Court level
98 % District · 2 % Circuit
Ryan Fitzgerald
Defense counsel of record in 780 Virginia cases (2025)
Cases of record · 2025780
Ryan Fitzgerald appeared as defense counsel of record in 780 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.
Primary jurisdiction
Stafford County · 222 cases
Most common charge
Reckless Driving · 162
Across 744 resolved 2025 cases, 41% were reduced to a lesser charge — most commonly to Improper Driving (59 cases).
Case outcomes
Resolved cases — 744 of 780. "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 434 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, how many pled and how many went to trial.
Pled guilty
42899%
Resolved by guilty plea — no trial.
Went to trial
61%
6 acquittals · 0 convictions at trial.
Trial acquittal rate
100%
6 of 6 trial verdicts ended in acquittal.
Top charge — Reckless Driving
Ryan Fitzgerald's most common charge category in 2025 (162 cases of record · 158 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
Ryan Fitzgerald'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 | Stafford County | 95 | 92 | 3 |
| DUI / DWI | Stafford County | 30 | 27 | 3 |
| Reckless Driving | Orange County | 29 | 28 | 1 |
| DUI / DWI | Culpeper County | 13 | 13 | 0 |
| DUI / DWI | Prince William County | 13 | 13 | 0 |
| DUI / DWI | Fredericksburg | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| DUI / DWI | Fairfax County | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| Reckless Driving | Prince William County | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Larceny / Theft | Stafford County | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Reckless Driving | Fairfax County | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Reckless Driving | Fauquier County | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| DUI / DWI | King George County | 6 | 6 | 0 |
Each row links to Ryan Fitzgerald'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.
Improper Driving
59
Improper Driving
32
Defective Equipment Generally
20
DWI, First Offense
15
Defective Equipment Generally
12
Improper Driving
9
79/60 Sp
8
Defective Equipment Generally
8
Where cases were heard
Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.
| Jurisdiction | Cases | District | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stafford County | 222 | 212 | 10 |
| Fairfax County | 127 | 127 | 0 |
| Culpeper County | 81 | 81 | 0 |
| Fauquier County | 76 | 76 | 0 |
| Prince William County | 64 | 64 | 0 |
| Orange County | 61 | 60 | 1 |
| Fredericksburg | 53 | 53 | 0 |
| King George County | 33 | 33 | 0 |
| Rappahannock County | 29 | 29 | 0 |
Case mix by charge
Charge categories Ryan Fitzgerald appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.
| Charge category | Cases | Resolved | Convicted | Dropped | Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 317 | 299 | 27 | 137 | 132 |
| Traffic Infraction | 177 | 173 | 19 | 100 | 54 |
| Reckless Driving | 162 | 158 | 21 | 48 | 89 |
| DUI / DWI | 95 | 87 | 47 | 6 | 31 |
| Larceny / Theft | 10 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| Weapons Offense | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Failure to Appear | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Drug Possession | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Driving Suspended | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Property Destruction | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Other attorneys with cases in Stafford County
Listed by case volume in Stafford County, 2025.
| Attorney | Stafford County cases | Total (statewide) |
|---|---|---|
| Eugene Frost | 394 | 970 |
| John Spencer | 246 | 496 |
| Darren Meyer | 235 | 515 |
| Jason Pelt | 216 | 306 |
| Shree Chudasama | 212 | 212 |
| Andrew Flusche | 209 | 541 |
| Kevin Roach | 192 | 420 |
| James Ilijevich | 190 | 294 |
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.
Ryan Fitzgerald appeared as defense counsel of record in 780 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 765 in District Court and 15 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Stafford County, with 222 of 780 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in Ryan Fitzgerald's case record was Reckless Driving (162 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 744 resolved cases: 16% convicted of original charge (120), 42% dropped (310 = 148 nolle prossed + 162 dismissed), 41% reduced to a lesser charge (308), 1% acquitted (6). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
Of 434 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, 428 (99%) resolved by guilty plea and 6 (1%) 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 Stafford 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. "Ryan Fitzgerald — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/ryan-fitzgerald. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.
Data last refreshed May 2, 2026. Refreshed quarterly.