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Learn Your Lawyer · Air Force · Defense and Trial Counsel

Gavin W. Johnson

Counsel of record in 33 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(25 as defense counsel, 8 as trial counsel)
May 2016 to Feb 2024

33Cases
25As defense counsel
8As trial counsel
19Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 4.2

25Cases
18Contested
50%Acquitted, contested cases (9 of 18)
33%Partial acquittal, contested cases (6 of 18)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty3 (12%)
  • Not Guilty14 (56%)
  • Not Reported8 (32%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone13 (52%)
  • Enlisted Panel7 (28%)
  • Officer Panel5 (20%)

Contested Panel Cases: 12 of 18

  • Enlisted Panel7 of 18
  • Officer Panel5 of 18

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted10 (40%)
  • Partial Acquittal6 (24%)
  • Acquitted9 (36%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone6033
Enlisted Panel7124
Officer Panel5212

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (16 Convictions)

  • BCD5 of 16
  • DD6 of 16
  • No Punitive Discharge5 of 16

No Punitive Discharge

5 of 16 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge5 of 16
69%Punitive discharge, enlisted (11 of 16)
94%Confinement (15 of 16 convictions)
10 moMedian confinement
10.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances7561
Art. 134 General article6260
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child4240
Art. 128 Assault4331
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation3221
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault2221
Art. 107 False official statements1110
Art. 113 Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle1110
Art. 115 Communicating threats1010
Art. 125 Kidnapping1010
Charges not listed in the record9909

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 0.1

8Cases
1Contested
0%Acquitted, contested cases (0 of 1)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Guilty1 (12%)
  • Not Guilty1 (12%)
  • Not Reported6 (75%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone7 (88%)
  • Officer Panel1 (12%)

Contested Panel Cases: 1 of 1

  • Enlisted Panel0 of 1
  • Officer Panel1 of 1

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted8 (100%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Officer Panel1100

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (8 Convictions)

  • BCD4 of 8
  • No Punitive Discharge4 of 8

No Punitive Discharge

4 of 8 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge4 of 8
50%Punitive discharge, enlisted (4 of 8)
75%Confinement (6 of 8 convictions)
4 moMedian confinement
7 moLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances6160
Art. 107 False official statements1010
Art. 113 Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle1010
Art. 121 Larceny1010
Art. 128 Assault1010
Art. 83 Malingering1010

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom 8
  • Fairchild AFB, Washington 7
  • RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom 6
  • JB Lewis-McChord, Washington 3
  • FE Warren AFB, Wyoming 2
  • Aviano AB, Italy 2
  • Vandenberg SFB, California 1
  • Shaw AFB, South Carolina 1

More Air Force Lawyers

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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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