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Learn Your Lawyer · Army · Defense and Trial Counsel

Caleb N. Byrd

Counsel of record in 16 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(11 as defense counsel, 5 as trial counsel)
Jun 2020 to Nov 2024

16Cases
11As defense counsel
5As trial counsel
7Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 0.9

11Cases
4Contested
0%Acquitted, contested cases (0 of 4)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty5 (45%)
  • Not Guilty4 (36%)
  • Not Reported2 (18%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement4 (36%)
  • No plea agreement1 (9%)
  • Not reported6 (55%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone9 (82%)
  • Enlisted Panel2 (18%)

Contested Panel Cases: 2 of 4

  • Enlisted Panel2 of 4
  • Officer Panel0 of 4

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted5 (45%)
  • No Result Posted6 (55%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone2100
Enlisted Panel2000

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (4 Convictions)

  • BCD3 of 4
  • No Punitive Discharge1 of 4

Officers and Warrant Officers (1 Conviction)

  • Dismissal1 of 1

No Punitive Discharge

1 of 4 Enlisted Convictions

  • Plea agreement1 of 1
  • No plea agreement0 of 1

Member Retained: 0 of 1 Officer Conviction

  • No dismissal0 of 1
75%Punitive discharge, enlisted (3 of 4)
40%Confinement (2 of 5 convictions)
51 daysMedian confinement
3 moLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 128 Assault4140
Art. 109 Property other than military; waste, spoilage, destruction1010
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault1110
Art. 86 AWOL1010
Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer1010
Charges not listed in the record6300

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 1.9

5Cases
3Contested
100%Acquitted, contested cases (3 of 3)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Guilty2 (40%)
  • Not Guilty3 (60%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement2 (40%)
  • No plea agreement3 (60%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone4 (80%)
  • Enlisted Panel1 (20%)

Contested Panel Cases: 1 of 3

  • Enlisted Panel1 of 3
  • Officer Panel0 of 3

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted2 (40%)
  • Acquitted3 (60%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone2002
Enlisted Panel1001

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (1 Conviction)

  • BCD1 of 1

Officers and Warrant Officers (1 Conviction)

  • No Dismissal1 of 1

No Punitive Discharge

0 of 1 Enlisted Conviction

  • No punitive discharge0 of 1

Member Retained: 1 of 1 Officer Conviction

  • Plea agreement1 of 1
  • No plea agreement0 of 1
100%Punitive discharge, enlisted (1 of 1)
50%Confinement (1 of 2 convictions)
3 daysMedian confinement
3 daysLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault2202
Art. 128 Assault2020
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child1101
Art. 128b Domestic violence1101

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Fort Bragg 10
  • Fort Knox 5
  • Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston 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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