Court level
31 % District · 69 % Circuit
Catherine O'Brien
Defense counsel of record in 264 Virginia cases (2025)
Cases of record · 2025264
Catherine O'Brien appeared as defense counsel of record in 264 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.
Primary jurisdiction
Washington County · 109 cases
Most common charge
Larceny / Theft · 31
Case outcomes
Resolved cases — 99 of 264. "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 58 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, how many pled and how many went to trial.
Pled guilty
5391%
Resolved by guilty plea — no trial.
Went to trial
59%
5 acquittals · 0 convictions at trial.
Trial acquittal rate
100%
5 of 5 trial verdicts ended in acquittal.
Top charge — Larceny / Theft
Catherine O'Brien's most common charge category in 2025 (31 cases of record · 7 resolved). Outcomes use the same definitions as the overall view.
Acquittals are tracked at the overall level — the top-charge view shows the three primary disposition paths. See the Larceny / Theft page for jurisdiction-wide context.
Cases like yours
Catherine O'Brien's most common charge × jurisdiction combinations in 2025. If your charge and county appear here, this attorney has handled cases like yours specifically — at the volume shown. Minimum 3 cases per row.
| Charge | Jurisdiction | Cases | District | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Larceny | Russell County | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| Larceny / Theft | Russell County | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| Larceny / Theft | Washington County | 14 | 11 | 3 |
| Drug Possession | Washington County | 12 | 6 | 6 |
| Drug Possession | Bristol | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Failure to Appear | Washington County | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| Assault & Battery | Bristol | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Failure to Appear | Bristol | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Obstruction | Washington County | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Driving Suspended | Washington County | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Weapons Offense | Washington County | 3 | 3 | 0 |
See also
Grand Larceny outcomes in Russell County — every attorney's 2025 outcomes for Grand Larceny cases in Russell County, using the same definitions as above.
Reduction targets
When the original charge was reduced, the case was most often resolved as one of the following lesser charges.
Destruction Of Property (Misd.)
1
Drive Suspended
1
Fleeing From Law Enforcement
1
Misd. Offender Esc W/O Violence
1
Poss Of Fentanyl & Meth
1
Where cases were heard
Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.
| Jurisdiction | Cases | District | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County | 109 | 51 | 58 |
| Russell County | 59 | 0 | 59 |
| Bristol | 58 | 32 | 26 |
| Smyth County | 36 | 0 | 36 |
| Grayson County | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Scott County | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Case mix by charge
Charge categories Catherine O'Brien appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.
| Charge category | Cases | Resolved | Convicted | Dropped | Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 141 | 49 | 20 | 26 | 3 |
| Larceny / Theft | 31 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Drug Possession | 22 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Grand Larceny | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Failure to Appear | 15 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Weapons Offense | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Obstruction | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Assault & Battery | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Driving Suspended | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Trespassing | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Other attorneys with cases in Washington County
Listed by case volume in Washington County, 2025.
| Attorney | Washington County cases | Total (statewide) |
|---|---|---|
| Johnny Rosenbaum | 194 | 396 |
| Stephanie Pease | 168 | 375 |
| Chris Johnson | 135 | 267 |
| Jimmie Hess | 134 | 193 |
| David Childers | 124 | 263 |
| Matthew Felty | 84 | 109 |
| Chip Barker | 82 | 159 |
| Michaela Pannell | 73 | 96 |
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.
Catherine O'Brien appeared as defense counsel of record in 264 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 83 in District Court and 181 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Washington County, with 109 of 264 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in Catherine O'Brien's case record was Larceny / Theft (31 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 99 resolved cases: 48% convicted of original charge (48), 41% dropped (41 = 34 nolle prossed + 7 dismissed), 5% reduced to a lesser charge (5), 5% acquitted (5). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
Of 58 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, 53 (91%) resolved by guilty plea and 5 (9%) went to trial — 5 acquittals and 0 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 Washington 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. "Catherine O'Brien — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/catherine-obrien-washington-county. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.
Data last refreshed May 2, 2026. Refreshed quarterly.