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Learn Your Lawyer · Army · Defense and Trial Counsel

Trevor J. Smothers

Counsel of record in 17 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(11 as defense counsel, 6 as trial counsel)
Feb 2020 to May 2024

17Cases
11As defense counsel
6As trial counsel
12Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 3.5

11Cases
8Contested
38%Acquitted, contested cases (3 of 8)
38%Partial acquittal, contested cases (3 of 8)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty3 (27%)
  • Not Guilty6 (55%)
  • Mixed Plea1 (9%)
  • Mixed Plea*1 (9%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement4 (36%)
  • No plea agreement6 (55%)
  • Not reported1 (9%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone7 (64%)
  • Enlisted Panel3 (27%)
  • Not Reported1 (9%)

Contested Panel Cases: 3 of 8

  • Enlisted Panel3 of 8
  • Officer Panel0 of 8

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted5 (45%)
  • Partial Acquittal3 (27%)
  • Acquitted3 (27%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone4121
Enlisted Panel3111
Not Reported1001

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (8 Convictions)

  • BCD3 of 8
  • DD3 of 8
  • No Punitive Discharge2 of 8

No Punitive Discharge

2 of 8 Enlisted Convictions

  • Plea agreement1 of 2
  • No plea agreement1 of 2
75%Punitive discharge, enlisted (6 of 8)
88%Confinement (7 of 8 convictions)
8 moMedian confinement
10.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault3232
Art. 128 Assault3312
Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct2211
Art. 80 Attempts2211
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation2211
Art. 108 Military property; loss, damage, destruction1101
Art. 113 Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle1101
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child1101
Art. 121 Larceny1010
Art. 128b Domestic violence1010
Charges not listed in the record1101

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 1

6Cases
4Contested
25%Acquitted, contested cases (1 of 4)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Guilty2 (33%)
  • Not Guilty4 (67%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement2 (33%)
  • No plea agreement3 (50%)
  • Not reported1 (17%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone6 (100%)

Contested Panel Cases: 0 of 4

  • Enlisted Panel0 of 4
  • Officer Panel0 of 4

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted4 (67%)
  • Acquitted1 (17%)
  • No Result Posted1 (17%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone4201

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (4 Convictions)

  • DD4 of 4

No Punitive Discharge

0 of 4 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge0 of 4
100%Punitive discharge, enlisted (4 of 4)
100%Confinement (4 of 4 convictions)
4.5 yrsMedian confinement
29.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault3221
Art. 118 Murder1010
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child1110
Charges not listed in the record1100

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

  • Jonni E. Stormo 6
  • John C. Olson 5
  • William R. Cauley 4
  • Majessire L. Smith 3
  • Alexander J. Severance 2
  • Douglas H. Partridge 2
  • Alexander P. Vanscoy 1
  • Brandon Stumpf 1

Where

  • Vilseck (Europe) 11
  • Fort Leavenworth 4
  • Fort Stewart 1
  • Fort Campbell 1

More Army 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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