Court level
52 % District · 48 % Circuit
David Whaley
Defense counsel of record in 458 Virginia cases (2025)
Cases of record · 2025458
David Whaley appeared as defense counsel of record in 458 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.
Primary jurisdiction
Henrico County · 129 cases
Most common charge
Weapons Offense · 95
Across 284 resolved 2025 cases, 59% were dropped — 133 nolle prossed and 35 dismissed.
Case outcomes
Resolved cases — 284 of 458. "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 116 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, how many pled and how many went to trial.
Pled guilty
10389%
Resolved by guilty plea — no trial.
Went to trial
1311%
9 acquittals · 4 convictions at trial.
Trial acquittal rate
69%
9 of 13 trial verdicts ended in acquittal.
Top charge — Weapons Offense
David Whaley's most common charge category in 2025 (95 cases of record · 55 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 Whaley'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 | Richmond City | 28 | 7 | 21 |
| Weapons Offense | Henrico County | 22 | 16 | 6 |
| Larceny / Theft | Henrico County | 19 | 16 | 3 |
| Drug Possession | Henrico County | 9 | 5 | 4 |
| Drug Possession | Chesterfield County | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Weapons Offense | Chesterfield County | 7 | 6 | 1 |
| Weapons Offense | Dinwiddie County | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Weapons Offense | Petersburg | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Weapons Offense | Buckingham County | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Drug Possession | Petersburg | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Fraud / Forgery | Henrico County | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Kidnapping / Abduction | Amelia County | 4 | 4 | 0 |
Each row links to David Whaley's charge × jurisdiction page where outcomes for that combination are visible site-wide.
Reduction targets
When the original charge was reduced, the case was most often resolved as one of the following lesser charges.
Drug Possession (Schedule I/II)
4
Assault & Battery
3
Possession with Intent (Schedule I/II)
3
Elude/Disregard Police-Misd.
2
Felon Poss Wpn/Ammo (Not Gun)
2
Nonviolent Felon Poss Gun >10Y
2
Petit Larceny
2
Assault & Battery
1
Where cases were heard
Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.
| Jurisdiction | Cases | District | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henrico County | 129 | 77 | 52 |
| Richmond City | 88 | 29 | 59 |
| Chesterfield County | 48 | 46 | 2 |
| Buckingham County | 31 | 13 | 18 |
| Hanover County | 21 | 14 | 7 |
| Nottoway County | 20 | 12 | 8 |
| Amelia County | 19 | 17 | 2 |
| Petersburg | 18 | 6 | 12 |
| Dinwiddie County | 16 | 4 | 12 |
Case mix by charge
Charge categories David Whaley appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.
| Charge category | Cases | Resolved | Convicted | Dropped | Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 217 | 120 | 30 | 69 | 18 |
| Weapons Offense | 95 | 55 | 10 | 32 | 8 |
| Drug Possession | 31 | 18 | 3 | 13 | 2 |
| Larceny / Theft | 25 | 21 | 7 | 13 | 1 |
| Traffic Infraction | 14 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Assault & Battery | 10 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Fraud / Forgery | 8 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Murder / Manslaughter | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Obstruction | 7 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Robbery | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Other attorneys with cases in Henrico County
Listed by case volume in Henrico County, 2025.
| Attorney | Henrico County cases | Total (statewide) |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Bain | 999 | 1,032 |
| Nikita Wolf | 906 | 1,425 |
| Jeff Everhart | 903 | 941 |
| Wes Simon | 902 | 951 |
| James Mclemore | 898 | 989 |
| Ben Shute | 834 | 857 |
| Nat Moger | 816 | 816 |
| Rob Windle | 807 | 828 |
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 Whaley appeared as defense counsel of record in 458 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 238 in District Court and 220 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Henrico County, with 129 of 458 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in David Whaley's case record was Weapons Offense (95 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 284 resolved cases: 24% convicted of original charge (68), 59% dropped (168 = 133 nolle prossed + 35 dismissed), 14% reduced to a lesser charge (39), 3% acquitted (9). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
Of 116 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, 103 (89%) resolved by guilty plea and 13 (11%) went to trial — 9 acquittals and 4 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 Henrico 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 Whaley — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/david-whaley. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.
Data last refreshed May 2, 2026. Refreshed quarterly.