Yancey Ellis
Managing partner of Carmichael Ellis & Brock and an experienced criminal defense attorney who represents individuals facing serious criminal allegations.
Yancey Ellis is the managing partner of Carmichael Ellis & Brock and an experienced criminal defense attorney who represents individuals facing serious criminal allegations in Virginia courts and beyond. His practice is grounded in extensive courtroom experience and a career dedicated to defending individuals against government prosecution.
“My career is dedicated to defending those accused.”
Yancey brings a distinctive combination of experience as a military defense attorney, public defender, prosecutor, and private criminal defense lawyer. Throughout his career, he has represented thousands of individuals facing a broad range of criminal allegations, including violent offenses, drug crimes, sexual assault, fraud, embezzlement, robbery, obstruction, and other serious charges.
Experience
Before joining Carmichael Ellis & Brock, Yancey served as an attorney with the Alexandria Public Defender's Office, where he defended nearly 2,000 clients against criminal charges. His experience included serious felony cases as well as extensive litigation involving DWI, DUI, and reckless driving matters. He has also pursued appeals before the Court of Appeals of Virginia and the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Prior to his work as a public defender, Yancey served as an attorney in the United States Marine Corps. Although his military experience included work as a prosecutor and law-of-war advisor, much of his service was dedicated to military defense. He represented hundreds of Marines and Sailors accused of serious offenses, securing favorable outcomes for his clients, including multiple full acquittals.
Today, Yancey also leads the firm's work assisting military service members and veterans with their unique legal needs. His firsthand military experience gives him a particularly deep understanding of the legal, professional, and personal consequences that criminal allegations can have for service members and veterans.
EDUCATION
- J.D., cum laude George Mason University School of Law
- Graduated in the top 15% of his law school class
- B.S. in Finance, magna cum laude West Virginia University
- Served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia during his third year of law school
MILITARY & PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION
- Named U.S. Marine Corps Defense Counsel of the Year for the Western United States in 2009
- Continues to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves
- Teaches litigation skills to active-duty military defense attorneys
- Graduated in the top 10% of his class at The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia
- Graduated second in his class at the Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island
ADMISSIONS
- Virginia, 2005
- U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Trial Judiciary, 2006
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, 2015
- Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 2019
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, 2017
Hiring Yancey Ellis was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for my family’s legal issue. He is by far the most passionate lawyer I’ve ever encountered — zealous, aggressive when needed, and fully dedicated to giving us the strongest defense possible. From start to finish, it was clear that he cared deeply about his craft, his profession, and providing us with the absolute best representation.
What stood out just as much was the respect he commanded in the courtroom. Even bail bondsmen and court clerks recognized him and noted how he consistently makes prosecutors work hard. That gave me incredible confidence in knowing we had the right person on our side. To this day, I remain blown away by his skill, humility, and thoughtfulness.
I only hope he’ll still be available if I ever need his services again — though I wouldn’t be surprised to see him rise to even higher levels in his career, which would be well deserved. I highly recommend Yancey Ellis without hesitation.