About Mitchell
Mitchell Wells built a path from public service to private practice that reads like a steady climb through Virginia’s legal and law enforcement communities. He studied economics and business at Virginia Military Institute, earned a master’s in public administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, and completed his law degree at the College of William and Mary.
He began his career outside the courtroom. In 1994 he served as a Virginia State Trooper. That time on the road and at crash scenes shaped how he views evidence and procedure. It also gave him firsthand exposure to the kinds of cases that later came across his desk as a lawyer.
After law school he moved into public law. In 2005 he held a position as an Assistant Attorney General in the Virginia Attorney General’s Office. The role included handling government-side legal work and advising on criminal matters. It also gave him courtroom experience in state-level prosecutions and administrative hearings.
He later entered private practice and now is part of Riley & Wells Lawyers-At-Law. His private work has involved trial work and appellate matters. He has represented clients in state courts and in federal forums, and he draws on years of government and enforcement experience when preparing cases.
Wells is authorized to practice in Virginia and holds admissions in several federal jurisdictions, including the Fourth Circuit and both the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia. Those admissions allow him to handle appeals and federal trial practice for clients who face charges or civil litigation that cross state and federal lines.
He is active in professional organizations related to criminal defense. He maintains memberships in the National College for DUI Defense, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Those affiliations keep him connected to developments in DUI law and broader criminal-defense practice.
Colleagues describe his approach as methodical. He relies on investigative habits from his policing days and on procedural knowledge gained in the Attorney General’s Office. Courtroom work, both at trial and on appeal, remains central to how he spends his time.
He currently practices at Riley & Wells Lawyers-At-Law, focusing on criminal defense work in state and federal courts.
