Why Choose Us?
90% Acquittal Rate*
Our track record speaks for itself.
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We excel in complex cases, where it’s one person’s word against another’s.
A SHARP complaint has been filed against you. No one has charged you with anything, and you may not have been told much beyond the fact that an investigation exists. That is not a sign this is minor. It is the point at which the record that decides your career starts getting built — and the point at which most soldiers, believing the truth will speak for itself, do the damage themselves.
A SHARP Complaint Is Not One Process. It Is Two.
Everything depends on which track your complaint is on, because the two run on different rules and carry different risks.
- Sexual harassment complaints go to an AR 15-6 administrative investigation. A specially trained investigating officer from outside your chain of command gathers statements and makes findings under a preponderance standard — more likely than not, not beyond a reasonable doubt.
- Sexual assault allegations go to Army CID as a criminal investigation, with the possibility of Article 120 charges and a court-martial.
A complaint can start on one track and move to the other. Both can be running at once. And both can be underway before anyone formally tells you that you are the subject.
The Administrative Track Is the One That Catches Soldiers Off Guard
Because there is no criminal charge, an AR 15-6 investigation feels lower-stakes than it is. It is not.
Under Army Directive 2022-13, a substantiated finding of sexual harassment requires your command to initiate involuntary separation proceedings. A substantiated finding also routinely triggers an HRC Show Cause Board for officers. This happens on a preponderance standard, in a process where you have no right to appointed defense counsel, and where the investigating officer’s report becomes the record everything afterward is built on.
Put plainly: you can be separated from the Army over a finding that would never survive a criminal trial, in a proceeding where nobody is assigned to defend you.
What Is Happening to You Right Now
- You are likely flagged. A flag stops promotions, awards, schools, reenlistment, PCS moves, and separation or retirement on schedule — and it lands during the investigation, not after a finding.
- You may be under a military protective order or no-contact order. Violating one, even accidentally, becomes its own offense and is often easier to prove than the original allegation.
- Your clearance is exposed. An open investigation can trigger suspension or review.
- A GOMOR or Article 15 may be coming. Either can follow a substantiated finding without a court-martial ever happening, and a filed GOMOR can end a career on its own.
False SHARP Complaints at Washington, DC Commands
The National Capital Region concentrates senior leadership, joint commands, and cleared personnel in a small number of installations, and reputations travel fast between them. An allegation at the Pentagon or a headquarters element draws scrutiny a similar case elsewhere would not, and the professional community is small enough that an unresolved complaint follows you into your next assignment.
We are not asking you to prove a negative on your own. Our job is to make sure the investigation that decides your future is accurate, properly conducted, and answered with evidence — before the findings are written.
The Process: What to Expect
Initial Consultation
Contact us for a free case evaluation. We’ll discuss your charges and outline the strongest defense strategy.
Case Review
We review every aspect of your case — evidence, witness statements, investigative procedure, and OSTC referral package.
Trial Preparation
We build a defense strategy tailored to your case — motions, expert witnesses, and a complete trial plan.
The Verdict
Whether it’s a jury trial or judge-alone trial, we fight for your acquittal and your future.
Contact us today. Your military career depends on it.
What To Do Right Now
| DO THIS | DONT DO THIS |
| Invoke Article 31(b) before you say anything. It applies to the investigating officer, not only to CID. Say you want an attorney, then stop. | Do not tell your side to the investigating officer without counsel. An AR 15-6 interview feels like a chance to clear things up. It is the record that decides the finding. |
| Follow every protective order to the letter. No contact means none — not through a friend, not to apologize, not to ask what is going on. | Do not contact the complainant or witnesses. Even a message meant to resolve a misunderstanding can become obstruction, witness intimidation, or an order violation. |
| Preserve everything now. Texts, emails, duty rosters, schedules, badge logs, witnesses who were present. This evidence disappears fast and nobody else is collecting it for you. | Do not assume an unsubstantiated finding ends it. Command can still act, and the file follows you. |
| Write your own timeline. Dates, times, locations, who else was there. For your attorney only. | Do not wait for charges before hiring counsel. On the administrative track there may never be charges — only a finding, and then separation. |
What Our Clients Say
“Hired Lance as my legal representative for an investigation I came under as AD Army. Peace of mind and a subject matter expert on military law was what I got in my 8 months of working with him. In the end, nothing that affected my rank, retirement or my future disability claim came out of the ordeal. Highly recommend !!!”
washington dc ACtive duty Service Member
“Lance was not just my attorney but also a trusted confidant. He was always there to promptly answer my calls and emails, offering reassurance and guidance when I needed it most. His proactive approach and meticulous attention to detail ensured that my case was thoroughly prepared, giving me confidence in the courtroom. I cannot recommend Lance Wood highly enough to anyone in need of a compassionate and highly skilled defense attorney. He truly goes above and beyond for his clients, and I am incredibly grateful for everything he has done for me”
Washington dc active duty service member
| MILITARY TRIAL DEFENDERS | |||
| Competitive Differentiator Analysis | Why Clients Choose MTD | |||
| DIFFERENTIATOR | Military Trial Defenders | National Security–Focused Military Defense Firm | General Court-Martial Defense Firm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90% Acquittal Rate | ★ STRONG | ◐ MIXED | ◐ MIXED |
| 24/7 Availability & 24–48hr Response Guarantee | ★ STRONG | ◐ MIXED | ◐ MIXED |
| Transparent Flat-Fee Billing | ★ STRONG | ◐ MIXED | × WEAK |
| Pre-Charge / Investigation-Stage Engagement | ★ STRONG | ◐ MIXED | ◐ MIXED |
Frequently Asked Questions
An investigation opens whether or not the complaint has merit. You will likely be flagged, you may be placed under a no-contact or military protective order, and you may be moved out of your section — all before anyone has evaluated the evidence. None of that is a finding of guilt. It is the Army’s standard response to any complaint.
What decides your case is the record built over the following weeks, and that record is assembled largely without you unless someone is protecting your interests in it. Our overview of how false allegations move through the UCMJ explains the pattern, and you can reach us for a confidential consultation any hour.
No, and the difference matters enormously. A sexual harassment complaint is handled as an AR 15-6 administrative investigation — no charge, no court-martial, findings made on a preponderance standard. A sexual assault allegation is handled as a criminal investigation by Army CID, which can lead to Article 120 charges.
A complaint can also move from one track to the other. If CID becomes involved in your case, our step-by-step guide to the CID investigation process covers what changes and what to expect.
Yes. This is the single most misunderstood thing about SHARP complaints. Under Army Directive 2022-13, a substantiated finding of sexual harassment requires your command to initiate involuntary administrative separation proceedings, and for officers it routinely triggers an HRC Show Cause Board. Limited rehabilitation exceptions exist for minor infractions, but they do not apply to quid pro quo conduct, sexual touching in a superior-subordinate relationship, or repeat allegations.
That means a preponderance finding — more likely than not — can end a career that a criminal court would never have touched. If your case reaches that stage, see how administrative discharge and separation boards work, and what a discharge characterization costs you long after service.
Not an appointed one. Military-appointed defense counsel is generally detailed once charges are preferred in a criminal case. An administrative investigation is not a criminal case, so the phase that can end your career through separation often passes with no appointed representation at all.
Hiring civilian counsel is how you get someone working during that window — reviewing the appointment of the investigating officer, submitting evidence and witnesses, and challenging findings before they are final. Our Washington, DC team handles these alongside court-martial work.
Not before speaking with an attorney. Article 31(b) rights apply to questioning by an investigating officer, not only to CID agents. You can decline, and declining is not evidence of guilt.
The instinct to explain is strong when you know the complaint is false, and it is the instinct that damages the most cases. A statement given without preparation becomes the version of events everything else is measured against, and small inconsistencies about times or dates get read as dishonesty. There is a right way and a right moment to put your account on the record — talk to us first.
We use flat fee rates with no hidden fees. You are quoted a defined price for a defined scope before you retain us, so you are not weighing whether a phone call is worth the money in the middle of an investigation.
Fees depend on the allegation, whether the case is on the administrative or criminal track, and where it will be heard. Our guide to what a military lawyer costs covers the variables, and a consultation will get you a real number.
It is possible. A knowingly false official statement can be charged under Article 107, and other articles may apply depending on the conduct. In practice these charges are uncommon, and pursuing them is rarely the fastest route to protecting your career.
Building a defense that gets the finding right is almost always the better use of your time and money. Where a complaint has already produced a GOMOR or an Article 15, there are established ways to respond, rebut, and appeal — and those deadlines move quickly.
A restricted report is confidential. It notifies neither your chain of command nor law enforcement, no investigation opens, and you are not contacted — so you may never learn one exists. An unrestricted report triggers an official investigation, notifies your command, and brings law enforcement in, along with protective measures like a military protective order. A complainant can convert a restricted report to unrestricted at any time; the reverse is not possible once an investigation starts.
In practice, the first sign of an unrestricted report is often a flag, a sudden reassignment, or a no-contact order. If the allegation involves conduct under Article 120 of the UCMJ, treat it as a criminal matter from that moment.
