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Learn Your Lawyer · Army · Defense and Trial Counsel

Michael T. Barrett

Counsel of record in 30 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(8 as defense counsel, 22 as trial counsel)
Mar 2021 to Sep 2025

30Cases
8As defense counsel
22As trial counsel
12Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 3.5

8Cases
4Contested
0%Acquitted, contested cases (0 of 4)
100%Partial acquittal, contested cases (4 of 4)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty4 (50%)
  • Not Guilty1 (12%)
  • Mixed Plea1 (12%)
  • Mixed Plea*2 (25%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement6 (75%)
  • No plea agreement1 (12%)
  • Not reported1 (12%)

Who Decided the Case

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

Contested Panel Cases: 1 of 4

  • Enlisted Panel0 of 4
  • Officer Panel1 of 4

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted4 (50%)
  • Partial Acquittal4 (50%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone3030
Officer Panel1010

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (5 Convictions)

  • BCD3 of 5
  • No Punitive Discharge2 of 5

Officers and Warrant Officers (3 Convictions)

  • Dismissal2 of 3
  • DD1 of 3

No Punitive Discharge

2 of 5 Enlisted Convictions

  • Plea agreement2 of 2
  • No plea agreement0 of 2

Member Retained: 0 of 3 Officer Convictions

  • No dismissal0 of 3
60%Punitive discharge, enlisted (3 of 5)
75%Confinement (6 of 8 convictions)
6 moMedian confinement
10.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 134 General article4231
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances3231
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault2212
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation2020
Art. 106a Wearing unauthorized insignia1110
Art. 107 False official statements1101
Art. 128 Assault1111
Art. 128b Domestic violence1110
Art. 93a Prohibited activities with recruit or trainee1010

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 2.6

22Cases
8Contested
50%Acquitted, contested cases (4 of 8)
25%Partial acquittal, contested cases (2 of 8)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Guilty14 (64%)
  • Not Guilty7 (32%)
  • Mixed Plea*1 (5%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement14 (64%)
  • No plea agreement6 (27%)
  • Not reported2 (9%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone16 (73%)
  • Enlisted Panel3 (14%)
  • Officer Panel3 (14%)

Contested Panel Cases: 6 of 8

  • Enlisted Panel3 of 8
  • Officer Panel3 of 8

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted14 (64%)
  • Partial Acquittal2 (9%)
  • Acquitted4 (18%)
  • No Result Posted2 (9%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone2110
Enlisted Panel3003
Officer Panel3011

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (13 Convictions)

  • BCD8 of 13
  • DD2 of 13
  • No Punitive Discharge3 of 13

Officers and Warrant Officers (3 Convictions)

  • Dismissal2 of 3
  • No Dismissal1 of 3

No Punitive Discharge

3 of 13 Enlisted Convictions

  • Plea agreement2 of 3
  • No plea agreement1 of 3

Member Retained: 1 of 3 Officer Convictions

  • Plea agreement1 of 1
  • No plea agreement0 of 1
77%Punitive discharge, enlisted (10 of 13)
50%Confinement (8 of 16 convictions)
9 moMedian confinement
2.5 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 128b Domestic violence8463
Art. 128 Assault5241
Art. 134 General article5241
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault3212
Art. 80 Attempts3221
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child2111
Art. 107 False official statements1010
Art. 119b Child endangerment1101
Art. 125 Kidnapping1010
Art. 82 Soliciting1111
Charges not listed in the record2100

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Fort Lee 14
  • Joint Base Langley-Eustis 8
  • Fort Gordon 5
  • Fort Stewart 1
  • Fort Jackson 1
  • Fort McNair 1

More Army 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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