Fort Bragg Military Defense Lawyer

If you are a military member stationed at Fort Bragg who has been accused of violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), you could face serious consequences. This could include a military disciplinary action, administrative discharge, or, if sufficiently serious, a court-martial trial. If you face a military court-martial and you are found guilty, you could have a federal criminal conviction and you could be sentenced to confinement in prison, a punitive discharge, loss or rank, and face other collateral consequences such as loss of retirement and benefits, reimbursement or recoupment for unserved commitments, and sex offender registration if you face that type of case.

Attorney Richard V. Stevens has handled military cases, on and off active duty, since 1995. Those military cases have included allegations of national security breaches, war crimes, rape, sexual assault, fraternization, other sex-related offenses, murder, manslaughter, computer crimes and pornography, fraud and larceny, drug offenses, desertion cases, and more.

Many of these types of cases are complex and high profile, requiring expert consultants and witnesses, media strategies, and experience with such serious cases. If you face a military case, your career, future, and freedom could be in jeopardy. An experienced and aggressive attorney could make a real difference in the outcome of your case. Mr. Stevens represents military members stationed around the world, CONUS and OCONUS. He has represented many military members stationed at Fort Bragg over the years. If you are facing a military case who will defend you at duty station, contact civilian attorney Richard Stevens – a Fort Bragg military defense lawyer at the Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens by calling (888) 399-0693, emailing at , or visiting our webpage to schedule a consultation as soon as possible.

What a Fort Bragg Military Defense Lawyer Can Help You With

The civilian defense lawyers who serve as Fort Bragg military defense lawyers for the Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens all previously served as Judge Advocates (JAGs) in the military and are dedicated to representing current and former servicemembers who might need military defense counsel. Some of the types of military adverse actions we handle include, but are not limited to:

• Alleged violations of the punitive Articles of the UCMJ
• Administrative discharges (separations)
• Courts-martial (summary court-martial, special court-martial, general court-martial)
• Article 32 hearings
• Article 15 actions (nonjudicial punishment, NJP)
• Reprimands, admonitions, and counselings
• Military investigations (AR 15-6, CDI, CID, NCIS, OSI, CGIS, MEO, IG, etc.)
• Military academy discipline
• And more.

Why Hire a Civilian Defense Attorney for a Military Case?

No civilian defense attorney or military defense lawyer can guarantee you an outcome in your military case. The benefit of hiring experienced civilian defense attorneys like the attorneys at the Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens is that we have years and years of military law experience beyond that of your appointed military defense counsel. When hired, we then become considerable “value-added” for your defense team, and our experience can benefit all phases of your military case – advising you, spotting legal issues, filing rebuttals and motions, engaging in disciplinary or pretrial negotiations, communicating with JAGs representing the command, investigators or commanders, dealing with the media, preparing case strategy, and performing in hearings and trial (including arguments, witness questioning, utilizing experts).

When considering hiring a civilian defense lawyer for a military case, we believe it is extremely important for that civilian attorney to have extensive experience with the military justice system. The military justice system is governed by their own laws, regulations, and procedural rules. Those laws and rules are constantly changing. The military also has a culture that is unique and, in many ways, very different than civilian society. These legal and cultural differences factor heavily into all aspects of defense strategy. The attorneys in our law firm served in the military and only handle military cases – and we have done so for decades. As such, we have this crucial military justice experience.

Different Types of Military Courts-Martial

The military has three types of courts-martial: General court-martial, special court-martial, and summary court-martial.

A summary court-martial is the least used, and is more like an administrative hearing with increased punishment options. If you are convicted in a summary court-martial, that is not considered a federal criminal conviction because you don’t have the same rights in a summary court-martial that you have in the other two types of court-martial.

A special court-martial (SPCM) or general court-martial (GCM) in the military are federal criminal trials. If you are convicted in a SPCM or GCM, you would receive a federal criminal conviction. The military does not label convictions as “felonies” or “misdemeanors.” However, a general court-martial conviction is similar to a felony conviction, and a special court-martial conviction is similar to a misdemeanor conviction.

Article 15 or NonJudicial Punishment

One of the most common types of administrative military disciplinary actions is an Article 15. Depending on your service branch, an Article 15 might be called “Nonjudicial Punishment,” “N.J.P.,” “Office Hours,” or “Captain’s Mast.” An Article 15 hearing is an administrative hearing under UCMJ Article 15. It is not a criminal trial. It cannot result in a federal conviction. Article 15 punishments do not include prison time. Despite this, Article 15s are serious military disciplinary actions.

Being found guilty under Article 15 could cause you to lose rank, lose promotions, be removed from your duty position, get less desirable future assignments, receive a negative performance report, receive a reduced military retirement grade, and/or even lead to an administrative discharge (separation) from the military.

Contact a Fort Bragg Military Defense Lawyer Today

If you are stationed at Fort Bragg and you face a military investigation, military disciplinary action, administrative discharge (separation), adverse administrative hearing, or court-martial because of allegations against you in the military justice system, you need an experienced defense attorney on your side. These military adverse actions could have significant negative impacts for your career and life. Your decision about who will represent you is extremely important.

Contact a civilian defense attorney serving as a military defense lawyer at the Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens today by calling (888) 399-0693, emailing us at , or contact us through our website to set up an initial consultation.