Military Records Correction & Appeal Lawyer (BCMR/BCNR) and Officer Grade Determinations – Military Defense Lawyer

The Military Justice System Includes Many Different Adverse Actions That Could Seriously Harm The Career And Future Of Military Members

If you are a military member seeking to appeal to correct your military records, or facing a grade determination to determine your retired rank, you need a strong military defense lawyer as your advocate. Attorney Richard V. Stevens is a civilian court-martial defense lawyer and military defense lawyer. He began handling military cases in 1995 and he has been handling military cases for over 30 years. This has included numerous BCMR and retirement grade determination cases over his three decades of military legal practice. Attorney Stevens, and the military defense law firm he founded, are here to provide you with the zealous representation you are seeking to protect you from the potential consequences of adverse information in your military records or being reduced in your retired rank

While general court-martial (and sometimes special court-martial) successes may result in more public recognition, there are many other military adverse actions that could have a dramatically negatively impact on a military member’s career and future. Our civilian defense attorneys also handle these adverse military actions.

The military service branches have various boards that consider and “hear” appeals of all types of administrative military adverse actions – performance reports, denial of re-enlistment, demotion, denial/removal of promotion, written counselings, admonishments, reprimands, Article 15s, administrative discharge/separations. These administrative appeal boards include:

• The Army DASEB (Department of Army Suitability Evaluation Board)
• Various other administrative boards under the Army Review Boards Agency (ARBA), including the Army Grade Determination Review Board (AGDRB), Army ADHOC Board (AAHB), Army Active Duty Board, Army Board of Review for Eliminations, Army Special Review Board (ASRB) [Evaluation Appeals], Department of the Army Conscientious Objector Board (DACORB), Army Physical Disability Appeal Board (APDAB), Army Disability Rating Review Board (APDRB), Army Clemency and Parole Board (ACPB).
• The Air Force ERAB (Evaluation Reports Appeal Board)
• The Army Discharge Review Board (ADRB), Air Force Discharge Review Board (AFDRB), Navy Discharge Review Board (NDRB)
• The Army Board for Correction of Military Records (ABCMR), Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records (AFBCMR), Board for Correction of Naval Records (BCNR), and Coast Guard Board for Correction of Military Records (CGBCMR)

The military service branch administrative appeal boards for correction of military records (BCMR and BCNR) are like the “Supreme Court” of administrative appeals. They have authority to overturn and remove many administrative military adverse actions if a strong and persuasive appeal presentation, that satisfies the appeal standards, is made. In fact, they often have the authority to overturn decisions of lower level military appeal boards. Because of this, having an experienced and aggressive court martial appeals lawyer on your side is absolutely vital in these military administrative appeal cases.

The following are some links to various military appellate boards:

• Army Boards (DASEB, ADRB, ABCMR)
• Air Force Discharge Review Board (AFDRB)
• Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records (AFBCMR)
• Navy Discharge Review Board (NDRB)
• Board for Correction of Naval Records (BCNR)
• Coast Guard Board for Correction of Military Records (CGBCMR)
• Military Appeal Board Reading Rooms

Attorney Richard V. Stevens represents military members appealing adverse administrative military actions to the various military appeal boards. This includes written appeal packages and personal appearances (with or without the member) before the appeal boards that authorize an appearance.

Military Officer Grade Determinations and Retirement Grade Determinations

If a military officer receives an administrative disciplinary action or substantiated investigation in the last few years leading to their retirement, that officer could face an “Officer Grade Determination” or “Retirement Grade Determination” (depending on what each service branch calls the process). This is a process through which the service branch determines the retired rank of the officer, by evaluating the highest rank that officer served “satisfactorily.” In other words, an officer could be reduced in rank for purposes of retirement if it is determined that the officer did not serve satisfactorily in the highest rank they achieved before retiring. The potential loss of retired rank through this process could mean the loss of a signicant amount of retirement pay, as calculated over the years of the officer’s retirement.

Mr. Stevens is a civilian criminal defense attorney and former active duty military JAG lawyer who exclusively practices military law and defends military members stationed around the world who are facing military trials, disciplinary actions, appeals, adverse actions, board hearings, and investigations. This includes military records correction (BCMR/BCNR) and Officer Grade Determinations.

If you are interested in appealing an administrative military adverse action or rebutting a notice of Officer Grade Determination/Retirement Grade Determination, please don’t hesitate to seek the legal help you’re going to need. For a free initial case consultation, please contact us.

No attorney can guarantee the outcome you seek in your military case. What we can promise is that we will apply our decades of experience to the defense of your military case. This includes our extensive experience in military law, military regulations, military investigations, military disciplinary actions, military adverse actions, and/or military court-martial trials and cases.

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