Understanding Trends

Air Force Defense Counsel in 2021: Prior Cases, Turnover, and Team Size

In 2021, 142 different defense counsel of record appeared in 267 Air Force courts-martial, and only 6 of them (4%) had no earlier case in this data. The median prior-case count of the most experienced defense lawyer on each team was 12.

Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read

Trends › Counsel Experience › Air Force 2021

Short answer: In 2021, 142 different defense counsel of record appeared in 267 Air Force courts-martial, and only 6 of them (4%) had no earlier case in this data. The median prior-case count of the most experienced defense lawyer on each team was 12. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict were less common than the year before: 47% (65 of 137) compared with 58% in 2020.

Based on 267 cases · 2021 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

Fewer Full Acquittals Than in 2020

A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of the 137 contested cases from 2021 that reached a verdict, 65 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty on every charge. That is 47%, lower than the 58% rate in 2020.

The charge mix also changed. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 27% of 2021 cases, compared with 17% in 2020. The records do not show why either figure changed, and neither figure is broken down by lawyer.

Verdicts Grouped by the Defense Lawyer's Prior Cases

The table sorts the 137 contested cases that reached a verdict by the prior-case count of the most experienced defense counsel of record. A partial acquittal means not guilty of at least one charge or specification, but guilty of another.

Cases with a defense counsel at 10 to 19 prior cases had a 56% full acquittal rate and a 16% partial acquittal rate. In the 5 to 9 group, the rates were 50% and 10%. The 20 or more group had a lower full acquittal rate, 34%, and a partial acquittal rate of 21%. In the 1 to 4 group, none of the 5 cases ended in a full acquittal, and 1 of 5 ended in a partial acquittal.

These rows describe outcomes. The records do not show the evidence, plea offers, or who did the work, so they do not show any effect of experience.

Prior cases (most experienced defense counsel)	Contested cases	Full acquittal	Partial acquittal
1 to 4	5	0 of 5	1 of 5
5 to 9	40	50%	10%
10 to 19	63	56%	16%
20 or more	29	34%	21%

What Experience Counts

Experience on this page is 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 counts appearances, not skill, and it leaves out any cases from before the records begin.

Many defense teams list more than one lawyer, and the records name no lead. Each case is placed by its most experienced defense counsel of record. The page does not rate or rank lawyers.

Spread of Defense Experience

All 267 cases list at least one defense counsel of record. The median prior-case count for the most experienced was 12.

The 10 to 19 range held 123 cases (46%), the 5 to 9 range 79 (30%), and the 20 or more range 51 (19%). Only 14 cases (5%) were in the 1 to 4 range, and no case had a defense team without a prior case in the data.

Prior cases (most experienced defense counsel)	Cases	Share
No prior cases	0	0%
1 to 4	14	5%
5 to 9	79	30%
10 to 19	123	46%
20 or more	51	19%

Teams of 1 and 2 Were About Equally Common

Single-lawyer and two-lawyer defense teams appeared about equally in 2021. Of the 267 cases, 121 listed 2 defense counsel of record and 120 listed 1. Another 26 listed 3 or more.

The Defense Lawyers of 2021

The records name 142 different defense counsel of record for 2021 trials. Of these, 65 appeared in 2 to 4 cases during the year, 43 in only 1, and 32 in 5 to 9. Just 2 lawyers appeared in 10 or more cases.

New lawyers were few. Only 6 of the 142 (4%) had no earlier case in this data. Being new here means only that the records show no earlier Air Force court-martial for that lawyer.

Cases as defense counsel in 2021	Lawyers
1 case	43
2 to 4 cases	65
5 to 9 cases	32
10 or more cases	2

Prior Cases on Each Side

Both sides have counsel of record listed in 266 cases. In 162 of them (61%), the most experienced defense counsel had more prior cases than the most experienced trial counsel. In 99 (37%), the defense had fewer. The rest were tied. The comparison counts earlier courts-martial only and says nothing about the quality of either side's work.

Coverage and What Is Missing

Air Force counsel names are nearly complete from 2016. Names spelled several ways are merged the same way as on Learn Your Lawyer. Navy and Marine Corps records list counsel only from mid-2025, mostly by surname, so they are not part of this page.

The records give trial dates, not offense dates, and they do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. Cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not included. 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 2021 (267 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.