Source. Virginia DCIS + CIS, 2025 Methodology Report a correction Last refreshed May 2, 2026
Cases of record · 2025311

John Stanley appeared as defense counsel of record in 311 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.

Court level
59 % District · 41 % Circuit
Primary jurisdiction
Russell County · 310 cases
Most common charge
Drug Possession · 43

Case outcomes

Resolved cases — 193 of 311. "Resolved" means a final disposition was reached. Pending cases and probation revocations are excluded.

Convicted of original charge
103
53%
Dropped
74
38%
Nolle prossed
52
Dismissed
22
Reduced to a lesser charge
13
7%
Within charge family
13
Acquitted
3
2%

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 119 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, how many pled and how many went to trial.

Pled guilty
11597%
Resolved by guilty plea — no trial.
Went to trial
43%
3 acquittals · 1 convictions at trial.
Trial acquittal rate
75%
3 of 4 trial verdicts ended in acquittal.

Top charge — Drug Possession

John Stanley's most common charge category in 2025 (43 cases of record · 20 resolved). Outcomes use the same definitions as the overall view.

Convicted of original charge
10
50%
Dropped
10
50%
Reduced to a lesser charge
0
0%

Acquittals are tracked at the overall level — the top-charge view shows the three primary disposition paths. See the Drug Possession page for jurisdiction-wide context.

Cases like yours

John Stanley'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
Drug Possession Russell County 43 21 22
Larceny / Theft Russell County 22 19 3
Weapons Offense Russell County 16 7 9
DUI / DWI Russell County 14 14 0
Failure to Appear Russell County 14 7 7
Grand Larceny Russell County 12 3 9
Reckless Driving Russell County 9 8 1
Driving Suspended Russell County 8 6 2
Obstruction Russell County 7 4 3
Trespassing Russell County 6 6 0
Assault & Battery Russell County 5 3 2
Drug Distribution Russell County 3 0 3

Each row links to John Stanley'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.

DWI, First Offense
4
Assault & Battery
1
Bad Check: Larceny < $1000
1
Defective Equipment Generally
1
Driving Under Revocation/Suspension
1
Fleeing From Law Enforcement
1
Intoxication In Public
1
No Driver's License
1

Where cases were heard

Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.

Jurisdiction Cases District Circuit
Russell County 310 184 126
Tazewell County 1 1 0

Case mix by charge

Charge categories John Stanley appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.

Charge category Cases Resolved Convicted Dropped Reduced
Other 134 74 39 30 4
Drug Possession 43 20 10 10 0
Larceny / Theft 22 17 12 4 1
Weapons Offense 16 8 4 4 0
DUI / DWI 14 14 8 1 5
Failure to Appear 14 13 6 7 0
Grand Larceny 12 5 3 1 1
Reckless Driving 9 8 3 5 0
Driving Suspended 8 6 4 1 1
Obstruction 7 4 4 0 0

Other attorneys with cases in Russell County

Listed by case volume in Russell County, 2025.

Attorney Russell County cases Total (statewide)
David Tiller 620 628
Tj O'Brien 298 308
Daniel Robinson 291 509
Traci Stanley 162 163
Brandi Hurley 125 223
Dave Tiller 61 61
Tj Obrien 40 52
Dollie Compton 32 32

View all attorneys with cases in Russell County →

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 Stanley appeared as defense counsel of record in 311 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 185 in District Court and 126 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Russell County, with 310 of 311 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in John Stanley's case record was Drug Possession (43 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 193 resolved cases: 53% convicted of original charge (103), 38% dropped (74 = 52 nolle prossed + 22 dismissed), 7% reduced to a lesser charge (13), 2% acquitted (3). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
Of 119 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, 115 (97%) resolved by guilty plea and 4 (3%) went to trial — 3 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 Russell 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 Stanley — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/john-stanley. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.

Data last refreshed May 2, 2026. Refreshed quarterly.