Understanding Trends

Air Force Defense Counsel in 2020: Prior Cases, Turnover, and Team Size

Every one of the 257 Air Force courts-martial tried in 2020 lists a defense counsel of record, and in every case at least one of them had a prior case in this data. The median prior-case count of the most experienced defense lawyer was 12.

Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read

Trends › Counsel Experience › Air Force 2020

Short answer: Every one of the 257 Air Force courts-martial tried in 2020 lists a defense counsel of record, and in every case at least one of them had a prior case in this data. The median prior-case count of the most experienced defense lawyer was 12. Of the 129 defense counsel who appeared that year, 8 (6%) were new to the data.

Based on 257 cases · 2020 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

Full Acquittals by Defense Experience in 2020

In 2020, 107 contested cases reached a verdict and list a defense counsel. A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. A full acquittal is a finding of not guilty on every charge, and a partial acquittal is not guilty on at least one charge or specification but guilty on another.

Full acquittal rates were similar across the larger groups. Where the most experienced defense counsel had 10 to 19 prior cases, 60% of these cases ended in a full acquittal and 11% in a partial acquittal. With 20 or more prior cases, the figures were 59% and 15%. With 5 to 9, they were 52% and 24%.

The 1 to 4 group had only 6 cases: 3 of 6 ended in a full acquittal and 1 of 6 in a partial acquittal. The records do not show the evidence, plea offers, or who did the work, so these rows describe outcomes, not the effect of experience.

Prior cases (most experienced defense counsel)	Contested cases	Full acquittal	Partial acquittal
1 to 4	6	3 of 6	1 of 6
5 to 9	21	52%	24%
10 to 19	53	60%	11%
20 or more	27	59%	15%

How Experience Is Measured

Experience means the number of courts-martial a lawyer had already been counsel of record on in this data, on either side, in the Air Force, before the trial date. It is not a measure of skill, and earlier cases from before the records begin are not counted.

Because many cases list more than one defense lawyer and the records do not say who led, each case is counted by its most experienced defense counsel of record. Nothing on this page rates or ranks any lawyer.

Prior Cases on the Defense Side

The median prior-case count for the most experienced defense counsel was 12. The 10 to 19 range held the most cases, 121 (47%). Another 67 (26%) were in the 5 to 9 range and 50 (19%) in the 20 or more range.

Only 19 cases (7%) had a most experienced defense counsel with 1 to 4 prior cases. No case had a defense team without a prior case.

Prior cases (most experienced defense counsel)	Cases	Share
No prior cases	0	0%
1 to 4	19	7%
5 to 9	67	26%
10 to 19	121	47%
20 or more	50	19%

Lawyers Who Appeared in 2020

The 2020 records name 129 different defense counsel of record. Of them, 56 appeared in 2 to 4 cases that year and 41 in just 1 case. Another 31 appeared in 5 to 9 cases, and 1 lawyer appeared in 10 or more.

Of the 129, 8 (6%) had no earlier case in this data.

Cases as defense counsel in 2020	Lawyers
1 case	41
2 to 4 cases	56
5 to 9 cases	31
10 or more cases	1

Defense and Prosecution Prior Cases

There are 254 cases with lawyers listed on both sides. Comparing the most experienced counsel of record for each side, the defense counsel had more prior cases in 152 cases (60%) and fewer in 95 (37%). The rest were tied.

This compares counts of earlier cases in the data. It does not show which side was more skilled, and it is not linked to the verdicts in the table above.

How Many Defense Lawyers per Case

Of the 257 cases, 134 listed 1 defense counsel of record, 102 listed 2, and 21 listed 3 or more. The records list names and do not show how the work was shared.

Changes From 2019

The share of convicted enlisted members who received a punitive discharge was lower in 2020 than in 2019: 50% compared with 57%. A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge for enlisted members. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 5% of 2020 cases. In 2019, it was charged in 0% of Air Force cases in this data. Sentences here are as adjudged at trial, and these figures are not broken down by lawyer.

Coverage and Gaps

Air Force counsel names are nearly complete from 2016, so 2020 trials have several earlier years of records behind them. Names written in different ways are merged as on Learn Your Lawyer. Navy and Marine Corps records list counsel only from mid-2025, mostly by surname, so they are not included.

Trial records show the charges, pleas, findings, and sentence. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals and never report plea agreements.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.

How We Counted

Every Air Force court-martial with a trial date in 2020 (257 cases). Counsel of record are as listed in the public records.

Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.

Related Analysis

About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.