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Learn Your Lawyer · Air Force · Defense and Trial Counsel

Lauren F. Swanson

Counsel of record in 18 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(7 as defense counsel, 11 as trial counsel)
Jan 2019 to Apr 2024

18Cases
7As defense counsel
11As trial counsel
11Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 4.7

7Cases
6Contested
67%Acquitted, contested cases (4 of 6)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty1 (14%)
  • Not Guilty6 (86%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone3 (43%)
  • Enlisted Panel2 (29%)
  • Officer Panel2 (29%)

Contested Panel Cases: 4 of 6

  • Enlisted Panel2 of 6
  • Officer Panel2 of 6

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted3 (43%)
  • Acquitted4 (57%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone2200
Enlisted Panel2002
Officer Panel2002

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (3 Convictions)

  • BCD1 of 3
  • No Punitive Discharge2 of 3

No Punitive Discharge

2 of 3 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge2 of 3
33%Punitive discharge, enlisted (1 of 3)
67%Confinement (2 of 3 convictions)
4 moMedian confinement
6 moLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances2120
Art. 86 AWOL1110
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation1110
Charges not listed in the record4404

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 1

11Cases
5Contested
40%Acquitted, contested cases (2 of 5)
60%Partial acquittal, contested cases (3 of 5)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Guilty3 (27%)
  • Not Guilty5 (45%)
  • Not Reported3 (27%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone7 (64%)
  • Enlisted Panel4 (36%)

Contested Panel Cases: 4 of 5

  • Enlisted Panel4 of 5
  • Officer Panel0 of 5

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted6 (55%)
  • Partial Acquittal3 (27%)
  • Acquitted2 (18%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone1010
Enlisted Panel4022

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (9 Convictions)

  • BCD4 of 9
  • DD4 of 9
  • No Punitive Discharge1 of 9

No Punitive Discharge

1 of 9 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge1 of 9
89%Punitive discharge, enlisted (8 of 9)
100%Confinement (9 of 9 convictions)
1.5 yrsMedian confinement
13.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 134 General article3030
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault2221
Art. 128 Assault2111
Art. 128b Domestic violence2111
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances1010
Art. 115 Communicating threats1010
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child1111
Art. 127 Extortion1010
Charges not listed in the record2202

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Kadena AB, Japan 3
  • Yokota AB, Japan 3
  • Offutt AFB, Nebraska 2
  • Andersen AFB, Guam 2
  • Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota 1
  • JB Andrews, Maryland 1
  • Moody AFB, Georgia 1
  • Little Rock AFB, Arkansas 1

Court-Martial Data and Trends

Data from public court-martial records on the installations and UCMJ articles in these cases.

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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