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Learn Your Lawyer · Air Force · Defense and Trial Counsel

Benjamin R. Henley

Counsel of record in 15 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(3 as defense counsel, 12 as trial counsel)
Jul 2016 to May 2025

15Cases
3As defense counsel
12As trial counsel
11Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 2

3Cases
2Contested
50%Acquitted, contested cases (1 of 2)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Defending

  • Not Guilty2 (67%)
  • Not Reported1 (33%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone1 (33%)
  • Officer Panel2 (67%)

Contested Panel Cases: 2 of 2

  • Enlisted Panel0 of 2
  • Officer Panel2 of 2

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted2 (67%)
  • Acquitted1 (33%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Officer Panel2101

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (2 Convictions)

  • DD2 of 2

No Punitive Discharge

0 of 2 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge0 of 2
100%Punitive discharge, enlisted (2 of 2)
100%Confinement (2 of 2 convictions)
17.1 yrsMedian confinement
34.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 118 Murder1010
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault1110
Charges not listed in the record1101

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 1.6

12Cases
9Contested
67%Acquitted, contested cases (6 of 9)
11%Partial acquittal, contested cases (1 of 9)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Guilty1 (8%)
  • Not Guilty8 (67%)
  • Not Reported3 (25%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone4 (33%)
  • Enlisted Panel5 (42%)
  • Officer Panel2 (17%)
  • Not Reported1 (8%)

Contested Panel Cases: 7 of 9

  • Enlisted Panel5 of 9
  • Officer Panel2 of 9

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted5 (42%)
  • Partial Acquittal1 (8%)
  • Acquitted6 (50%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone1001
Enlisted Panel5203
Officer Panel2011
Not Reported1001

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (6 Convictions)

  • BCD2 of 6
  • DD3 of 6
  • No Punitive Discharge1 of 6

No Punitive Discharge

1 of 6 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge1 of 6
83%Punitive discharge, enlisted (5 of 6)
83%Confinement (5 of 6 convictions)
2.5 yrsMedian confinement
40.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault3230
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances2121
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child2020
Art. 128 Assault2020
Art. 115 Communicating threats1110
Art. 117a Wrongful broadcast of intimate visual images1010
Art. 121 Larceny1110
Art. 125 (former: Forcible sodomy and bestiality)1010
Art. 134 General article1111
Art. 86 AWOL1110
Charges not listed in the record6606

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Hurlburt Field, Florida 3
  • Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina 3
  • Maxwell AFB, Alabama 1
  • Goodfellow AFB, Texas 1
  • Little Rock AFB, Arkansas 1
  • Robins AFB, Georgia 1
  • JB Andrews, Maryland 1
  • Keesler AFB, Mississippi 1

More Air Force Lawyers

Know Your Judge

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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