Court level
97 % District · 3 % Circuit
Paul F Fantl
Defense counsel of record in 303 Virginia cases (2025)
Cases of record · 2025303
Paul F Fantl appeared as defense counsel of record in 303 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.
Primary jurisdiction
Chesterfield County · 217 cases
Most common charge
DUI / DWI · 37
Case outcomes
Resolved cases — 280 of 303. "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 166 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, how many pled and how many went to trial.
Pled guilty
16096%
Resolved by guilty plea — no trial.
Went to trial
64%
6 acquittals · 0 convictions at trial.
Trial acquittal rate
100%
6 of 6 trial verdicts ended in acquittal.
Top charge — DUI / DWI
Paul F Fantl's most common charge category in 2025 (37 cases of record · 35 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 DUI / DWI page for jurisdiction-wide context.
Cases like yours
Paul F Fantl'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUI / DWI | Chesterfield County | 27 | 27 | 0 |
| DUI / DWI | Henrico County | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Failure to Appear | Chesterfield County | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Larceny / Theft | Chesterfield County | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Reckless Driving | Chesterfield County | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Assault & Battery | Chesterfield County | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Driving Suspended | Chesterfield County | 3 | 3 | 0 |
Each row links to Paul F Fantl'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
8
Failure to Carry/Exhibit License
7
Failure to Carry/Exhibit License
3
Defective Equipment Generally
2
Reckless Driving (Misdemeanor)
2
54/35 Sp
1
74/55 Sp
1
Child Pornography: Reproduce
1
Where cases were heard
Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.
| Jurisdiction | Cases | District | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chesterfield County | 217 | 217 | 0 |
| Henrico County | 26 | 25 | 1 |
| Powhatan County | 14 | 6 | 8 |
| Richmond City | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| Hanover County | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Isle of Wight County | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Mecklenburg County | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Amelia County | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Surry County | 3 | 3 | 0 |
Case mix by charge
Charge categories Paul F Fantl appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.
| Charge category | Cases | Resolved | Convicted | Dropped | Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traffic Infraction | 127 | 116 | 59 | 47 | 8 |
| Other | 102 | 94 | 39 | 41 | 11 |
| DUI / DWI | 37 | 35 | 23 | 1 | 11 |
| Reckless Driving | 10 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Failure to Appear | 7 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Assault & Battery | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Larceny / Theft | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Driving Suspended | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Property Destruction | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Public Intoxication | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Other attorneys with cases in Chesterfield County
Listed by case volume in Chesterfield County, 2025.
| Attorney | Chesterfield County cases | Total (statewide) |
|---|---|---|
| Russell Bowles | 1,039 | 1,076 |
| Jose Aponte | 864 | 1,034 |
| Linwood Wells | 603 | 1,185 |
| Sandra Ulloa | 469 | 498 |
| Gregory Sheldon | 444 | 745 |
| Kristen Thornbrugh | 410 | 669 |
| Wayne Morgan | 400 | 1,116 |
| Bobbi Graves | 356 | 516 |
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.
Paul F Fantl appeared as defense counsel of record in 303 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 294 in District Court and 9 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Chesterfield County, with 217 of 303 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in Paul F Fantl's case record was DUI / DWI (37 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 280 resolved cases: 45% convicted of original charge (125), 41% dropped (114 = 69 nolle prossed + 45 dismissed), 12% reduced to a lesser charge (35), 2% acquitted (6). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
Of 166 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, 160 (96%) resolved by guilty plea and 6 (4%) went to trial — 6 acquittals and 0 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 Chesterfield 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. "Paul F Fantl — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/paul-f-fantl. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.
Data last refreshed May 2, 2026. Refreshed quarterly.