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Learn Your Lawyer · Air Force · Defense and Trial Counsel

Bradley J. Palmer

Counsel of record in 23 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(11 as defense counsel, 12 as trial counsel)
Apr 2016 to Dec 2019

23Cases
11As defense counsel
12As trial counsel
18Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 4.9

11Cases
10Contested
60%Acquitted, contested cases (6 of 10)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Defending

  • Not Guilty9 (82%)
  • Not Reported2 (18%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone2 (18%)
  • Enlisted Panel2 (18%)
  • Officer Panel7 (64%)

Contested Panel Cases: 9 of 10

  • Enlisted Panel2 of 10
  • Officer Panel7 of 10

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted5 (45%)
  • Acquitted6 (55%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone1001
Enlisted Panel2002
Officer Panel7403

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (4 Convictions)

  • BCD2 of 4
  • DD1 of 4
  • No Punitive Discharge1 of 4

Officers and Warrant Officers (1 Conviction)

  • Dismissal1 of 1

No Punitive Discharge

1 of 4 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge1 of 4

Member Retained: 0 of 1 Officer Conviction

  • No dismissal0 of 1
75%Punitive discharge, enlisted (3 of 4)
80%Confinement (4 of 5 convictions)
6 moMedian confinement
35.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances3330
Art. 134 General article2120
Art. 118 Murder1110
Art. 133 Conduct unbecoming an officer1110
Charges not listed in the record6606

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 2.2

12Cases
8Contested
38%Acquitted, contested cases (3 of 8)
38%Partial acquittal, contested cases (3 of 8)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Not Guilty5 (42%)
  • Not Reported7 (58%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone7 (58%)
  • Enlisted Panel3 (25%)
  • Officer Panel2 (17%)

Contested Panel Cases: 5 of 8

  • Enlisted Panel3 of 8
  • Officer Panel2 of 8

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted6 (50%)
  • Partial Acquittal3 (25%)
  • Acquitted3 (25%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone3021
Enlisted Panel3012
Officer Panel2200

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (7 Convictions)

  • BCD2 of 7
  • DD2 of 7
  • No Punitive Discharge3 of 7

Officers and Warrant Officers (2 Convictions)

  • Dismissal1 of 2
  • No Dismissal1 of 2

No Punitive Discharge

3 of 7 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge3 of 7

Member Retained: 1 of 2 Officer Convictions

  • No dismissal1 of 2
57%Punitive discharge, enlisted (4 of 7)
89%Confinement (8 of 9 convictions)
9 moMedian confinement
13.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 134 General article3130
Art. 107 False official statements2020
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances2120
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault2220
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child2121
Art. 111 (former: Drunken or reckless driving)1010
Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct1010
Art. 121 Larceny1010
Art. 127 Extortion1010
Art. 128 Assault1110
Charges not listed in the record3303

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Tinker AFB, Oklahoma 4
  • Travis AFB, California 3
  • Nellis AFB, Nevada 2
  • Peterson SFB, Colorado 2
  • Malmstrom AFB, Montana 1
  • Beale AFB, California 1
  • Barksdale AFB, Louisiana 1
  • Vandenberg SFB, California 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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