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Court-Martial Defense: General, Special or Summary Courts-Martial

RECENT COURT-MARTIAL RESULTS -

November 2021, Aviano Air Base, Italy, Air Force Staff Sergeant (E-5), Charge: Sexual Assault (Article 120) General Court-Martial - all charges DISMISSED pre-trial. No punishment.
March 2020 - Okinawa, Japan. Marine Gunnery Sergeant (E-7). Charge: 112a (wrongful drug use) ACQUITTAL! Update - This client recently promoted to E-8!

American. Military. Justice.

February 2020 - Naval Air Station Jacksonville,(NAS JAX) USNR Seaman (E-3). Charges: Article 85 - Desertion, Article 112a - wrongful drug use (multiple specifications), Article 86 (multiple specifications) - AWOL/Fail to Go. Negotiated favorable pretrial agreement for referral to a special court-martial with three specifications dismissed, and a confinement sentence cap of 8 months, then beat the cap at trial with an adjudged confinement sentence of 7 months. Also made successful motion for extra pretrial confinement credit, further shortening the sentence to be served.

Administrative Discharge Boards/Administrative Separation Boards and Other Boards

Are you facing an administrative discharge or ad sep board? While your situation may seem bleak, don't give up hope. I have helped multiple clients win retentions in administrative discharge boards. Even if it is not possible to salvage your career, the characterization of service that comes out of the board (honorable, general under honorable conditions, or under other than honorable conditions) can have a huge impact on your future career prospects and the benefits you may be entitled to as a Veteran, so it may be to your advantage to retain the best counsel available to fight for you at your board. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss your situation. While I can't guarantee results, I promise to give you a candid assessment of your chances so you can make an informed choice of whether it is worth investing in a civilian defense counsel. I've also been involved in Flying Evaluation Boards (FEBs) and Medical De-credentialling Boards. Whatever kind of administrative hearing you are facing, call me for a free consultation and let's see if I can be of service to you.

Nonjudicial Punishment under Article 15, UCMJ.

Been served with an Article 15 or Captain's Mast? You have some important choices to make and not a lot of time to make them. Should you accept NJP or should you demand a court-martial? Should you request a personal appearance or just submit written matters? Would you be better off admitting wrongdoing and plead for leniency, or should you fight to have the action dismissed? Few service members seek the advice of outside counsel on an Article 15, but the truth is many would potentially benefit from doing so. In today's military, an Article 15 can be a career-ender, especially for Officers and Senior NCOs. Talk to me and I will help you understand your options and help you to develop the best approach to minimize the impact of the Article 15 on your career.

(904)788-6082

Don't want to get shot?

I represented several servicemembers who chose to decline COVID-19 vaccination for religious or other reasons. I am pleased to report that none of my clients were disciplined, and all who chose to do so have been able to continue their careers.

Serving Members of the U.S. Armed Forces throughout Florida and the World.

As a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force JAG Corps Reserve with over 23 years of military experience, including a decade of active duty, multiple overseas tours, a deployment, and multiple tours as a military defense counsel, there are few military legal issues David hasn’t seen. He’s represented servicemembers in dozens of courts-martial, administrative discharge boards, and nonjudicial punishment actions at more than 20 military installations around the country. If you are a servicemember facing a court-martial or any other kind of UCMJ or adverse action, David is ready to represent you wherever you are stationed, world-wide at surprisingly affordable rates.

A court-martial can have extremely serious consequences for you and your family. If your military career and freedom is on the line, do you want someone just out of law school representing you, someone who probably has less time in the service than you do, or do you want a seasoned military justice expert at your side who is completely outside the military chain of command? If you have had charges preferred against you, have been advised of your rights under Article 31, UCMJ, or believe you are under investigation and that charges are pending, you need expert legal advice. If you are facing a General Court-Martial, you are going to need someone to represent you at your upcoming Article 32 pretrial hearing. This is a critical stage of the proceedings where a good defense counsel can make a huge difference in the disposition of your case. David has not only represented clients in numerous pretrial hearings, he's conducted more than two dozen Article 32 Investigations as the appointed Investigating Officer or Pretrial Hearing Officer. He knows how Investigating Officers think and can help you make the most of the opportunity presented by the Pretrial Hearing. Or maybe you already had your Article 32 pretrial hearing and you aren't confident that your appointed military counsel is going to get the job done at your trial. Even if the trial has already been scheduled, it's never too late to bring in civilian counsel. Once you hire me, I will seek a delay from the military judge if necessary. I can work with your appointed military counsel to ensure that your entire defense team is working as one to achieve the best possible outcome in your case. As a long-time military officer, I know how military jurors think. As a JAG who has served on the legal staff of one, two, three and four-star generals, I know how to communicate with the senior military commanders who serve as court-martial Convening Authorities. The bottom line is that you want someone representing you who is going to have credibility, Not only have I practiced military law for over a quarter century, I'm an internationally recognized military justice expert. I've taught and lectured about military law at law schools all over the country, published extensively on military law topics, and serve on the Advisory Board of the National Institute of Military Justice. It’s no coincidence that when leading news organizations want expert commentary on a military justice issue, they frequently turn to me. Want proof? Check out my Press Page.

Note to servicemembers: Although I will happily go anywhere in the world to defend you, I am within easy driving distance of the following military installations: Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL; Naval Station Mayport, FL, Eglin Air Force Base, FL; Hurlburt Field Air Force Base, FL; MacDill Air Force Base, FL;Tyndall Air Force Base, FL; Patrick Air Force Base, FL; Moody Air Force Base, GA; Warner Robins Air Force Base, GA; Homestead Air Reserve Base, FL; Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL; NAS JAX; Marine Corps Support Facility at Blount Island, FL; SOUTHCOM/U.S. Army Garrison-Miami, FL; Camp Blanding, FL;Joint Base Charleston, SC; MCRD Parris Island, SC; Shaw Air Force Base, SC; Fort Stewart, GA; Fort Benning, GA; Kings Bay Submarine Base, GA. No air travel for me means lower costs for you if I have to come to the base to defend you. For those more than a day's drive away, there are inexpensive flights from Florida to most major destinations in the U.S. and many overseas destinations as well.

Other Adverse Actions

Whatever the military is doing to you, or trying to do to you, or has already done to you, you can benefit from sound legal advice and skilled representation. Here are a few of the things I can help you with:

Security Clearance suspensions/revocations
Letters of Reprimand/GOMORs
BCNR, ABCMR, AFBCMR Appeals and other types of appeals for Veterans seeking to upgrade discharges or correct a mistake or injustice in your military record
Medical Boards
OER/OPR/EPR Appeals
Appeals of court-martial convictions to the ACCA, AFCCA, NMCCA or CAAF

Read Military Justice 101 -
My Comprehensive Guide
to the Court-Martial Process
for Servicemembers and their
Familes and Friends.