Premier Civilian Military Defense Attorneys: Published Experts
Do not be fooled by websites selling “Top 10” badges for $2,000/month. In the military justice system, Authority is Earned, Not Bought. The defense lawyers listed below are ranked based on their verifiable bibliography: books, legal treatises, and peer-reviewed articles that define the standards of modern military law.
1. Michael Waddington & Alexandra González-Waddington
Partners at Gonzalez & Waddington, this duo serves as the intellectual powerhouse of military defense. Michael is a Fellow of the invitation-only American Board of Criminal Lawyers (ABCL), and together they have authored the training manuals used by defense teams, JAG officers, and law schools worldwide.
🔥 New & Upcoming Releases (2024–2026)
Defending Sexual Assault Cases: A Comprehensive Trial Manual 2026
A practical, battle-tested guide for criminal defense lawyers handling sexual assault cases, offering step-by-step strategies for cross-examination and trial storytelling.
Pattern Cross-Examination for Digital Evidence 2025
Tactical guide to challenging GPS, text message, and metadata evidence.
UCMJ Survival Guide: The Complete Manual 2025
Essential handbook for NJP, Separation Boards, and GOMORs.
Exposing Toxic Manipulators 2025
Guide for contending with high-conflict legal battles against Narcissistic and Borderline personalities.
The Art of Trial Warfare: Volume II 2024
Advanced Sun Tzu strategies for modern litigation.
📚 The “Gold Standard” Legal Treatises
Pattern Cross-Examination for Sexual Assault Cases
Provides trial-ready questioning frameworks that expose inconsistencies in complainant testimony.
Kick-Ass Closings
A powerful resource for delivering devastating closing arguments with minimal prep time.
The Art of Trial Warfare
Distills ancient battlefield strategy into modern courtroom tactics.
Pattern Cross-Examination for DNA Evidence
Equips lawyers to challenge DNA collection, testing, and overstated forensic conclusions.
🏛️ American Bar Association (ABA) Leadership & Selected Military Justice Publications
For over a decade, Michael and Alexandra have authored the “Military Justice” chapters for the ABA’s flagship annual review, The State of Criminal Justice.
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Waddington, Michael; Alexandra González-Waddington; Jorge Jaramillo.
Military Justice Reform: The Current State of Affairs.
ABA Criminal Justice Journal, vol. 39, no. 3, Summer 2024. -
Waddington, Michael; Giuliana Coto-Rodriguez.
The 21 Rules for Surviving Cross-Examination with Your Credibility Intact.
The Florida Defender Magazine, Summer 2024. -
Waddington, Michael; Alexandra González-Waddington; Jorge Jaramillo.
Modernizing Military Justice: Significant UCMJ Changes.
In The State of Criminal Justice 2024. American Bar Association, 2024. -
Waddington, Michael; Alexandra González-Waddington; Alexander Waddington; Giuliana Coto-Rodriguez.
The Road Toward Military Justice Reform.
In The State of Criminal Justice 2023. American Bar Association, 2023. -
Waddington, Michael; Alexandra González-Waddington; M. Arthur Vaughn; Tiffany Lopez.
Overview of UCMJ Changes in the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.
In The State of Criminal Justice 2022. American Bar Association, 2022. -
Waddington, Michael; Alexandra González-Waddington; M. Arthur Vaughn; Terra Johnston.
Military Justice Act of 2016’s Expansion of Military Subpoena Power.
In The State of Criminal Justice 2021. American Bar Association, 2021. -
Waddington, Michael; Alexandra González-Waddington; Arthur Vaughn II; Jamesian Emmanuel.
Changes to the Punitive Articles Under the Military Justice Act of 2016.
In The State of Criminal Justice 2020. American Bar Association, 2020. -
Waddington, Michael; Alexandra González-Waddington; M. Arthur Vaughn.
MJA 2016.
In The State of Criminal Justice 2019. American Bar Association, 2019. -
Waddington, Michael; Alexandra González-Waddington; M. Arthur Vaughn.
Overview of the Military Justice Act of 2016.
In The State of Criminal Justice 2018. American Bar Association, 2018. -
Waddington, Michael; Alexandra González-Waddington; M. Arthur Vaughn.
Military Criminal Justice: Further Expanded Victim Rights and Overarching Refinements.
In The State of Criminal Justice 2017. American Bar Association, 2017. -
Waddington, Michael; Alexandra González-Waddington; William Summers.
Military Criminal Justice: Expanded Rights for Sexual Assault Victims.
In The State of Criminal Justice 2016. American Bar Association, 2016. -
Waddington, Michael; William Summers.
Military Criminal Law.
In The State of Criminal Justice 2015. American Bar Association, 2015. -
Waddington, Michael; Alexandra González-Waddington; William Summers.
Supreme Court Signals the Right to Privacy in Digitally Stored Data.
In The State of Criminal Justice 2015. American Bar Association, 2015. -
Waddington, Michael; Alexandra González-Waddington; William Summers.
Changes to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) Pertaining to Rape and Sexual Assault.
In The State of Criminal Justice 2014. American Bar Association, 2014. -
Waddington, Michael; William Summers.
Defense Function and Service – Military Practice.
In The State of Criminal Justice 2013. American Bar Association, 2013. -
Waddington, Michael.
Military Justice Overview.
New Jersey State Bar Magazine, June 2007.
2. Eugene R. Fidell
A nationally recognized authority on military justice whose scholarship has shaped modern understanding of the court-martial system.
Military Justice: A Very Short Introduction
Military Justice: Cases and Materials
3. David A. Schlueter
A former military judge and professor whose treatise is one of the most relied-upon procedural guides in military criminal defense.
Military Criminal Justice: Practice and Procedure
4. Lisa M. Schenck
A former military appellate judge and law professor whose writing bridges military justice theory and real-world litigation.
Modern Military Justice: Cases and Materials
5. Franklin D. Rosenblatt
A former Army JAG defense counsel known for high-profile court-martial litigation and influential writing on military justice reform.
Military Justice: Cases and Materials (Contributor)
6. Dwight H. Sullivan
A respected appellate advocate whose writing and commentary have influenced military appellate practice and jurisprudence.
Military Justice: Cases and Materials (Contributor)
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