Jonathan (Jon) Van Hoven is the founding President of the Law Office of Jonathan P. Van Hoven, a firm that he started in 1994. He is well-experienced in litigation in the Federal, State, Administrative and Juvenile Courts. His area of practice is primarily focused at all levels of criminal defense, with a heavy concentration in serious criminal matters in both federal and state courts. He has successfully defended individuals charged in some of the most serious felony allegations in the Maryland jurisdiction, including those investigated and prosecuted in federal court for white collar crimes, major drug conspiracies, RICO investigations, weapons violations, wire fraud, Hobbs Act robberies, numerous immigration-related matters, and many other major felonies. He has successfully defended individuals in capital cases at the federal level. He was most recently honored as the 2017 recipient of the John Adams Award in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland for "extraordinary service as a member of the Maryland CJA panel."
Other areas of practice have included administrative matters (state and local), business incorporation, consumer complaints, contracts, domestic/family law, general civil litigation, juvenile court matters, labor law and landlord/tenant cases.
Jon has also served as a part-time faculty member in the Political Science Department at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) since 2006, instructing undergraduates in trial advocacy as well as its well-known Legal Internship Program.
Between 2001 and 2007, Jon was of counsel at two prominent and well-respected law firms in Baltimore County: Blibaum and Simons, P.A. and Sagal, Cassin, Quasney and Filbert, P.A. He was engaged in cases that involved criminal law-related issues, either as counsel to defendants or victim witnesses. He also worked as co-counsel in cases originating from own practice when legal matters more suitable to those firm’s area of concentration were involved.
While attending law school, Jon worked as a law clerk in the Felony Trial Division of the Maryland Office of The Public Defender for over two years. He graduated and passed the Maryland Bar at the age of 24 and continued his public service as an attorney for the Public Defender agency for five years ( Felony Trial Division 1991- 1993, District 1991, Juvenile Division 1988-1991).
Jon graduated from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) in 1985, earning a BA in Economics. While at UMBC, he was inducted into three academic honor societies: Omicron Delta Kappa (National Leadership Honor Society), Omicron Delta Epsilon (International Honor Society in Economics), and Pi Sigma Alpha (National Honor Society in Political Science). Active in student government throughout his college years, Jon also earned the Student Government Association Merit Award. He then went on to attend the University of Maryland School of Law, earning his JD degree in 1988.
Additionally, Jon completed the 40 hour certified mediation course with the Institute for Continuing Professional Education of Lawyers in 2004. He is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, the Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys Association (MCDAA) and Civil Justice, Inc. He also counsels new lawyers through the Maryland State Bar's Mentoring Program.
Bar Memberships include the Maryland Bar (Court of Appeals) since December 1988; the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, March 1989, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, March 1999.