Warning: Army Sexual Assault Lawyers
It has come to our attention that Army military sexual assault lawyers are pressuring clients to plead guilty despite their clients’ claims of innocence. These military sexual assault lawyers work for Trial Defense Services which is supposed to be an independent branch of the Army dedicated to representing soldiers. There has always been the risk that young military defense lawyers recommend plea deals because of their fear of battling the United States Government, but in the past six months we have talked with approximately a dozen individuals accused of sexual assault in the Army that were specifically pressured to plead guilty by their military sexual assault attorney without good reason.
Army Defense Lawyers Pressured to Take Deals
Even worse, we recently spoke to actual Army sexual assault military lawyers that told us in no uncertain terms that the battle-cry of their leadership is directing them to cut deals even though it means their clients will admit to committing sexual assault and having to register for the rest of their lives. Army leaders are using scare tactics from a few very unique cases to intimidate their junior counsel to cut deals. These young Army military defense lawyers are then threatening their clients that they will be locked up for dozens of years in simple drunk-sex cases where the average sentence is less than two years.
We have never specifically warned clients about uniformed military defense lawyers and have always had a tremendous working relationship, but this recent change has caused genuine concern.
Average Military Sexual Assault Punishment
Even when these cases are lost, the punishment rarely exceeds a couple years. Experienced military sexual assault lawyers know that even if a jury determines a sexual assault occurred, the surrounding circumstances usually justify a sentence of far less than two years confinement – not dozens of years as these Army defense lawyers have been threatening.
The last time one of our lawyers lost a sexual assault allegation in a solo victim adult case, our client received only six months of confinement.
Military Sexual Assault Lawyers Win Rate
The trend to recommend sexual assault plea deals is absolutely astonishing and must be taken very seriously. The current conviction rate for adult sexual assault cases that are ordered to court-martial hovers below 30% of all cases! That means only 3 of 10 people taken to court-martial are convicted of a sexual offense. The win rate for our firm in nearly perfect – our lawyers have gone over four years and at least 100 sexual assault clients without a conviction for sexual assault in solo victim adult cases.
We’ve handled just about every variation of sexual assault case that exists in the military, and our clients have been exonerated. From cases with confessions, to cases with DNA, to cases with vaginal trauma, and cases without any motives for the alleged victims to lie, all ending in acquittals.
Even cases that have ended in convictions often get overturned on appeal. However, the chances of winning an appeal on a case with a guilty plea is almost zero.
Hiring Civilian Military Sexual Assault Lawyers
This issue is so severe with Army defense counsel that we vehemently recommend you seek civilian counsel even if its not with our firm!
When you’re looking for a civilian military sexual assault lawyer, you need to find someone that balances their experience, credibility, and costs of representation in the most fair manner. The credibility of your attorney in a sexual assault case requires sensitivity to the current sexual assault prevention environment. Remember, your jurors have decided to stay in the military despite the years of unfair treatment to those accused of sexual assault.
There are recent stories of older male civilian defense counsel telling juries that walking into a bar and slapping a woman on the butt is acceptable behavior, saying things like, “back in my day that’s just a way of saying hello.” We guarantee you that will immediately cause a jury to hate your lawyer and increase the risk that you will be convicted. This cavalier attitude toward a serious issue in the minds of the jury will backfire 100% of the time.
We are the only firm out there with a mixture of male and female former military lawyers that had high level sexual assault specific jobs within the military. Don’t be confused by firms that have a partners that never served and simply have a law degree (usually a husband/wife team where one of them never served).
Be skeptical of those that don’t have a team of lawyers ready to work together for your best defense. Too many civilian lawyers have “partners” that are merely profit sharing mechanisms to get the guy with the fancy website rich and stick you with a lawyer that has too little experience to land their own cases.
We believe in the coplete and total defense of our clients. We address our cases with the practical knowledge of how best to connect with the jurors using our thirty-plus-years of combined experience in military justice. We work closely with the assigned military defense counsel to make sure we get the benefit of their assistance without the risk of their inexperience.
