Court level
88 % District · 12 % Circuit
Steven Thomas
Defense counsel of record in 235 Virginia cases (2025)
Cases of record · 2025235
Steven Thomas appeared as defense counsel of record in 235 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.
Primary jurisdiction
Norfolk · 107 cases
Most common charge
Reckless Driving · 33
Case outcomes
Resolved cases — 209 of 235. "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 134 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, how many pled and how many went to trial.
Pled guilty
11485%
Resolved by guilty plea — no trial.
Went to trial
2015%
13 acquittals · 7 convictions at trial.
Trial acquittal rate
65%
13 of 20 trial verdicts ended in acquittal.
Top charge — Reckless Driving
Steven Thomas's most common charge category in 2025 (33 cases of record · 31 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
Steven Thomas'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 | Norfolk | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| Reckless Driving | Virginia Beach | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| Reckless Driving | Hampton | 7 | 6 | 1 |
| Reckless Driving | Suffolk | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| DUI / DWI | Hampton | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Reckless Driving | Portsmouth | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| DUI / DWI | Suffolk | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Failure to Appear | Norfolk | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Reckless Driving | Norfolk | 3 | 3 | 0 |
See also
DUI / DWI outcomes in Norfolk — every attorney's 2025 outcomes for DUI / DWI cases in Norfolk, 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
13
Defective Equipment Generally
4
Defective Equipment Generally
3
Improper Driving
3
Improper Driving
3
Reckless Driving (Misdemeanor)
3
44/35 Speeding
2
Speeding 72/45
2
Where cases were heard
Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.
| Jurisdiction | Cases | District | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk | 107 | 107 | 0 |
| Virginia Beach | 32 | 25 | 7 |
| Suffolk | 30 | 22 | 8 |
| Hampton | 24 | 23 | 1 |
| Portsmouth | 18 | 16 | 2 |
| York County | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| Chesapeake | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Northampton County | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Southampton County | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Case mix by charge
Charge categories Steven Thomas appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.
| Charge category | Cases | Resolved | Convicted | Dropped | Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 115 | 101 | 19 | 41 | 35 |
| Traffic Infraction | 49 | 48 | 6 | 21 | 17 |
| Reckless Driving | 33 | 31 | 10 | 7 | 13 |
| DUI / DWI | 23 | 19 | 13 | 1 | 4 |
| Failure to Appear | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Driving Suspended | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Drug Possession | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Murder / Manslaughter | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Weapons Offense | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Hit and Run | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Other attorneys with cases in Norfolk
Listed by case volume in Norfolk, 2025.
| Attorney | Norfolk cases | Total (statewide) |
|---|---|---|
| Trevor Robinson | 380 | 535 |
| C Roberts | 356 | 595 |
| Bobby Howlett | 316 | 558 |
| Eric Korslund | 297 | 568 |
| Christopher Bettis | 270 | 270 |
| Michael Lutke | 263 | 263 |
| Kristin Paulding | 261 | 439 |
| Kyle Lullo | 217 | 217 |
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.
Steven Thomas appeared as defense counsel of record in 235 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 206 in District Court and 29 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Norfolk, with 107 of 235 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in Steven Thomas's case record was Reckless Driving (33 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 209 resolved cases: 25% convicted of original charge (52), 36% dropped (75 = 24 nolle prossed + 51 dismissed), 33% reduced to a lesser charge (69), 6% acquitted (13). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
Of 134 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, 114 (85%) resolved by guilty plea and 20 (15%) went to trial — 13 acquittals and 7 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 Norfolk? 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. "Steven Thomas — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/steven-thomas. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.
Data last refreshed May 2, 2026. Refreshed quarterly.