His primary research interests are at the intersection of criminal law/procedure and jurisprudence, and are informed by his professional background. After graduating from law school, he was a law clerk for Judge James P. Jones, U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia, in Abingdon, VA. He then worked as a FBI Special Agent and Supervisory Special Agent in Charlottesville, VA, and Washington, D.C. After leaving government service, he completed an M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Virginia. His work at UVa focused on the moral limits of policing in the liberal tradition.