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Learn Your Lawyer · Air Force · Defense and Trial Counsel

Aaron M. Brynildson

Counsel of record in 31 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(26 as defense counsel, 5 as trial counsel)
Jun 2016 to May 2022

31Cases
26As defense counsel
5As trial counsel
16Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 4.1

26Cases
14Contested
57%Acquitted, contested cases (8 of 14)
14%Partial acquittal, contested cases (2 of 14)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty5 (19%)
  • Not Guilty14 (54%)
  • Not Reported7 (27%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone14 (54%)
  • Enlisted Panel10 (38%)
  • Officer Panel2 (8%)

Contested Panel Cases: 12 of 14

  • Enlisted Panel10 of 14
  • Officer Panel2 of 14

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted16 (62%)
  • Partial Acquittal2 (8%)
  • Acquitted8 (31%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone2110
Enlisted Panel10217
Officer Panel2101

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (17 Convictions)

  • BCD7 of 17
  • DD4 of 17
  • No Punitive Discharge6 of 17

Officers and Warrant Officers (1 Conviction)

  • No Dismissal1 of 1

No Punitive Discharge

6 of 17 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge6 of 17

Member Retained: 1 of 1 Officer Conviction

  • No dismissal1 of 1
65%Punitive discharge, enlisted (11 of 17)
89%Confinement (16 of 18 convictions)
4 moMedian confinement
5.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 128 Assault8571
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances6160
Art. 128b Domestic violence4040
Art. 134 General article3130
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault2220
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation2120
Art. 107 False official statements1010
Art. 113 Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle1010
Art. 115 Communicating threats1010
Art. 130 Stalking1010
Charges not listed in the record8808

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 1.1

5Cases
2Contested
50%Acquitted, contested cases (1 of 2)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Not Guilty2 (40%)
  • Not Reported3 (60%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone3 (60%)
  • Officer Panel2 (40%)

Contested Panel Cases: 2 of 2

  • Enlisted Panel0 of 2
  • Officer Panel2 of 2

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted4 (80%)
  • Acquitted1 (20%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Officer Panel2101

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (4 Convictions)

  • DD1 of 4
  • No Punitive Discharge3 of 4

No Punitive Discharge

3 of 4 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge3 of 4
25%Punitive discharge, enlisted (1 of 4)
75%Confinement (3 of 4 convictions)
4 moMedian confinement
lifeLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances2120
Art. 118 Murder1010
Art. 128 Assault1010
Art. 85 Desertion1010
Charges not listed in the record1101

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Offutt AFB, Nebraska 6
  • Hill AFB, Utah 5
  • Edwards AFB, California 4
  • Goodfellow AFB, Texas 2
  • Holloman AFB, New Mexico 2
  • Nellis AFB, Nevada 2
  • Luke AFB, Arizona 1
  • Mountain Home AFB, Idaho 1

Court-Martial Data and Trends

Data from public court-martial records on the installations and UCMJ articles in these cases.

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Counsel of record means this lawyer is listed as defense counsel or trial counsel in the public record of the case. Most cases list more than one lawyer on each side, and the records do not say who led or who argued, so the numbers describe cases this lawyer was counsel on, not individual wins or losses. Pages cover military counsel only; civilian counsel appear in lists by name. Percentages are shown for every count, however small, so check the number of cases behind each one. The Army records say whether there was a plea agreement, not what it said; Air Force records do not report plea agreements, and many Air Force records from 2016 to 2020 do not list the plea. In the article tables one case counts under each article charged, and Air Force records rarely list the charges in cases that ended in acquittal (those show as Charges not listed in the record). Member Retained means the sentence did not include a punitive discharge; it does not rule out a later administrative separation. Mixed Plea* means the record lists a guilty plea but the case ended in a partial acquittal, so at least one charge was contested (a mixed plea, or a guilty plea to a lesser offense). Contested cases are those with a not guilty or mixed plea, plus any case that ended in an acquittal or partial acquittal even when the record does not list the plea.

Source: public records of trial published by each service under Article 140a, UCMJ, as collected for the Military Trial Results page (data updated October 29, 2026). Counts reflect only the cases in this data and may be incomplete. Names are shown as published in the source records.

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