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 6 | Cole Roberts Attorney with the Decker Law firm Criminal/Traffic Defense | 70 | 5.0★ (107) | Norfolk, 1 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 7 | The Law Office of Robert L. Wegman, PLC | 68 | 4.8★ (104) | Chesapeake, 9 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 8 | McCormack & McCormack | 68 | 4.8★ (129) | Virginia Beach, 13 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 9 | Hampton Roads Law Group, PLC | 67 | 4.7★ (49) | Chesapeake, 7 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 10 | Virginia Criminal & DUI Defense Group | 67 | 4.8★ (22) | Norfolk, 1 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
Call an emergency criminal defense lawyer in Portsmouth now
24-hour hours mean the firm lists itself as open around the clock on Google; that does not show its phone is answered. A lawyer may not be able to visit a jail or appear in court the same day: ask what they can do now and what it costs before you agree.
- #1Call (757) 929-0335
Open 24/7 · 4.9 from 304 Google reviews
- #2Call (757) 625-3500
#2Anthony Montagna, III, a Partner at Montagna Law
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 225 Google reviews
- #3Call (757) 707-8803
Open 24/7 · 4.9 from 209 Google reviews
- #4Call (757) 423-0271
Open 24/7 · 4.8 from 169 Google reviews
- #5Call (757) 384-4357
#5The Law Office of Peter John Louie
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 439 Google reviews
- #6Call (757) 622-3317
#6Cole Roberts Attorney with the Decker Law firm Criminal/Traffic Defense
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 107 Google reviews
- #7Call (757) 482-5205
#7The Law Office of Robert L. Wegman, PLC
Open 24/7 · 4.8 from 104 Google reviews
- #8Call (757) 463-7224
Open 24/7 · 4.8 from 129 Google reviews
The 50 emergency criminal defense lawyers in Portsmouth, ranked
24/7 first, then same-day service, then the rest. Each group is in LFR Score order on emergency weights. The full ranking of all 163 is on the criminal defense lawyers page.
Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.
Scores below: based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected. Hatched segments mark factors we don't have yet.
Based in Norfolk, 1 mi away
72/100LFR ScoreRanked #2 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 225 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Norfolk, 2 mi away
71/100LFR ScoreRanked #3 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 209 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Norfolk, 1 mi away
71/100LFR ScoreRanked #4 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 169 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Virginia Beach, 13 mi away
71/100LFR ScoreRanked #5 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 439 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Norfolk, 1 mi away
70/100LFR ScoreRanked #6 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 107 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Chesapeake, 9 mi away
68/100LFR ScoreRanked #7 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 104 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Virginia Beach, 13 mi away
68/100LFR ScoreRanked #8 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 129 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Chesapeake, 7 mi away
67/100LFR ScoreRanked #9 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.7★ from 49 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Norfolk, 1 mi away
67/100LFR ScoreRanked #10 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 22 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Norfolk, 1 mi away
67/100LFR ScoreRanked #11 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 18 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Virginia Beach, 9 mi away
67/100LFR ScoreRanked #12 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 51 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Virginia Beach, 9 mi away
66/100LFR ScoreRanked #13 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 30 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Newport News, 20 mi away
65/100LFR ScoreRanked #14 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 45 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Norfolk, 1 mi away
64/100LFR ScoreRanked #15 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 3 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Norfolk, 1 mi away
64/100LFR ScoreRanked #16 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.8★ from 611 Google reviews.
#17 The 2071 Law
Based in Virginia Beach, 17 mi away
63/100LFR ScoreRanked #17 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 16 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Newport News, 21 mi away
63/100LFR ScoreRanked #18 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 21 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Virginia Beach, 16 mi away
60/100LFR ScoreRanked #19 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.9★ from 321 Google reviews.
Based in Norfolk, 1 mi away
59/100LFR ScoreRanked #20 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 44 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Personal injury attorney”.
Based in Suffolk, 17 mi away
59/100LFR ScoreRanked #21 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.7★ from 287 Google reviews.
#22 Larry King Law
Based in Newport News, 20 mi away
58/100LFR ScoreRanked #22 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.9★ from 249 Google reviews.
Based in Virginia Beach, 8 mi away
58/100LFR ScoreRanked #23 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 49 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Personal injury attorney”.
Based in Virginia Beach, 9 mi away
58/100LFR ScoreRanked #24 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 55 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Personal injury attorney”.
Based in Hampton, 14 mi away
57/100LFR ScoreRanked #25 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 73 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Personal injury attorney”.
Top 50 of 163 criminal defense lawyers by emergency score
#1 to #25 are shown in full above. Here are #26 to #50, in LFR Score order; each links to its profile.
How we ranked emergency criminal defense lawyers in Portsmouth
Emergency lists move 10 points of the LFR Score from reputation to availability: 15% and 15%. Availability credits 24/7 hours, same-day service, weekend hours and weekly open hours. 24/7 criminal defense lawyers are listed first, then same-day, then the rest; ranks follow that order. Paid placement never changes a rank.
Paid placement never changes a rank or score. Attorney advertising businesses are paid, labelled, limited to 3 and shown above the ranking, outside it.
| Factor | Weight | Computed from |
|---|---|---|
| Reputation | 15% | Google star rating, adjusted for how many reviews back it |
| Bar status | 10% | An active bar or law society record matched to a lawyer at the firm (not measured until a record source is loaded) |
| Review volume | 10% | Number of Google reviews, compared with the most-reviewed firm on the list |
| Recency | 10% | Share of reviews from the last 12 months |
| Availability | 15% | Weekly office hours, Saturday, Sunday, and phones answered 24/7 |
| Practice focus | 15% | How clearly the firm practises this area (its Google category and name) |
| Proximity | 5% | An office in the city scores highest, less the farther away it is |
| Claimed profile | 10% | The firm has claimed its Law Firms Ranked profile (free and paid earn the same) |
| Law Firms Ranked reviews | 10% | Verified client reviews collected by Law Firms Ranked: their rating and how many there are |
Emergency criminal defense lawyers in Portsmouth: questions
Which criminal defense lawyers in Portsmouth are open 24/7?
25 on this list post 24/7 hours, including Driving Defense Law, Anthony Montagna, III, a Partner at Montagna Law, Welch & Wright, PLLC, Dorsk Law Office, Plc and The Law Office of Peter John Louie.
Who is ranked #1 for emergency criminal defense in Portsmouth, VA?
Driving Defense Law is #1, with an LFR Score of 72 out of 100 on emergency weights.
How are emergency criminal defense lawyers in Portsmouth ranked?
Emergency lists move 10 points of the LFR Score from reputation to availability: 15% and 15%. Availability credits 24/7 hours, same-day service, weekend hours and weekly open hours. 24/7 criminal defense lawyers are listed first, then same-day, then the rest; ranks follow that order. Paid placement never changes a rank.
What should I do before the criminal defense lawyer arrives?
If you or someone you know is arrested: you can stay silent and ask for a lawyer before answering questions. Calls from jail are usually recorded, so do not discuss the facts of the case on them.
How many emergency criminal defense lawyers here list a phone number?
25 of the 25 law firms ranked in full list a phone number. Tap Call to dial it.
Update log for Portsmouth
- November 2026: LFR Scores recalculated for 163 criminal defense lawyers serving Portsmouth.