A civilian military lawyer is a licensed attorney who represents and defends members of the military but who is not serving in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, which is the military’s staff of lawyers. Civilian military lawyers are usually – but are not required to be – former members of the JAG Corps.
Civilian military attorneys represent members of the military who are facing allegations of wrongdoing under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. A service member who is facing allegations will be assigned a JAG defense counsel by the military but he also has the right to hire a civilian attorney.
There are significant advantages to hiring a civilian military lawyer instead of relying solely on JAG defense counsel to provide a defense in cases where allegations of wrongdoing are raised.
You are unlikely to be assigned JAG defense counsel before an investigation is completed and you have been charged with a UCMJ violation. But a civilian military attorney can get involved in your case during the investigation process. Investigations can take months, and sometimes more than a year, which means that without a civilian lawyer you can spend a very long time being unprotected against the entire military law enforcement and legal system.
In addition, a civilian military attorney can often devote more time and resources to your case than a member of the JAG corps could offer. JAGs are required to perform military duties in addition to representing their clients. JAGs are also required to do numerous legal tasks instead of being allowed to focus exclusively on their court-martial clients.
When you are facing the potential for court martial, dishonorable discharge, or confinement, you must ensure you have the best representation possible so you can vigorously defend against the accusations. If you hire a civilian military lawyer, your assigned JAG defense counsel will continue defending you as well, so you can benefit from having two – or in our case, three – attorneys working on your behalf to protect your reputation and your freedom.
Contact a civilian military lawyer as soon as possible when you are under investigation so you can discover more about what an attorney can do for you.
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