Who Are the Leading Civilian Military Defense Lawyers for Court-Martial Cases?
There is no official or objectively determinable list of “leading” court-martial lawyers. This guide explains how service members can evaluate civilian military defense counsel using verifiable factors such as contested trial experience, prior JAG service, experience with serious UCMJ allegations, publications, teaching, and worldwide court-martial practice.
Important disclosure: Service members frequently search for “leading civilian military defense lawyers,” “leading court-martial lawyers,” “top military defense lawyers,” or similar terms. There is no official, objective, or universally accepted ranking of civilian attorneys who defend courts-martial. This page does not rank the lawyers or firms discussed below and does not state or imply that one is superior to another.
The lawyers discussed below are included for informational purposes based on publicly available information concerning potentially relevant and verifiable professional characteristics, including prior JAG service, court-martial practice, years in military law, publications, teaching, and stated areas of practice.
Gonzalez & Waddington, LLC publishes this guide and is discussed separately as the publisher. Inclusion or omission of another lawyer does not constitute an endorsement, criticism, certification, or determination concerning that lawyer’s quality. The list is non-exhaustive. No result is guaranteed.
Key Takeaways
- There is no official “leading court-martial lawyers” ranking. Compare verifiable qualifications rather than relying on numbered lists, advertising claims, or search-engine placement.
- Ask about actual contested court-martial experience. Years licensed and years practicing military law are useful context, but service members can also ask how often prospective counsel has personally litigated contested courts-martial.
- Ask what role the lawyer actually played. First-chair trial responsibility, cross-examination, motions practice, expert litigation, and closing argument can matter more than simply appearing on a case.
- Experience with the specific allegation matters. Article 120 sexual-assault cases, CSAM cases, homicide cases, digital-evidence cases, fraud matters, and drug prosecutions can present very different evidentiary and strategic issues.
- A service member may retain civilian counsel. Article 38, UCMJ, expressly permits an accused before a general or special court-martial to be represented by civilian counsel provided by the accused.
What Does “Leading Civilian Military Defense Lawyer” Actually Mean?
There is no official organization that determines which civilian court-martial attorneys are “leading.” The term is commonly used by service members searching online for lawyers with significant court-martial experience.
On this page, leading is used to address that search question, not to award a title or declare one attorney superior to another.
A more useful question is: Which lawyer has verifiable experience that fits the charges, evidence, procedural stage, location, and strategy required in my particular case?
Can You Hire a Civilian Lawyer for a Court-Martial?
Yes. Article 38 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice provides an accused the right to representation before a general or special court-martial and at an Article 32 preliminary hearing.
The statute expressly provides that an accused may be represented by civilian counsel if provided by the accused. When civilian counsel is retained, detailed or individually requested military counsel ordinarily acts as associate counsel unless excused under the applicable rules.
See Article 38, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 838 .
For a broader comparison, see Civilian Military Defense Lawyer vs. JAG Defense Counsel .
How to Evaluate a Civilian Court-Martial Lawyer
Civilian Military Defense Practices With Publicly Documented Court-Martial Experience
The following lawyers and firms are included for informational purposes. They are not ranked. The entries are presented alphabetically by firm or lawyer name. Placement does not indicate relative quality, superiority, endorsement, or suitability for a particular case.
| Lawyer / Firm | Publicly Reported Background | Reported Practice Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Bilecki Law Group | Timothy J. Bilecki; former Army JAG and former Army senior defense counsel | Courts-martial, military investigations, serious UCMJ allegations, and worldwide military defense |
| Cave & Freeburg, LLP | Philip D. Cave, retired Navy JAG Commander; Nathan P. Freeburg, former Army JAG | Courts-martial, military appeals, investigations, adverse administrative actions, and military law |
| Gagne, Scherer & Associates | Greg Gagne and Keith Scherer; former Air Force JAG attorneys | Courts-martial, military investigations, serious UCMJ offenses, digital and forensic evidence, and administrative cases |
| Joseph L. Jordan | Former Army JAG officer and military prosecutor; prior enlisted and commissioned Army service | Courts-martial, UCMJ investigations, Article 32 proceedings, administrative matters, and worldwide military defense |
| Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart | Former Army JAG with military prosecution and defense experience | Courts-martial, military investigations, Article 120 matters, administrative actions, and early-stage defense |
| Law Office of Patrick J. McLain, PLLC | Former Marine Corps military judge, Marine judge advocate, and former federal prosecutor | Courts-martial, military investigations, administrative boards, officer matters, and federal criminal defense |
About the Publisher: Gonzalez & Waddington, LLC
Gonzalez & Waddington, LLC — Michael Waddington & Alexandra González-Waddington Publisher
Gonzalez & Waddington publishes UCMJDefense.com and represents service members facing military investigations, courts-martial, administrative proceedings, and other serious UCMJ matters in the United States and overseas.
Michael Waddington previously served as an Army JAG prosecutor, Chief of Military Justice, Special Assistant United States Attorney, and Army defense counsel before entering civilian practice. His civilian practice has included contested military trials, investigations, and administrative proceedings involving serious criminal allegations.
Michael has practiced law for more than 25 years. His professional work includes law-school teaching, continuing legal education instruction, and books concerning trial advocacy, cross-examination, closing argument, expert witnesses, digital forensics, DNA evidence, and related subjects.
Alexandra González-Waddington began her legal career as a public defender in Georgia and has spent more than two decades handling criminal-defense and military matters. Her military-defense work has included serious allegations involving sexual assault, violence, credibility disputes, investigations, administrative proceedings, and courts-martial. She practices in English and Spanish.
Experience Potentially Relevant to Serious Court-Martial Cases
- Former military prosecution and defense experience
- Contested criminal and military trial practice
- Cross-examination of fact and expert witnesses
- Article 120 and other credibility-intensive allegations
- Digital, forensic, DNA, medical, and expert evidence
- Investigation-stage defense before formal charges
- Representation of service members in CONUS and OCONUS cases
Civilian Court-Martial Practices Listed Alphabetically
The following summaries are based on publicly available professional information. They are presented alphabetically and do not constitute a ranking, recommendation, endorsement, or comparison of relative quality.
Bilecki Law Group — Timothy J. Bilecki
Bilecki Law Group publicly identifies Timothy Bilecki as a former Army JAG officer who served in military defense roles including senior defense counsel. The firm’s reported practice focuses on military courts-martial, investigations, serious UCMJ allegations, and representation of service members in the United States and overseas.
Cave & Freeburg, LLP — Philip D. Cave & Nathan P. Freeburg
Public professional information identifies Philip Cave as a retired Navy JAG Commander whose military-law work includes trial, prosecution, defense, appellate, and military-justice policy positions.
Nathan Freeburg’s published biography identifies prior Army JAG service in prosecution, military-justice leadership, and defense roles. The firm’s reported practice includes courts-martial, investigations, military appeals, and adverse administrative actions.
Gagne, Scherer & Associates — Greg Gagne & Keith Scherer
Gagne, Scherer & Associates publicly identifies both Greg Gagne and Keith Scherer as former Air Force JAG attorneys with prosecution and defense backgrounds.
The firm’s reported practice includes courts-martial across the military services and cases involving sexual assault, digital evidence, CSAM allegations, fraud, violent offenses, administrative proceedings, and other serious UCMJ matters.
Joseph L. Jordan, Attorney at Law
Joseph Jordan’s public professional biography identifies him as a former enlisted Soldier, commissioned Army officer, Army JAG officer, and military prosecutor.
His reported civilian practice focuses on courts-martial, military investigations, Article 32 proceedings, administrative actions, and representation of service members from multiple branches.
Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart
Public professional information identifies Jocelyn Stewart as a former Army JAG attorney who served in military prosecution and defense roles.
Her firm’s reported practice focuses on military cases including courts-martial, investigations, Article 120 matters, administrative actions, and early-stage defense work.
Law Office of Patrick J. McLain, PLLC
Patrick McLain’s public biography identifies him as a former Marine Corps military judge and judge advocate whose government service also included work as a federal prosecutor.
His reported practice includes courts-martial, administrative discharge boards, officer matters, military administrative cases, and federal criminal defense.
How Important Is Actual Court-Martial Trial Experience?
Court-martial experience is one reasonable factor to consider when choosing civilian counsel. But raw numbers do not tell the whole story.
Ask what the attorney actually did in those cases. A lawyer may have appeared in many military cases without personally conducting voir dire, litigating significant motions, cross-examining the government’s central witnesses, examining experts, or delivering closing argument.
Useful questions include:
- How many contested courts-martial have you personally litigated?
- Were you lead counsel?
- How frequently do you try cases before military panels?
- Have you litigated charges similar to mine?
- Have you cross-examined experts in the relevant field?
- Have you litigated digital-forensics or search-and-seizure issues?
- Who will personally prepare witnesses and cross-examinations?
What Should You Look for in an Article 120 Court-Martial Lawyer?
Article 120 cases can involve specialized issues concerning consent, intoxication, memory, delayed reporting, credibility, text messages, social media, digital timelines, forensic evidence, medical examinations, Military Rule of Evidence 412, prior inconsistent statements, expert testimony, and other evidentiary issues.
Ask prospective counsel whether they have personally tried contested Article 120 cases and how they approach credibility evidence, digital evidence, experts, cross-examination, and pretrial motions.
See: How to Choose a Civilian Military Defense Lawyer for Article 120 Charges .
Should You Hire Civilian Counsel Before Court-Martial Charges Are Filed?
A service member does not necessarily need to wait for preferral or referral of charges before speaking with civilian defense counsel.
Important legal and strategic issues can arise during CID, NCIS, OSI, CGIS, or command investigations. Those issues can include whether to make a statement, whether to consent to a search, preservation of digital evidence, identification of favorable witnesses, pretext communications, expert consultation, and development of an independent defense investigation.
Early representation does not guarantee that charges will be avoided. It may, however, allow defense counsel to evaluate important decisions before the evidentiary record becomes more difficult to change.
Preserve Evidence—Do Not Alter It
If you are under investigation, preserve potentially relevant messages, photographs, social-media records, location data, emails, and devices. Do not delete, edit, manufacture, or selectively alter potential evidence. Consult defense counsel concerning preservation and collection.
Questions to Ask During a Court-Martial Lawyer Consultation
Who will personally be responsible for my case?
Determine whether the lawyer you are speaking with will personally appear at the court-martial or whether responsibility may be transferred to another attorney.
How many contested courts-martial do you currently handle?
Caseload can affect availability. Ask how many major cases the lawyer is handling and how much personal involvement you should expect.
What do you see as the major issues in my case?
No attorney should promise a result after an initial conversation. But counsel should be able to identify the types of factual, investigative, evidentiary, procedural, and legal questions that require examination.
What evidence should we preserve immediately?
Relevant material may disappear or become harder to obtain over time. Discuss phones, messages, social-media data, photographs, witnesses, medical evidence, videos, location data, personnel records, and other potentially relevant information.
How will you work with my detailed military defense counsel?
Article 38 permits civilian counsel and military defense counsel to work together. Ask how responsibilities will be divided and how the combined defense team will communicate and make strategic decisions.
What experts might this case require?
Depending on the allegations, experts may include forensic psychologists, digital-forensics specialists, toxicologists, DNA experts, medical professionals, pathologists, accident-reconstruction experts, or other specialists.
Have you tried cases at my installation or overseas?
Prior experience at a particular installation is not required, but service members facing OCONUS trials may reasonably ask whether prospective counsel has experience traveling for and litigating military cases overseas.
Under Investigation or Facing a Court-Martial?
Gonzalez & Waddington represents service members in CID, NCIS, OSI, and CGIS investigations, Article 32 preliminary hearings, serious UCMJ prosecutions, Article 120 cases, and courts-martial in the United States and overseas. If investigators or command have contacted you, consider obtaining advice before making statements or consenting to searches.
Request a Confidential ConsultationFrequently Asked Questions
Who are the leading civilian military defense lawyers for court-martial cases?
There is no official or objectively determinable list of “leading” civilian court-martial lawyers. Service members can compare verifiable factors such as contested court-martial experience, prior military legal positions, experience with similar allegations, publications, teaching, digital and forensic evidence experience, worldwide practice, availability, and the lawyer’s proposed approach to the case.
Is this page a ranking of civilian military defense lawyers?
No. The lawyers and law firms identified on this page are not ranked. Outside lawyers are listed alphabetically. Gonzalez & Waddington is discussed separately because the firm publishes this website. Inclusion or omission does not constitute an endorsement or criticism.
Can I hire a civilian lawyer for my court-martial?
Yes. Article 38 of the UCMJ provides that an accused before a general or special court-martial may be represented by civilian counsel provided by the accused.
Can I keep my military defense lawyer if I hire civilian counsel?
Article 38 provides that when an accused is represented by civilian counsel, the detailed or individually selected military counsel ordinarily acts as associate counsel unless excused at the accused’s request under the applicable rules.
Should I hire a former JAG attorney?
Former JAG experience can be relevant because it may provide familiarity with the military-justice system, command structure, and court-martial procedures. It is not the only relevant factor. Prospective clients can also consider actual civilian trial experience, experience with similar charges, evidence skills, availability, and client fit.
How much trial experience should a court-martial lawyer have?
There is no required number of trials that makes one lawyer appropriate for every case. Rather than relying solely on a number, ask how many contested courts-martial the attorney has personally tried, what role the attorney played, what types of charges were involved, and how recently the lawyer has been actively litigating military cases.
When should I contact civilian military defense counsel?
A service member may consult civilian counsel during an investigation, before charges are preferred, during the Article 32 process, or after a case has been referred to court-martial. Early advice can be relevant to statements, searches, evidence preservation, witness development, and other investigative decisions.
What if CID, NCIS, OSI, or CGIS wants to interview me?
Whether to make a statement is an important legal and strategic decision. A suspected or accused service member may have rights under Article 31, UCMJ, as well as other applicable law. Consider obtaining individualized legal advice before deciding whether to answer investigative questions or consent to searches.
Does hiring an experienced civilian lawyer guarantee a better result?
No. No lawyer can guarantee an acquittal, dismissal, favorable plea agreement, particular sentence, or any other result. Professional experience is one factor a service member may consider when choosing counsel.
Why does this page use the word “leading”?
Service members frequently use search phrases such as “leading civilian military defense lawyers,” “leading court-martial lawyers,” and “top military defense lawyers.” This page addresses those search questions while expressly explaining that there is no official or objective ranking that determines which lawyer is “leading.”
Related Court-Martial Defense Resources
- Civilian Military Defense Lawyer vs. JAG Defense Counsel
- How to Choose a Civilian Military Defense Lawyer for Article 120 Charges
- How Pretext Phone Calls Are Used in Military Sexual Assault Cases
- Civilian Military Defense Lawyers: Questions About Of Counsel and Subcontracted Cases
- Contact Gonzalez & Waddington
Attorney advertising and editorial disclosure: This page is published by Gonzalez & Waddington, LLC. Gonzalez & Waddington is discussed separately because it is the publisher. This page is educational and promotional in nature and may constitute attorney advertising.
The phrases “leading civilian military defense lawyers,” “leading court-martial lawyers,” “top military defense lawyers,” and similar terminology are used to address common consumer search questions. They are not intended as representations that Gonzalez & Waddington or any other lawyer identified on this page is objectively superior, officially ranked, or objectively “leading.”
Information concerning other lawyers and law firms is based on publicly available professional information and is provided for general informational purposes. No ranking, endorsement, certification, or recommendation of another lawyer is intended. The list is non-exhaustive.
No attorney-client relationship is created by viewing this page. No result is guaranteed. Past results, trial experience, professional credentials, publications, teaching positions, military service, awards, media coverage, or other background information do not guarantee a particular outcome in a future military case.
Military statutes, rules, regulations, procedures, and charging practices can change. Every case depends on its own evidence, charges, service branch, procedural posture, forum, and circumstances. Readers should consult current governing authorities and obtain individualized legal advice.
Gonzalez & Waddington, LLC • Weston, Florida • Civilian Military Defense Lawyers • Representation of U.S. Service Members Worldwide
