Fort Leonard Wood Military Defense Lawyer

The military has a different criminal justice system from the one you will encounter in civilian life. The laws, courts, and procedures are different. You are given the right to counsel and your case will be heard by a review board of officers called a court-martial.

You are accused of violating the Universal Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). These are standards of conduct you agree to follow during your time of service. If you break them, the military will try the case and you could face the possibility of jail time or a dishonorable discharge.

Situations like this are when you need an expert in military law, procedures, and guidelines.

The Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens look out for you and make sure that you are fairly treated according to the UCMJ. You have rights and, even though you are in the military, you need someone on your side that will protect you.

Contact our Fort Leonard Wood military lawyer today at 888-399-0693 and let us help you. We serve clients throughout the United States and overseas. We offer a free consultation on your case.

What a Fort Leonard Wood Military Defense Lawyer Can Help You With

The civilian defense lawyers who serve as Fort Leonard Wood military defense lawyer for the Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens have all previously served as Judge Advocates (JAGs) in the military. They 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 (non-judicial punishment, NJP)
  • Reprimands, admonitions, and counseling
  • Military investigations (AR 15-6, CDI, CID, NCIS, OSI, CGIS, MEO, IG, etc.)
  • Military academy discipline
  • And more.

Why Choose Us?

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. Our experience can benefit all phases of your military case, from 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, to 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 its own laws, regulations, and procedural rules. Those laws and rules are constantly changing. The military also has a unique culture and, in many ways, is quite different from 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 crucial military justice experience.

Our team of attorneys is experienced in military law and the UCMJ. We have served as members of the military in places like the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. You work with a Fort Leonard Wood military defense attorney that has served as lead defense counsel in high-profile cases.

Our knowledge and experience of the law help us to look out for you. We have dealt with many different offenses including:

  • AWOL
  • Larceny
  • Fraud
  • Desertion
  • Conduct unbecoming
  • Drugs
  • Sex offenses
  • Computer crime (such as pornography)
  • Crimes committed in combat zones
  • Military academy offenses
  • Re-enlistment issues
  • National security cases
  • War crimes
  • Consensual sex offenses.

We will look at the evidence of your case to see if the UCMJ was violated by those accusing you of the crime. These include things such as:

  • False confessions
  • Aggressive police interrogations
  • Incriminating statements.

We recently represented a senior military officer who avoided removal from his position and disciplinary actions. We can do the same for you.

You need a Fort Leonard Wood military defense lawyer that is on your side, understands the law, and will stand up for you. Contact the Law Offices of Richard Stevens at 888-399-0693.

What We Will Do for You?

Any judicial proceeding requires going in and looking at the case. We have several steps that we follow for you including:

  • Analyzing the evidence
  • Reviewing witnesses
  • Applying what we uncover to the law
  • Representing you from the initial stages to the outcome
  • Working to get you results, no matter the seriousness of the charges.

We are the defense lawyer for Fort Leonard Wood. We will make sure you are not set up and that your rights are respected. This requires someone that has the knowledge and experience to create successful results for you.

The Law Offices of Richard Stevens have the knowledge and experience you need in these situations. Our track record speaks for itself. Contact us today at 888-399-0693. We offer a free consultation of your case.

An Inside Look into the Court-Martial Trial Process

General Court-Martial trials and Special Court-Martial trials are presided over by Military Judges

A military accused facing a General Court-Martial or Special Court-Martial gets to choose the forum for his/her trial — who will decide his/her case. A military accused’s case in a court-martial trial can be judged by a Military Judge alone, or before court members (military “jury” called a panel). If the military accused goes to trial before court members, the rank of those court members is dependent upon the rank of the accused. An enlisted accused can choose a panel of all officer court members or a panel that includes enlisted court members. If an enlisted accused chooses a panel that includes enlisted court members, at least one-third of the court members must be enlisted, and they all must outrank the accused, at least by date of rank. If an officer accused chooses a court-martial before court members, those court members must be officers and they must all outrank the accused, at least by date of rank. A General Court-Martial requires no fewer than five court members. A Special Court-Martial requires no fewer than three court members.

On a court-martial charge sheet, there will be one or more “charges” and one or more “specifications.” A court-martial “charge” is the Article of the UCMJ that was allegedly violated. A court-martial “specification” is a description of the distinct alleged criminal act. All specifications fall under the charged UCMJ Article. So, for example, there could be one charge of Larceny under UCMJ Article 121, and several specifications under that charge that describe each specific claim of theft under that charge.

Procedurally, initial court-martial charging is called “preferral” of court-martial charges. This is when the accused military member is first formally charged. Then, if the appropriate Court-Martial Convening Authority determines the preferred charges and specifications should be heard in a court-martial trial, those charges and specifications are then “referred” to trial by court-martial. Any charges and specifications decided in a court-martial trial have been both preferred and then referred to trial by court-martial.

Different Types of Military Courts-Martial

The military has three types of court-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, it is not considered a federal criminal conviction because you do not have the same rights in a summary court-martial that you have in the other two types of court-martial.

Special court-martial (SPCM) or general court-martial (GCM) in the military are federal criminal trials. If you are convicted in an 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 like a felony conviction, and a special court-martial conviction is like a misdemeanor conviction.

Article 15 or Non-Judicial 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 Leonard Wood Military Defense Lawyer Today

If you are stationed at Fort Leonard Wood 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 on 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 contacting us through our website to set up an initial consultation.

Attorney Richard Stevens

Mr. Stevens has been handling military cases since 1995. He has defended military cases dealing with the most serious military offenses, including allegations of “war crimes,” national security cases, murder, manslaughter, homicide, rape, sexual assault, other sex related offenses, drug offenses, computer crimes (pornography), larceny, fraud, AWOL/desertion, conduct unbecoming, military academy offenses, offenses within combat zones, senior officer cases and other military specific offenses around the world. [ Attorney Bio ]

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    “Your client has no idea how lucky he was to have hired you.”

    - Former Senior Military JAG Attorney

    “He simply commanded the courtroom, prepared to the teeth, and, most importantly, retained his personal and professional manner that proved so impressive in his advocacy success.”

    - Former Senior Military Judge

    “His advocacy, compassion, intellect, and demeanor are unsurpassed.”

    - Former Military Staff Judge Advocate and Trial Judge

    “That was the best closing argument I have ever seen; by a civilian or military attorney.”

    - Senior Court Reporter

    From Our Blogimage of star

    Military Noncommissioned Officer Has Sexual Assault Case Dropped (UCMJ Article 120)

    Recently, a military noncommissioned officer defended by attorney Richard V. Stevens (Military Defense Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens, P.C.) had the alleged sexual assault case he faced dropped by the military before court-martial charges were preferred against him (UCMJ A [...]