Court level
34 % District · 66 % Circuit
David A Downes
Defense counsel of record in 65 Virginia cases (2025)
Cases of record · 202565
David A Downes appeared as defense counsel of record in 65 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.
Primary jurisdiction
Shenandoah County · 35 cases
Most common charge
Weapons Offense · 8
Across 36 resolved 2025 cases, 61% were dropped — 13 nolle prossed and 9 dismissed.
Case outcomes
Resolved cases — 36 of 65. "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 14 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, how many pled and how many went to trial.
Pled guilty
14100%
Resolved by guilty plea — no trial.
Went to trial
00%
0 acquittals · 0 convictions at trial.
Top charge — Weapons Offense
David A Downes's most common charge category in 2025 (8 cases of record · 5 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 Weapons Offense page for jurisdiction-wide context.
Cases like yours
David A Downes'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weapons Offense | Shenandoah County | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Drug Possession | Shenandoah County | 3 | 0 | 3 |
See also
Weapons Offense outcomes in Shenandoah County — every attorney's 2025 outcomes for Weapons Offense cases in Shenandoah 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.
74/55 Sp
1
Where cases were heard
Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.
| Jurisdiction | Cases | District | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shenandoah County | 35 | 6 | 29 |
| Clarke County | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| Fauquier County | 8 | 3 | 5 |
| Page County | 8 | 3 | 5 |
| Orange County | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Fairfax County | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Frederick County | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Case mix by charge
Charge categories David A Downes appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.
| Charge category | Cases | Resolved | Convicted | Dropped | Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 35 | 16 | 3 | 13 | 0 |
| Weapons Offense | 8 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Drug Possession | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Murder / Manslaughter | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Obstruction | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Traffic Infraction | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| DUI / DWI | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Drug Distribution | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Larceny / Theft | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Reckless Driving | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Other attorneys with cases in Shenandoah County
Listed by case volume in Shenandoah County, 2025.
| Attorney | Shenandoah County cases | Total (statewide) |
|---|---|---|
| Charles Ramsey | 479 | 480 |
| Aaron Burgin | 450 | 480 |
| Dragana Mccleary | 444 | 447 |
| Charles B Ramsey | 407 | 407 |
| Robert Keefer | 381 | 399 |
| Aaron M Burgin | 292 | 295 |
| Kerry Armentrout | 157 | 206 |
| William B; Iii Allen | 68 | 71 |
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.
David A Downes appeared as defense counsel of record in 65 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 22 in District Court and 43 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Shenandoah County, with 35 of 65 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in David A Downes's case record was Weapons Offense (8 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 36 resolved cases: 36% convicted of original charge (13), 61% dropped (22 = 13 nolle prossed + 9 dismissed), 3% reduced to a lesser charge (1), 0% acquitted (0). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
Of 14 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, 14 (100%) resolved by guilty plea and 0 (0%) went to trial — 0 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 Shenandoah 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. "David A Downes — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/david-a-downes. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.
Data last refreshed May 2, 2026. Refreshed quarterly.