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Learn Your Lawyer · Army · Defense and Trial Counsel

Yvette C. Tyson

Counsel of record in 15 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(12 as defense counsel, 3 as trial counsel)
Jun 2021 to Jul 2024

15Cases
12As defense counsel
3As trial counsel
5Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 2.2

12Cases
4Contested
50%Acquitted, contested cases (2 of 4)
25%Partial acquittal, contested cases (1 of 4)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty8 (67%)
  • Not Guilty4 (33%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement8 (67%)
  • No plea agreement4 (33%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone9 (75%)
  • Enlisted Panel3 (25%)

Contested Panel Cases: 3 of 4

  • Enlisted Panel3 of 4
  • Officer Panel0 of 4

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted9 (75%)
  • Partial Acquittal1 (8%)
  • Acquitted2 (17%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone1001
Enlisted Panel3111

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (10 Convictions)

  • BCD6 of 10
  • DD1 of 10
  • No Punitive Discharge3 of 10

No Punitive Discharge

3 of 10 Enlisted Convictions

  • Plea agreement2 of 3
  • No plea agreement1 of 3
70%Punitive discharge, enlisted (7 of 10)
90%Confinement (9 of 10 convictions)
6 moMedian confinement
5.3 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 80 Attempts3030
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation3030
Art. 119 Manslaughter2020
Art. 113 Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle1010
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault1110
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child1101
Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct1010
Art. 128 Assault1111
Art. 129 Burglary; unlawful entry1010
Art. 134 General article1010
Charges not listed in the record1101

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 1

3Cases
1Contested
100%Acquitted, contested cases (1 of 1)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Guilty2 (67%)
  • Not Guilty1 (33%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement2 (67%)
  • No plea agreement1 (33%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone2 (67%)
  • Enlisted Panel1 (33%)

Contested Panel Cases: 1 of 1

  • Enlisted Panel1 of 1
  • Officer Panel0 of 1

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted2 (67%)
  • Acquitted1 (33%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Enlisted Panel1001

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (1 Conviction)

  • BCD1 of 1

Officers and Warrant Officers (1 Conviction)

  • Dismissal1 of 1

No Punitive Discharge

0 of 1 Enlisted Conviction

  • No punitive discharge0 of 1

Member Retained: 0 of 1 Officer Conviction

  • No dismissal0 of 1
100%Punitive discharge, enlisted (1 of 1)
50%Confinement (1 of 2 convictions)
5 moMedian confinement
5 moLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 107 False official statements2111
Art. 121 Larceny2020
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation1101
Art. 93 Cruelty and maltreatment1101

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

  • Philip R. Bedford 4
  • Carter D. Westphal 2
  • Simeon T. Lyons 2
  • Zachary J. Ray 2
  • Alex J. Berkun 1
  • Avery L. Ory 1
  • Benjamin M. Joslin 1
  • Brandon A. Tower 1

Where

  • Vicenza (Europe) 6
  • Central Command (CENTCOM) 3
  • Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston 3
  • Kaiserslautern (Europe) 2
  • Vilseck (Europe) 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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