Court level
59 % District · 41 % Circuit
Michael Sobey
Defense counsel of record in 263 Virginia cases (2025)
Cases of record · 2025263
Michael Sobey appeared as defense counsel of record in 263 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.
Primary jurisdiction
Wythe County · 231 cases
Most common charge
Larceny / Theft · 35
Case outcomes
Resolved cases — 183 of 263. "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 96 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, how many pled and how many went to trial.
Pled guilty
9195%
Resolved by guilty plea — no trial.
Went to trial
55%
4 acquittals · 1 convictions at trial.
Trial acquittal rate
80%
4 of 5 trial verdicts ended in acquittal.
Top charge — Larceny / Theft
Michael Sobey's most common charge category in 2025 (35 cases of record · 26 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 Larceny / Theft page for jurisdiction-wide context.
Cases like yours
Michael Sobey'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larceny / Theft | Wythe County | 33 | 22 | 11 |
| Drug Possession | Wythe County | 23 | 8 | 15 |
| Weapons Offense | Wythe County | 15 | 6 | 9 |
| Assault & Battery | Wythe County | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| DUI / DWI | Wythe County | 9 | 7 | 2 |
| Driving Suspended | Wythe County | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| Property Destruction | Wythe County | 9 | 5 | 4 |
| Fraud / Forgery | Wythe County | 8 | 2 | 6 |
| Trespassing | Wythe County | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| Failure to Appear | Wythe County | 7 | 6 | 1 |
| Obstruction | Wythe County | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| Reckless Driving | Wythe County | 5 | 5 | 0 |
Each row links to Michael Sobey'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.
Reckless Driving (Misdemeanor)
3
Distrb To Accommdate Schedule I/ Ii
2
Contrib To Deliq Of Minor
1
Drug Possession (Schedule I/II)
1
DWI, First Offense
1
Fraud Obtain Welfare, < $1000
1
Murder: 2nd Degree
1
No Driver's License
1
Where cases were heard
Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.
| Jurisdiction | Cases | District | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wythe County | 231 | 148 | 83 |
| Grayson County | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Bland County | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Pulaski County | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Carroll County | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Radford | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Case mix by charge
Charge categories Michael Sobey appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.
| Charge category | Cases | Resolved | Convicted | Dropped | Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 95 | 60 | 15 | 37 | 7 |
| Larceny / Theft | 35 | 26 | 12 | 13 | 1 |
| Drug Possession | 27 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| Weapons Offense | 15 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| Assault & Battery | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Property Destruction | 12 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| DUI / DWI | 9 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Driving Suspended | 9 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Fraud / Forgery | 8 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Trespassing | 8 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
Other attorneys with cases in Wythe County
Listed by case volume in Wythe County, 2025.
| Attorney | Wythe County cases | Total (statewide) |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Harman | 498 | 1,465 |
| William Kilgore | 367 | 620 |
| Robert Campbell | 298 | 327 |
| Rob Campbell | 120 | 254 |
| Paul Cassell | 115 | 160 |
| Will Kilgore | 105 | 120 |
| C Paul Stanley | 96 | 193 |
| Dennis Lee | 71 | 133 |
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 Sobey appeared as defense counsel of record in 263 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 156 in District Court and 107 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Wythe County, with 231 of 263 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in Michael Sobey's case record was Larceny / Theft (35 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 183 resolved cases: 42% convicted of original charge (77), 48% dropped (87 = 59 nolle prossed + 28 dismissed), 8% reduced to a lesser charge (15), 2% acquitted (4). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
Of 96 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, 91 (95%) resolved by guilty plea and 5 (5%) went to trial — 4 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 Wythe 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 Sobey — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/michael-sobey. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.
Data last refreshed May 2, 2026. Refreshed quarterly.