Court level
67 % District · 33 % Circuit
Stephen Dunnigan
Defense counsel of record in 89 Virginia cases (2025)
Cases of record · 202589
Stephen Dunnigan appeared as defense counsel of record in 89 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.
Primary jurisdiction
Hampton · 23 cases
Most common charge
Drug Distribution · 13
Case outcomes
Resolved cases — 63 of 89. "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 · Circuit Court
Of 6 Circuit Court cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, how many pled and how many went to trial. General District Court records do not distinguish a guilty plea from a bench-trial conviction, so this record is limited to Circuit Court, where the distinction is recorded.
Pled guilty
6100%
Resolved by guilty plea — no trial.
Went to trial
00%
0 acquittals · 0 convictions at trial.
Top charge — Drug Distribution
Stephen Dunnigan's most common charge category in 2025 (13 cases of record · 9 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 Drug Distribution page for jurisdiction-wide context.
Cases like yours
Stephen Dunnigan'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Distribution | Suffolk | 11 | 3 | 8 |
| Probation Violation | Gloucester County | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Reckless Driving | Hampton | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Drug Possession | Newport News | 3 | 0 | 3 |
See also
Drug Distribution outcomes in Suffolk — every attorney's 2025 outcomes for Drug Distribution cases in Suffolk, 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.
Reckless Driving (Misdemeanor)
2
64/45 Sp
1
Defective Equipment Generally
1
Defective Equipment Generally
1
Fail To Appear, Misd. Offense
1
Speeding 10-14 Over In 55/70 Zone
1
Trespass After Forbidden
1
Where cases were heard
Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.
| Jurisdiction | Cases | District | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton | 23 | 22 | 1 |
| Newport News | 19 | 8 | 11 |
| York County | 15 | 13 | 2 |
| Suffolk | 13 | 4 | 9 |
| Isle of Wight County | 11 | 10 | 1 |
| Gloucester County | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| New Kent County | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Case mix by charge
Charge categories Stephen Dunnigan appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.
| Charge category | Cases | Resolved | Convicted | Dropped | Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 27 | 18 | 5 | 10 | 1 |
| Traffic Infraction | 15 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| Drug Distribution | 13 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| Reckless Driving | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Probation Violation | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| DUI / DWI | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Drug Possession | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Driving Suspended | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Larceny / Theft | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Weapons Offense | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Other attorneys with cases in Hampton
Listed by case volume in Hampton, 2025.
| Attorney | Hampton cases | Total (statewide) |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen K Smith | 329 | 437 |
| Charles Haden | 221 | 233 |
| Mario Stellute | 178 | 328 |
| Michele Cavanaugh | 177 | 210 |
| Tyrone Johnson | 168 | 301 |
| Joshua Goff | 153 | 415 |
| Crystina O'Brien | 144 | 160 |
| Emmai Ndukwe | 124 | 181 |
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.
Stephen Dunnigan appeared as defense counsel of record in 89 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 60 in District Court and 29 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Hampton, with 23 of 89 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in Stephen Dunnigan's case record was Drug Distribution (13 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 63 resolved cases: 35% convicted of original charge (22), 46% dropped (29 = 17 nolle prossed + 12 dismissed), 13% reduced to a lesser charge (8), 6% acquitted (4). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
Of 6 Circuit Court cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict (Circuit Court is the only level where Virginia records distinguish a guilty plea from a bench-trial conviction), 6 (100%) resolved by guilty plea and 0 (0%) went to trial — 0 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. 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 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. "Stephen Dunnigan — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/stephen-dunnigan. 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.