Court level
95 % District · 5 % Circuit
Michael La Fratta
Defense counsel of record in 261 Virginia cases (2025)
Cases of record · 2025261
Michael La Fratta appeared as defense counsel of record in 261 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.
Primary jurisdiction
Albemarle County · 119 cases
Most common charge
Reckless Driving · 107
Case outcomes
Resolved cases — 227 of 261. "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.
Top charge — Reckless Driving
Michael La Fratta's most common charge category in 2025 (107 cases of record · 100 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 Reckless Driving page for jurisdiction-wide context.
Cases like yours
Michael La Fratta'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reckless Driving | Albemarle County | 53 | 53 | 0 |
| Reckless Driving | Orange County | 15 | 13 | 2 |
| Reckless Driving | Madison County | 10 | 9 | 1 |
| Reckless Driving | Greene County | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| DUI / DWI | Albemarle County | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Reckless Driving | Augusta County | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Reckless Driving | Nelson County | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Reckless Driving | Louisa County | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Failure to Appear | Albemarle County | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Reckless Driving | Charlottesville | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Sex Offense | Powhatan County | 3 | 0 | 3 |
See also
Reckless Driving outcomes in Albemarle County — every attorney's 2025 outcomes for Reckless Driving cases in Albemarle 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.
Improper Driving
12
54/35 Sp
8
Speeding 20 Mph Over In 55/70
5
64/45 Sp
3
89/65 Speeding
3
Speeding
3
54/35 Sp
2
64/45 Sp
2
Where cases were heard
Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.
| Jurisdiction | Cases | District | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albemarle County | 119 | 116 | 3 |
| Orange County | 40 | 37 | 3 |
| Greene County | 25 | 25 | 0 |
| Nelson County | 16 | 16 | 0 |
| Madison County | 14 | 13 | 1 |
| Charlottesville | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| Augusta County | 10 | 9 | 1 |
| Louisa County | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Powhatan County | 7 | 2 | 5 |
Case mix by charge
Charge categories Michael La Fratta appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.
| Charge category | Cases | Resolved | Convicted | Dropped | Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reckless Driving | 107 | 100 | 23 | 21 | 56 |
| Traffic Infraction | 86 | 75 | 14 | 47 | 13 |
| Other | 35 | 28 | 6 | 13 | 5 |
| DUI / DWI | 11 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| Assault & Battery | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Failure to Appear | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Sex Offense | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Driving Suspended | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Drug Distribution | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Public Intoxication | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Other attorneys with cases in Albemarle County
Listed by case volume in Albemarle County, 2025.
| Attorney | Albemarle County cases | Total (statewide) |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Wilson | 239 | 565 |
| Scott Goodman | 220 | 408 |
| George Coles | 174 | 296 |
| Cyndra Van Clief | 143 | 325 |
| Jessica Phillips | 73 | 153 |
| Alex Goodman | 65 | 108 |
| Edmund Michie | 61 | 222 |
| Alexander Goodman | 59 | 136 |
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.
Michael La Fratta appeared as defense counsel of record in 261 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 247 in District Court and 14 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Albemarle County, with 119 of 261 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in Michael La Fratta's case record was Reckless Driving (107 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 227 resolved cases: 23% convicted of original charge (52), 40% dropped (92 = 19 nolle prossed + 73 dismissed), 34% reduced to a lesser charge (77), 3% acquitted (6). 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. Last updated July 8, 2026.
This page shows the 2025 public slice of the record — cases meeting the publication threshold, aggregated by counsel of record. Attorneys can commission an Annual Practice Review from VCF Intelligence — the complete attributed record, with peer benchmarks, venue-by-venue outcomes, and officer and prosecutor patterns. Corrections to this page go through the correction form.
Looking for representation in Albemarle 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. "Michael La Fratta — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/michael-la-fratta. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.
Data last refreshed July 8, 2026. For statewide outcome context, see the 2025 Virginia Criminal Court Outcomes report.