Court level
55 % District · 45 % Circuit
John Goots
Defense counsel of record in 31 Virginia cases (2025)
Cases of record · 202531
John Goots appeared as defense counsel of record in 31 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.
Primary jurisdiction
Henrico County · 20 cases
Most common charge
Larceny / Theft · 3
Across 18 resolved 2025 cases, 61% were dropped — 5 nolle prossed and 6 dismissed.
Case outcomes
Resolved cases — 18 of 31. "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.
Reduction targets
When the original charge was reduced, the case was most often resolved as one of the following lesser charges.
DWI, First Offense
1
Fail To Perform Construction
1
False Rpt Of Crime To Police
1
Trespass After Forbidden
1
Where cases were heard
Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.
| Jurisdiction | Cases | District | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henrico County | 20 | 9 | 11 |
| Hanover County | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Chesterfield County | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Richmond City | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Case mix by charge
Charge categories John Goots appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.
| Charge category | Cases | Resolved | Convicted | Dropped | Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 18 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Larceny / Theft | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DUI / DWI | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Property Destruction | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Traffic Infraction | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Assault & Battery | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Burglary / B&E | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Reckless Driving | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Trespassing | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Other attorneys with cases in Henrico County
Listed by case volume in Henrico County, 2025.
| Attorney | Henrico County cases | Total (statewide) |
|---|---|---|
| Christopher Bain | 806 | 1,020 |
| Benjamin Shute | 771 | 870 |
| Dontae Buck | 708 | 794 |
| Gregory Hough | 660 | 760 |
| Nikita Wolf | 644 | 1,021 |
| Wes Simon | 639 | 673 |
| Jeff Everhart | 631 | 635 |
| Michael Caudill | 623 | 690 |
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.
John Goots appeared as defense counsel of record in 31 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 17 in District Court and 14 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Henrico County, with 20 of 31 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in John Goots's case record was Larceny / Theft (3 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 18 resolved cases: 6% convicted of original charge (1), 61% dropped (11 = 5 nolle prossed + 6 dismissed), 22% reduced to a lesser charge (4), 11% acquitted (2). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
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. "John Goots — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/john-goots. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.
Data last refreshed May 2, 2026. Refreshed quarterly. For statewide outcome context, see the 2025 Virginia Criminal Court Outcomes report.