Market data
Criminal defense in Virginia: market data
What public records say about the market for criminal defense in Virginia: how much demand the courts and agencies count, how many law offices serve it, how many people need help in Spanish, and the ad rules that apply. Every number links to the record it comes from.
Demand: what courts and agencies count
Counts of filings, crashes, complaints and enforcement in the records each agency keeps. A count shows where problems were recorded, not how many people will hire a lawyer.
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal criminal defendants charged | 1,592 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Virginia state | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:state-VA:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal drug defendants | 215 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Virginia state | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:state-VA:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal fraud defendants | 161 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Virginia state | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:state-VA:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants | 88 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Virginia state | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:state-VA:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal criminal defendants charged | 1,405 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Eastern District of Virginia federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:VAE:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal drug defendants | 143 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Eastern District of Virginia federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:VAE:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal fraud defendants | 140 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Eastern District of Virginia federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:VAE:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants | 69 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Eastern District of Virginia federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:VAE:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal criminal defendants charged | 187 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Western District of Virginia federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:VAW:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal drug defendants | 72 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Western District of Virginia federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:VAW:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal fraud defendants | 21 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Western District of Virginia federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:VAW:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants | 19 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Western District of Virginia federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:VAW:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Rising or falling
The change between the last two periods each source publishes. No threshold and no smoothing.
| Measure | Before | Latest | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal criminal defendants charged Virginia · record criminal-filings:state-VA:2026-06-30 | 1,674 2025-12-31 | 1,592 2026-06-30 | falling (-4.9%) |
| Federal drug defendants Virginia · record criminal-filings:state-VA:2026-06-30 | 233 2025-12-31 | 215 2026-06-30 | falling (-7.7%) |
| Federal fraud defendants Virginia · record criminal-filings:state-VA:2026-06-30 | 187 2025-12-31 | 161 2026-06-30 | falling (-13.9%) |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants Virginia · record criminal-filings:state-VA:2026-06-30 | 155 2025-12-31 | 88 2026-06-30 | falling (-43.2%) |
Lawyer supply
How many law offices and lawyers the federal statistics count here.
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New lawyers admitted | 1,049 lawyers a year | 2025 | Virginia state | bar-pipeline v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721443 record va-bar-pipeline · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Counties under 1 law office per 10,000 residents | 23 counties | 2026-Q1 | Virginia state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-51 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Counties with no law office | 9 counties | 2026-Q1 | Virginia state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-51 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Residents living in those low-office counties | 7 percent of residents | 2026-Q1 | Virginia state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-51 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Employer law firms | 3,257 firms | 2022 | Virginia state | law-firm-economy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997 record lfe-va-all · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Receipts of employer law firms | 5,681,972,000 US dollars | 2022 | Virginia state | law-firm-economy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997 record lfe-va-all · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Law offices per 10,000 residents | 4.63 per 10,000 residents | 2026-Q1 | Virginia state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-51 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Self-employed lawyers (nonemployer firms) | 6,157 firms | latest Nonemployer Statistics year | Virginia state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-51 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Private law offices | 4,114 establishments | 2026-Q1 | Virginia state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-51 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Lawyers employed (wage-earning, BLS OEWS) | 18,580 jobs | May 2025 | Virginia state | lawyer-wages v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840 record lawyer-wages:VA:231011:2025 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Median annual wage of employed lawyers | 167,210 US dollars a year | May 2025 | Virginia state | lawyer-wages v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840 record lawyer-wages:VA:231011:2025 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Spanish-language demand
People who speak Spanish and speak English less than very well, and the lawyers who speak Spanish, from the Census Bureau survey (with margins of error).
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers who speak Spanish at home (ACS) | 2,540 ±458 lawyers | 2020-2024 | Virginia state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:VA:lawyers-spanish · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English per Spanish-speaking lawyer | 105 ±19.1 people per lawyer | 2020-2024 | Virginia state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:VA:lep-per-spanish-lawyer · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English (ACS) | 266,943 ±4,790 people age 5+ | 2020-2024 | Virginia state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:VA:spanish-lep · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English | 266,943 ±5,010 people age 5+ | 2020-2024 | Virginia state | legal-need v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23741886 record legal-need-va · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Ad rules that apply
The rules a law firm's ads in Virginia have to meet, summarized from the official texts. The full rules, with quotes, are on the state page.
| Topic | Status | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Ad filing or review | P primary source | No filing or review is required. Rule 7.2, the advertising rule, is deleted, and Rules 7.1 and 7.3 have no filing, review or copy-keeping requirement for ads or solicitations. official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Required content | P primary source | The rules have no clause requiring name, address or a disclaimer in an ad. Rule 7.1 (false or misleading communications) governs. Solicitations aimed at a specific person known to need legal services must conspicuously include "advertising material" on the… official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Waiting periods for contact | P primary source | The rules set no waiting period after an accident or injury. Rule 7.3(b) bars solicitation of someone who has said no, or by harassment, undue influence, coercion, duress, compulsion, intimidation, threats or unwarranted promises of benefits. official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Claims and results | P primary source | A communication may not be false or misleading (7.1). Comment [2] says reporting achievements may mislead if it suggests the same results for other clients, and unsubstantiated comparisons may mislead. official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Paying for referrals | P primary source | A lawyer may not compensate or promise anything of value to a non-employee, non-firm person for recommending the lawyer, except: reasonable ad costs, the usual charges of a legal service plan or not-for-profit qualified lawyer referral service, a practice… official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Call recording | P primary source | Virginia allows a person who is a party to a call to record it, or anyone when one party has given prior consent. official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Texting | P primary source | Under the Virginia Telephone Privacy Protection Act, a person harmed by a violation can sue for $500, $1,000 or $5,000 per violation, depending on the count. Section 59.1-514 covers text messages. official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Ad filing or review | U open or withheld | Virginia: we could not read the primary rule text, so the filing duty is unknown. official source · filing v1.2.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721409 · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Paying for referrals | P primary source | Lawyers in different firms may split a fee if the client is told of and agrees to all the lawyers and to the terms of the split and the total fee is reasonable; there is no work-proportion or joint-responsibility test. official source · referral v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23747113 · checked 2026-10-27 |
Prices and pay (national)
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jobs in legal services (seasonally adjusted) | 1,249 thousand jobs | 2026-09 | United States United States | legal-prices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854 record legal-prices:CES6054110001:2026-09 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| CPI-U: legal services | 230 index | 2026-09 | United States United States | legal-prices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854 record legal-prices:CUUR0000SEGC01:2026-09 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| PPI: offices of lawyers | 338 index | 2026-09 | United States United States | legal-prices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854 record legal-prices:PCU541110541110:2026-09 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| PPI: criminal legal services | 102 index | 2023-03 | United States United States | legal-prices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854 record legal-prices:PCU541110541110B:2023-03 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Download and cite
The rows behind this page, with every dataset, version, DOI, record id and check date.
Cite as: Probative Growth, The new-lawyer pipeline by jurisdiction: bar exam pass rates and new admissions, 2025 v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721443); Federal criminal cases by offense and district (U.S. Courts Tables D-1, D-2 and D-3) v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206); Legal deserts: law offices and lawyers per resident in every U.S. county v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430); Spanish-speaking demand vs Spanish-speaking lawyer supply, by state and metro v1.1.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758); Law firm size, solos and receipts, by state: Census SUSB 2022, Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and Economic Census 2022 v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997); Law offices, jobs and pay by county, with solo-practice counts: BLS QCEW, Census CBP and Nonemployer Statistics v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415); Lawyer, paralegal and legal-staff pay by state and metro (BLS OEWS) v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840); Legal need by county: who may need a lawyer, from the American Community Survey v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23741886); Legal-services prices and jobs, monthly (BLS CPI, PPI and CES) v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854); CC BY 4.0. https://probativegrowth.com/markets/virginia/criminal-defense/
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How this page is built
Each figure is copied from one record of the dataset named with it, joined to this state and practice through the open practice and place crosswalk. Nothing is estimated. Methods, inputs and limits.