Court level
71 % District · 29 % Circuit
Ben Thurman
Defense counsel of record in 38 Virginia cases (2025)
Cases of record · 202538
Ben Thurman appeared as defense counsel of record in 38 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.
Primary jurisdiction
Alleghany County · 26 cases
Most common charge
Drug Possession · 3
Case outcomes
Resolved cases — 33 of 38. "Resolved" means a final disposition was reached. Pending cases and probation revocations are excluded.
Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology. Convicted = guilty disposition on originally filed charge. Reduced = guilty disposition with non-empty amended charge. Dropped = nolle prosequi or dismissal. Acquitted = found not guilty at trial.
Plea vs trial
Of 19 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, how many pled and how many went to trial.
Pled guilty
1789%
Resolved by guilty plea — no trial.
Went to trial
211%
1 acquittals · 1 convictions at trial.
Reduction targets
When the original charge was reduced, the case was most often resolved as one of the following lesser charges.
84/70 Sp
2
44/25 Sp
1
44/35 Sp
1
Improper Driving
1
Improper Driving
1
Where cases were heard
Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.
| Jurisdiction | Cases | District | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alleghany County | 26 | 22 | 4 |
| Buena Vista | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Rockbridge County | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Bath County | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Case mix by charge
Charge categories Ben Thurman appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.
| Charge category | Cases | Resolved | Convicted | Dropped | Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 11 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Traffic Infraction | 11 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Drug Possession | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Reckless Driving | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Assault & Battery | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| DUI / DWI | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Failure to Appear | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Obstruction | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Property Destruction | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Weapons Offense | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Other attorneys with cases in Alleghany County
Listed by case volume in Alleghany County, 2025.
| Attorney | Alleghany County cases | Total (statewide) |
|---|---|---|
| Taylor Baker | 520 | 875 |
| Daniel Mowry | 179 | 240 |
| Craig Leisure | 157 | 338 |
| Michael Collins | 154 | 169 |
| Steve Wills | 142 | 148 |
| Stephen Wills | 139 | 222 |
| Don Burks | 134 | 244 |
| James Doss | 129 | 193 |
What this data does not show
- Retained matters not of court record — cases settled before formal counsel of record was entered
- Federal court cases — state-court records only
- Case facts, evidence quality, witness cooperation, or client circumstances
- Plea-versus-trial strategy, motion practice, or sentencing advocacy
- Quality of legal representation
- The 19th Judicial Circuit (Fairfax County, Fairfax City, Falls Church) Circuit Court is not in CIS — district-level cases for those three jurisdictions are included; circuit-level are not. See coverage notes.
Outcomes reflect the recorded facts of cases, not the quality of advocacy. Past outcomes do not predict future case results. For legal advice, consult a licensed Virginia attorney.
Common questions
Quick reference for journalists, researchers, and AI assistants citing this page.
Ben Thurman appeared as defense counsel of record in 38 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 27 in District Court and 11 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Alleghany County, with 26 of 38 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in Ben Thurman's case record was Drug Possession (3 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 33 resolved cases: 36% convicted of original charge (12), 42% dropped (14 = 5 nolle prossed + 9 dismissed), 18% reduced to a lesser charge (6), 3% acquitted (1). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
Of 19 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, 17 (89%) resolved by guilty plea and 2 (11%) went to trial — 1 acquittals and 1 convictions at trial.
Virginia District Court Information System (DCIS) and Circuit Court Information System (CIS), 2025 calendar year, direct extraction. Aggregated by defense counsel of record per the methodology. Refreshed quarterly. Last updated May 2, 2026.
Looking for representation in Alleghany County? See VCF's free case-review process — qualified Virginia attorneys, matched on your charge and jurisdiction. Independent of any attorney featured on this page.
Methodology
Cases are counted by defense counsel of record as recorded in DCIS (district) and CIS (circuit). Outcomes use the strict definitions published at virginiacourtfile.com/methodology. Resolved includes only cases with final disposition codes (Guilty, Not Guilty, Dismissed, Nolle Prosequi). Convicted is a guilty disposition on the originally filed charge with no amended charge. Reduced is a guilty disposition with a non-empty amended charge field. Dropped combines Dismissed and Nolle Prosequi. Pending cases, certifications, and probation revocations are excluded from the outcome rates above.
Citation
VirginiaCourtFile.com. "Ben Thurman — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/ben-thurman. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.
Data last refreshed May 2, 2026. Refreshed quarterly.