“I had an excellent experience working with Alexandra. When my bitter ex-wife falsely accused me of abusing her and my children, my life almost came to an end. Immediately, the military turned on me and blocked me from seeing my kids. It took me almost two years to get justice. I could not have done it without Alexandra. From the start, she was incredibly attentive, kind, and knowledgeable. She took the time to explain everything to me until I understood fully. I deeply appreciated how honest she was about the laws, the facts of the case, and the many potential outcomes. She was trustworthy and had a good follow-through. I felt legally protected and had peace of mind for the first time in many months. Her advice was spot on, and she guided me through the military justice system and family advocacy process. Because of Alexandra, I saved my career, cleared my name, and got to see my children after a long 18 months. I had a very positive experience with her and the firm, and I strongly recommend Alexandra when the military and your command abandon you and you want justice.” (US Marine Corps E-7).

“In May 2023 I found myself in a frightening situation. I had been notified by NCIS that I was being investigated and immediately began to spiral. I reached out to a few attorneys online and was not super impressed. A week after being notified and my mental health is suffering. Finally, I called the Waddingtons and was put in contact with Alexandra.. one of the first things she told me was that I had to take care of myself and to stay off Google (too late). None of the attorneys that I had spoken with to this point seemed to understand me as a service member who was in a bad situation AND a person. Alexandra got it. After speaking with her (also very bright-she seemed to have a plan right away), I knew the Waddingtons were the legal help I was going to use. The resolution of my case was really the best possible outcome (didn’t go to court martial-general discharge-adsep). I was prepared to take the Waddingtons as far in this case as necessary and was confident having them backing me. Just for the sake of your peace of mind, call them and let them help you!” (US Navy E-7).

“An accusation of sexual assault or Assault and Battery is a major life-changing event for any military service member. As a Senior NCO with over 20 years, you will be ignored, looked at like you are guilty before you even have a trial. DoD-provided Trial defense lawyers; you’ll be told to “just wait” or “stand by” until things get to the worst possible point and then offered a Chapter 10 to speed up the process of getting you out losing everything you worked for. If you’re a fighter for what you earned in your career and family life. I highly recommend you hire a dedicated professional like Michael Waddington and his team. My investigation started in November 2019 and then charged in September 2020 causing extreme life stressors. The process of locating a civilian lawyer is also not intuitive, as many of the websites are misleading or confusing. Again, consider what your life is worth to you. Consider the lifelong repercussions of a dishonorable or other-than-honorable discharge, and realize that you will not be able to fight the vast resources of the U.S. Government alone. The Waddington team actually answers their phones. They text back in a timely manner. They will review all the evidence, even as it continues to change and grow over time, and they will construct the best possible case to save your life. Expenses may seem like a lot of money, but I know to this day that it’s some of the best money I have ever spent. Do yourself a favor; before talking to anyone, hire Michael Waddington.” (US Army E-7).

“I first retained the Waddington’s back in 2018, when I filed for divorce after I caught my wife cheating on me. In retaliation, she falsely accused me of sexually assaulting her throughout our marriage and domestic violence. OSI did no investigation. None, other than to take my wife’s statement. They took her word as gold and dragged the investigation out over a year. I don’t know what took so long. My command turned on me instantly and sided with my ex-wife. They removed me from my job and assigned me to a menial job. They destroyed my 12-year career in the blink of an eye. At first, I was in shock. How could the Air Force turn on me after so many years? Then, I became bitter and depressed as the months wore on. A few months into the investigation, I hired Michael and Alexandra and instantly felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. Alexandra was my rock. I mainly dealt with her during the investigation. She gave me hope. By the time I was charged, I was ready to fight. I had gathered a lot of evidence to use in court during the investigation. When I got the preferred charges, I was glad to get it over with. By this point, my ex had dragged out our divorce for a year. She was using the false allegations against me in family court as leverage. Her corrupt Air Force victim’s lawyer and her divorce lawyer kept delaying the divorce, hoping to get a conviction so that she could take the kids, the house and get three years of victim compensation benefits. As we got ready for court, the Waddington’s and my ADC worked together seamlessly. By the time Michael flew in for trial, we were prepared for battle. In the court martial, it was no contest. The Air Force JAGs were no match for Michael, and they literally looked like fools as Michael ripped their witnesses apart. It was kind of entertaining. My ex-wife was a puppet in his hands. I thought the OSI agent was going to start crying on the witness stand when Michael exposed his incompetent investigation and bias. At the beginning of his cross examination, Michael asked him if “his investigation was thorough and complete.” The OSI agent said “yes.” Then, Michael exposed him for not following his own training and the OSI instruction. In the end, after exposing his biased investigation, all of the evidence he did not collect, the people he did not interview, , Michael asked him again, “so you still think your investigation was thorough and complete?” The agent’s face turned bright red, and he said “yes.” The jury rolled their eyes. During the trial, I was nervous, but I was also enjoying every moment of it. The jury found me NOT GUILTY, and I was a free man. Yes, I had to rebuild my life and reputation, but that is better than sitting in jail for a crime you did not commit. I am grateful that I hired Alexandra and Michael when I did and cannot recommend them enough.” (US Air Force O-3).

“Mr. Waddington‘s attention to detail and thoroughness overly exceeded our initial expectations. From the very beginning, Mr. Waddington displayed the highest level of integrity and genuinely cared about his client; our son. His experience and expertise in defending these type of sexual assault cases became very apparent and comforting as he gathered, compiled, and studied the facts of the case. Mr. Waddington‘s defense was so compelling that the prosecution in our son’s case did not even present evidence in the General Court Martial. His knowledge preparation and genius are second to none. We trusted him with the most precious thing in our lives; our son. The stakes were extremely high and Mr. Waddington came through in the most impressive way. We give thanks to God for his mighty deeds done in and through Mr. Waddington and his entire defense team. He turned our mourning into dancing. We highly recommend Mr. Waddington as a defense attorney.” (US Air Force E-4).

“I was facing 2 counts of UCMJ 112a, being a convicted felon, up to 10 years in prison and a dismissal. When I was arrested, I was completely shocked and knew that I needed counsel and not to say anything, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I had never been in trouble and now I am being told, I will lose everything. I am a single parent, facing not only losing my retirement, but my VA benefits, even my house. I did my research, took a long look at everything I could find, I didn’t want a good lawyer, I wanted the very best lawyer there is. When comparing up to $4 million in retirement benefits and paying up to $50,000 to have your life back, you do not “skimp” on getting good enough. You get the absolute most experienced, best trial council there is, that is Michael Waddington. The government only needs probably cause to take you to a general court martial, a positive urinalysis is that probable cause. I did not hire Mr. Waddington to find me a plea deal, I hired Mr. Waddington because he is the very best trial defense lawyer there is. There was not a close second that I found. He is routinely ranked in the top 100 lawyers in the country, he has defended more federal cases, actually fought it out in court, than anyone I could find. Do not take being charged by the government lightly. The government has unlimited resources and time. Do not try to beat the government alone, get someone who will fight for you, someone who does this job only for service members, get someone with honor and integrity, get Michael Waddington. Everyone wants to win, I was more concerned about that than how, but Michael Waddington did it above board, by the book, with integrity and defended me in a way that impressed the prosecution, the judge and the 8 Colonels on the panel. Michael is an honest person, an excellent lawyer, and someone you will never regret hiring. He is one of the good guys, trust him completely, he will not let you down. After 24 years of service, I am going to retire honorably and get to watch my kids grow up and I owe it to Michael Waddington.” (US Air Force O-5).

“This man understood that he has a son in the military & would never want this to ever happen to his son. He didn’t talk down to me he talked to me as if I was an equal to him as if he has been through life an understands that this can happen to anyone. I can honestly talk all day of the great person Mr. & Mrs Waddington are so happy A.H. introduced me to you an we got this taken care of I hope the best for you an your family thank you so much for everything.” (US Navy E-4).

“If you’re looking for attorneys that don’t back down you’ve came to the right place. I was facing 3x sexual assault charges and 3x assault charges if it wasn’t for Mr.Waddington and his wife I’d be in prison. TDS Army attorney wanted me to say I was guilty and telling me I was going to prison. Mr.Waddington went in that court room and took control the prosecution didn’t know what to do. I can’t thank them enough any questions I had were answered. Without a doubt worth every penny. The panel took about 45 min to come out NOT GUILTY.” (US Army E-5).

“I was falsely accused of abusive sexual contact while attending a military service academy. The investigation started the summer before my final year. During this time, I was in a very dark place. Although my commission and graduation were in jeopardy, I did not tell my parents until the holiday break. My parents wanted to look outside the military for a quality defense lawyer. We spoke with New York law firms and some lawyers we found online. We decided to hire Gonzalez and Waddington. A few other reviews mentioned that the Waddington’s were expensive. However, they were much less expensive than the New York lawyers that we talked to. They also had much more experience than the other law firms we interviewed. A few New York lawyers quoted my family over $150,000 for a trial, plus expenses. The Waddington firm cost much less, which surprised us a little. Trust me; they were well worth it. At first, I had faith in the system. Then, I realized the investigators assumed I was guilty when they did not interview many people who were favorable to me. When I heard from my friends that the investigators were trying to get my classmates to change their testimony, I knew they were gunning for me. After we hired them, Mr. Waddington worked closely with me to build a timeline, collect evidence, and assemble a list of witnesses. They gave me “homework,” which kept me active and engaged in my case. When I called, they listened to me and gave me hope. I could tell that they cared about me and my situation. Mr. Waddington explained that I was a key witness, so I documented as many details as possible. He guided me through the process, working together to build my defense. We decided to keep critical information hidden (texts, photos, statements) from the prosecution until the right time. Instead, we captured as much evidence as possible to use later. When the time came, Mr. Waddington used the information we gathered with great skill. He exposed the lies and holes in the prosecutor’s case. Finally, the Waddington’s cleared my name and reputation. Thankfully, I was commissioned and am on my way to a successful career. I owe my life and career to Michael and Alexandra. My family is forever grateful.” (US Army Cadet).

“I want to start by saying I am extremely satisfied with the work of Michael and Alexandra, you guys are an amazing team and I am so thankful for you both. I (Staff NCO in the Army) waited until 1 week before the Article 39 hearing to schedule a consultation with Michael and Alexandra; I wish I had done so from the beginning. I was dealing with a lot of psychological issues from the allegations, unanswered questions, and uncertainties. Bringing them onto my team provided immediate relief, they helped me to think clearly and focus on the goal of winning my case. In the weeks leading up to my Court martial, the Waddingtons and my detailed attorney revealed numerous inconsistencies. All I had to do at this point was show up and explain what actually happened. Naturally, lies don’t make sense especially when the are compounding on each other. This all held true during the court proceedings. Long story short, my accuser got on the stand and gave her well rehearsed testimony for the prosecutor. When Michael got up there to do cross, he was calm and slowly started peeling apart her layers and layers of deceit. There were dozens of inconsistencies, the majority of which were blatant lies or cover-ups and even crimes which were highlighted for the panel to see. The Court room is truly Michael’s domain. In the end I was acquitted of all charges and specifications. I was able to have a nice dinner with my family and talk about the future without prefacing “depends on how this court martial goes but”; that feels amazing. Hiring Michael and Alexandra was the best decision of my life, if you are in a similar situation get them on the phone asap. Some additional tips for whoever finds themselves here: -If you are being investigated by CID for allegations of violating article 120, do not wait around. Be pro-active, retain a great attorney and get to work. The Army will not provide you an assigned attorney until you have actually been charged with a crime; What if there is something in your case that could curtail the entire process? You wouldn’t even know and that’s how the Government likes it. Because they have every intention of charging you even if it’s solely based on the word of you accuser. -DO NOT talk to CID, do not confide in you Chain of Command. Don’t even discuss the details of your case with Mom, Dad, or best friend. -Your CO will issue a Military Protective Order as a “standard” thing. This will deny you certain liberties like purchasing and owning a firearm since it gets submitted to the FBI. Make sure to ask the question why your CO is processing an MPO without an expiration date, or as a matter of fact without any evidence. Seems unlawful to me, but this is all in retrospect because I ignorantly signed it as I had no real legal representation at the time it was issued. -You’ll be flagged the entire time, no way around this. Just continue to do your best at work, show them how resilient you are and contribute to the growth of your Company. Do not give them any excuse to label you a dirt bag, or worse stack on additional charges. Good luck.” (US Army E-6).