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Learn Your Lawyer · Air Force · Defense and Trial Counsel

Joseph N. Gilham

Counsel of record in 19 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(11 as defense counsel, 8 as trial counsel)
Feb 2020 to May 2024

19Cases
11As defense counsel
8As trial counsel
6Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 1.2

11Cases
3Contested
100%Acquitted, contested cases (3 of 3)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty8 (73%)
  • Not Guilty3 (27%)

Who Decided the Case

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

Contested Panel Cases: 2 of 3

  • Enlisted Panel2 of 3
  • Officer Panel0 of 3

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted8 (73%)
  • Acquitted3 (27%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone1001
Enlisted Panel2002

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (8 Convictions)

  • BCD1 of 8
  • DD2 of 8
  • No Punitive Discharge5 of 8

No Punitive Discharge

5 of 8 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge5 of 8
38%Punitive discharge, enlisted (3 of 8)
100%Confinement (8 of 8 convictions)
3 moMedian confinement
4.9 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances3030
Art. 134 General article2020
Art. 117a Wrongful broadcast of intimate visual images1010
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault1010
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child1010
Charges not listed in the record4313

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 2.3

8Cases
3Contested
33%Acquitted, contested cases (1 of 3)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Guilty5 (62%)
  • Not Guilty3 (38%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone5 (62%)
  • Enlisted Panel2 (25%)
  • Officer Panel1 (12%)

Contested Panel Cases: 3 of 3

  • Enlisted Panel2 of 3
  • Officer Panel1 of 3

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted7 (88%)
  • Acquitted1 (12%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Enlisted Panel2101
Officer Panel1100

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (7 Convictions)

  • BCD1 of 7
  • DD1 of 7
  • No Punitive Discharge5 of 7

No Punitive Discharge

5 of 7 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge5 of 7
29%Punitive discharge, enlisted (2 of 7)
86%Confinement (6 of 7 convictions)
3 moMedian confinement
1.7 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances3130
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation2120
Art. 121 Larceny1010
Art. 128 Assault1010
Art. 134 General article1110
Charges not listed in the record1101

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Ramstein AB, Germany 7
  • Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota 3
  • Peterson SFB, Colorado 2
  • JB Andrews, Maryland 1
  • Eielson AFB, Alaska 1
  • Offutt AFB, Nebraska 1
  • JB Anacostia-Bolling, Washington DC 1
  • Dyess AFB, Texas 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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