If you are appealing a judgment of the General District Court, that appeal must be filed within ten days of the final order of the General District Court. After a conviction, a defendant may appeal the trial court's decision, with the help of a Virginia appellate lawyer, if the defendant has grounds for appeal.Any appeal taken under the provisions of this chapter shall be heard de novo in the appellate court and shall be tried without formal pleadings in writing. Probate courts or lower minor municipal courts may permit a Trial de Novo under certain circumstances such as an illegal ruling or awarding. Va. Code § 8.01-359. B. Appellate Courts. Yes. As a matter of right, any misdemeanor conviction in the general district court is appealable de novo. — A defendant may, in his answer or within a reasonable time, move to transfer the case to the magistrate court of another county. DEMAND FOR A. TRIAL DE NOVO. -against-. De novo means the case is tried from the beginning as though there had been no prior trial.