Court level
41 % District · 59 % Circuit
Joshua Goff
Defense counsel of record in 449 Virginia cases (2025)
Cases of record · 2025449
Joshua Goff appeared as defense counsel of record in 449 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.
Primary jurisdiction
Hampton · 214 cases
Most common charge
Weapons Offense · 115
Across 268 resolved 2025 cases, 66% were dropped — 148 nolle prossed and 29 dismissed.
Case outcomes
Resolved cases — 268 of 449. "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 91 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, how many pled and how many went to trial.
Pled guilty
4044%
Resolved by guilty plea — no trial.
Went to trial
5156%
38 acquittals · 13 convictions at trial.
Trial acquittal rate
75%
38 of 51 trial verdicts ended in acquittal.
Top charge — Weapons Offense
Joshua Goff's most common charge category in 2025 (115 cases of record · 77 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
Joshua Goff'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 | Newport News | 53 | 15 | 38 |
| Weapons Offense | Hampton | 44 | 17 | 27 |
| Assault & Battery | Newport News | 12 | 2 | 10 |
| Drug Distribution | Hampton | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Weapons Offense | Suffolk | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| Drug Possession | Hampton | 9 | 7 | 2 |
| Drug Possession | Newport News | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| Murder / Manslaughter | Hampton | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| Obstruction | Hampton | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| Reckless Driving | Hampton | 7 | 6 | 1 |
| Robbery | Hampton | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Assault & Battery | Hampton | 6 | 2 | 4 |
See also
Weapons Offense outcomes in Newport News — every attorney's 2025 outcomes for Weapons Offense cases in Newport News, 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.
Assault & Battery
2
Felon Poss Wpn/Ammo (Not Gun)
2
64/45 Speeding
1
Disorderly Conduct
1
DWI/Drugs, 3rd/Sub
1
Nonviol Felon Poss Gun W/I 10Y
1
Obstruct Justice/Resist Arrest
1
Obstruct/Resist W/O Force
1
Where cases were heard
Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.
| Jurisdiction | Cases | District | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton | 214 | 114 | 100 |
| Newport News | 173 | 38 | 135 |
| York County | 19 | 7 | 12 |
| Suffolk | 18 | 17 | 1 |
| Williamsburg | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| New Kent County | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Franklin City | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Isle of Wight County | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Southampton County | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Case mix by charge
Charge categories Joshua Goff appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.
| Charge category | Cases | Resolved | Convicted | Dropped | Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 185 | 99 | 9 | 71 | 7 |
| Weapons Offense | 115 | 77 | 8 | 56 | 3 |
| Assault & Battery | 21 | 15 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Drug Possession | 17 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| Drug Distribution | 16 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Robbery | 13 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Traffic Infraction | 12 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| Obstruction | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Murder / Manslaughter | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| DUI / DWI | 8 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Other attorneys with cases in Hampton
Listed by case volume in Hampton, 2025.
| Attorney | Hampton cases | Total (statewide) |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen K Smith | 503 | 572 |
| Tyrone Johnson | 307 | 599 |
| Michele Cavanaugh | 295 | 344 |
| Charles Haden | 261 | 263 |
| Mario Stellute | 235 | 389 |
| Timothy Clancy | 223 | 366 |
| Shawn Cline | 193 | 225 |
| Crystina O'Brien | 185 | 197 |
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.
Joshua Goff appeared as defense counsel of record in 449 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 186 in District Court and 263 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Hampton, with 214 of 449 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in Joshua Goff's case record was Weapons Offense (115 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 268 resolved cases: 14% convicted of original charge (37), 66% dropped (177 = 148 nolle prossed + 29 dismissed), 6% reduced to a lesser charge (16), 14% acquitted (38). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
Of 91 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, 40 (44%) resolved by guilty plea and 51 (56%) went to trial — 38 acquittals and 13 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 Hampton? 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. "Joshua Goff — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/joshua-goff. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.
Data last refreshed May 2, 2026. Refreshed quarterly.