Civilian Military Lawyer for Air Force UCMJ Cases

For base-specific information, including local command culture and regional legal issues, please visit our individual installation pages.

We entered the Air Force JAG Corps in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center in 2001. We served as trial and defense counsel at Ellsworth AFB, Hurlburt Field, and Keesler AFB, traveling widely as Area Defense Counsel to represent Airmen across multiple commands. Since leaving active duty in 2005, we have served as civilian defense counsel representing members in every branch of the military: Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Space Force. We’ve tried cases across the United States and overseas, and we’ve practiced in all service courts, service courts of criminal appeals, and the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

We’ve defended clients in desert heat and arctic cold, through wildfires, hurricanes, and pandemic lockdowns. We did a case in a gym, one in a prison, and one in an animal research lab. We have represented basic trainees and several generals and admirals. From CONUS bases to remote OCONUS outposts, we’ve stood next to service members when no one else would. Our docket has always included the cases most lawyers avoid: the high-visibility, career-ending, sex-offense and war-zone allegations that test everything you know about advocacy and human psychology.

That scope of experience is an asset to you now more than ever because the military justice system has changed. Command no longer controls most prosecutions; OSTC does. Sentencing now rests with judges, not panels. The Article 32 process requires a multi-pronged attack, not a narrow focus on probable cause. The system rewards reputation, credibility, and skill: attributes that come only from years of courtroom work in both military and federal criminal systems.

We have been part of the Air Force family for decades. We’ve represented pilots, maintainers, security forces, and intelligence analysts. We’ve worked with every kind of unit: from missile wings and flight test squadrons to special operations and training commands. We’ve seen how the process plays out in combat units, medical groups, and technical commands alike.

What a Court-Martial Really Is

A court-martial is not a “military version” of civilian court; it’s its own world. The rules and culture are different. The government holds the power: command pressure, investigators, legal offices, and expert resources. You are presumed guilty long before you see a courtroom.

Most cases that reach trial come out of months of OSI and OSTC work. By the time you’re charged, the prosecution already has its case built and ready to go. That’s why timing is everything. A lawyer who gets involved early, during the investigation or at the Article 32 stage, can still influence the decision-making process.

How We Approach Court-Martial Defense

Our goal is not to perform. It’s to win. Every move we make is planned to persuade the decision-makers who actually hold your fate: the military judge, the trial counsel, and your convening authority.

Early Stage and Intervention

  • Our first job is to stabilize the client and slow the chaos. We teach survival rules, set boundaries with investigators and command, and create space so the client is not being harassed, tricked, or isolated.
  • Protect the client. We give clear rules for contact, phones, social media, and work routines. We explain what to say, what not to say, and how to respond if OSI, OSTC, or command shows up again.
  • Intervene with investigators, command, and OSTC. We notify everyone that the client is represented, make sure all contact is routed through us, and insist on respectful, lawful treatment.
  • Practice diplomacy. We build working relationships with the legal office, OSTC, command, and agents. We respectfully insert ourselves into the decision-making process.
  • Choose the visibility level. If favorable material exists, we decide whether to surface it now to influence the case’s path. If silence is safer, we help the client stay quiet and out of sight.
  • Support the family. We speak with spouses and parents so they know what to do, what to avoid, and how to help without making things worse.
  • We line up witnesses, organize the client’s communications and personal records, and review evidence the client already has.
  • We set the Article 32 strategy or other resolution and adjust as we learn how prosecutors are viewing the case.

Communication With OSTC

Prosecutors are specialists who track conviction metrics. They respond to credible, experienced counsel who understand OSTC’s prerogatives, communicate candidly, and can see the case from everyone’s perspective. We engage early, present exculpatory evidence where appropriate, and leverage our experience. OSTC would much rather dump a bad case than force it to trial, and we help them do that.

Trial Preparation

We prepare every case as if it’s going to trial. We explore defenses: blackout, alcohol, bias, mistake of fact, impeachment, and others. We dig into the backgrounds of opposing witnesses. That pressure creates leverage for a better outcome and ensures we’re ready to roll if the case does proceed. We work with forensic experts, investigators, and digital analysts to challenge the government’s evidence.

Execution in Court

Our courtroom style is professional, skillful, and adaptive. We maintain the same disciplined presence we expect from the service members we defend. We stay fit, sharp, and ready; no “fat generals” here, and no fat defense counsel. Even though we’re no longer in the military, we maintain an appearance that communicates respect.

We aim to be the wisest and fairest people in the room. You have to be, if you want to guide the panel and judge to the right outcome. We don’t peacock, bully, or speechify.

We are also masters of mitigation. When a guilty verdict comes in, you can’t concede guilt, but you must humanize your client and sell fairness. It takes finesse, restraint, and credibility. Sentencing is an art form, not an afterthought.

Where We Defend Court-Martial Cases

We represent service members nationwide and overseas. Here are a few of the bases where we’ve defended clients. Note that this is not a directory listing like some law firms use. These are bases where we have actually handled UCMJ matters, many of them so many times they’re truly a home away from home:

What Sets Us Apart

Your relationship with us begins when you visit our website. We don’t nag you with chatbots. We don’t funnel your call through an answering service.

If you hire us you get us: two senior trial lawyers with decades of field and courtroom experience. We don’t play for the applause or media attention, and we don’t pad our bills by charging you for every text, call, and email.

We use flat fees instead of hourly billing. Flat fees mean no hidden costs. You know exactly what each stage costs before we begin.

Our approach is built on preparation, professionalism, and credibility, the same traits that win trials and command respect from judges and prosecutors.

What It Costs to Hire a Civilian Military Lawyer

Fees vary depending on the stage, complexity of the case, and which firm you’re talking to, but here’s the general range:

  • Initial/Investigation Phase: $4,500–$8,500, with our typical fee around $6,500.
  • Article 32 (Probable Cause) Hearing: Add roughly $8,000–$15,000. Our usual fee for this stage is $10,000 to $12,000.
  • Trial Representation: Usually another $15,000–$30,000. Our typical trial fee is $25,000.

From start to finish, a full defense can reach about $50,000, though some firms charge far more. Even at the highest levels, most attorneys begin with an initial fee in the same $4,500–$8,500 range.

Most cases, however, are dropped or resolved without requiring travel.

The cost of mounting a real defense is significant, but the cost of losing is worse: you could lose your job, your benefits, your retirement, your bonus or academy tuition, and face sex-offender registration.

Free Phone Call, Free Case Evaluation

We’ve done this work in every condition imaginable: extreme heat, cold, isolation, and pressure. We’ve defended the innocent, the misunderstood, and the accused who made mistakes but didn’t deserve destruction.

If you’re facing charges or expect them, get ahead of the system. Every hour you wait is an hour the government builds against you.

Call 800-319-3134 for a confidential case review with senior attorneys who try courts-martial for a living, not for marketing.