Why Choose a Civilian Military Attorney?
Extra Counsel: The Benefit of Your Uniformed Counsel as an Additional Resource
The military will appoint you a defense attorney for free. A common misconception is that you must choose between your appointed attorney or a civilian attorney. You can accept one free attorney, or you could hire a civilian attorney and keep your military defense at no charge. This gives you the ability to assemble a team of attorneys, often with more than one plan of action, to defend you in a very trying time of your life. Servicemembers can benefit from more than one attorney, and you deserve a team.
Civilian Military Attorneys Can Give Your Case the Attention it Deserves
Along with the additional resources when hiring a civilian attorney, there’s the fact that the workload differs greatly between military defense and independent attorneys. Military defense attorneys take every single case that comes through their door because that’s their job. These attorneys often must divide their time between 10-20 pending cases as well as other adverse actions. As civilian military attorneys, we take on a new case when we know that we can devote the effort and attention that it deserves.
Personalized and Experienced Defense
The defense appointed by the military is chosen based on who happens to be available at the time of your case. Your preferences are not taken into consideration, and neither is the experience of the attorney or the amount of time they have available for your case. On the other hand, you have the power to choose the civilian defense attorney that best matches the personality, experience, and time you’re looking for. It’s extremely important to find a military lawyer who is the best fit for you and your situation. It’s ideal to work with an attorney who is able to walk you through the defense process and ensure that you feel comfortable trusting them in such an important time. Many military defense counsels have less than five years of service as an attorney, and possibly less as a military member. Confidence and competence are attributes that can only be gained through experience representing clients in the courtroom. Time and practice are invaluable, and in order to ensure you receive the very best defense, it’s important to find an attorney who has years of courtroom experience. This is most likely going to mean hiring a civilian military attorney separate from your appointed counsel.
Independence from the Armed Forces Bureaucracy
As defense attorneys, our first goal is to secure a positive result for our clients. Because we are not subject to the military system, we aren’t deterred by a chain of command, rank, or a supervisory chain of responsibility. Independent from the military system, we are not subject to evaluation reports or upcoming promotions. This is not to say that every military defense is concerned about these factors, but some certainly are. Our sole goal is the best outcome for the client. We work only for our clients’ interests. Military members are also subject to certain boundaries that civilians are not. For example, military attorneys are often subject to restraints on representation by their chain of command. In many cases, civilian attorneys’ freedom from these boundaries can be an asset. At Military Trial Defenders, we truly believe in fighting for our clients. Our goal is to secure the best possible outcome for you. If you decide that working with a civilian military attorney is the best option for you, please contact us today.
