> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Air Force Defense Counsel in 2022: Prior Cases, Turnover, and Team Size - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-defense-counsel-2022/ - Published: 2026-10-30T05:29:13.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T05:29:13.000Z - Description: In 179 of 265 Air Force courts-martial tried in 2022 (68%), the most experienced defense counsel of record had more prior cases in this data than the most experienced trial counsel. The median prior-case count for the defense was 11. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Air Force [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Counsel Experience](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/counsel-experience/) › Air Force 2022 **Short answer:** In 179 of 265 Air Force courts-martial tried in 2022 (68%), the most experienced defense counsel of record had more prior cases in this data than the most experienced trial counsel. The median prior-case count for the defense was 11\. Of the 139 defense lawyers who appeared that year, 8 (6%) were new to the data, and none appeared in 10 or more cases. Based on 266 cases · 2022 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## The Defense Side Usually Had More Prior Cases Of the 266 cases tried in 2022, 265 list lawyers on both sides. Comparing the counsel of record with the most prior cases on each side, the defense had more in 179 cases (68%) and fewer in 82 (31%). The rest were tied. A higher count means more appearances in earlier courts-martial in this data. It is not a judgment of either side's skill or of how a case was handled. ## Defining Experience Throughout this page, experience 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. Any earlier cases outside the records are not counted, and the number is not a measure of skill. The records do not say which lawyer led a defense team. Each case is grouped by its defense counsel of record with the most prior cases. No lawyer is ranked or rated here. ## Defense Experience in 2022 Trials All 266 cases list at least one defense counsel of record. The median prior-case count for the most experienced was 11. In 127 cases (48%), that lawyer had 10 to 19 prior cases. In 84 (32%), the count was 5 to 9, and in 39 (15%) it was 20 or more. The 1 to 4 range had 16 cases (6%). Every case had at least one defense counsel of record with a prior case in the data. | Prior cases (most experienced defense counsel) | Cases | Share | | ---------------------------------------------- | ----- | ----- | | No prior cases | 0 | 0% | | 1 to 4 | 16 | 6% | | 5 to 9 | 84 | 32% | | 10 to 19 | 127 | 48% | | 20 or more | 39 | 15% | ## Contested Verdicts at Each Experience Level The table covers 124 contested cases that reached a verdict and list a defense counsel. In a contested case, the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. A full acquittal is not guilty on every charge. A partial acquittal is not guilty on at least one charge or specification and guilty on another. In the 5 to 9 group, 52% ended in a full acquittal and 17% in a partial acquittal. The 10 to 19 group had 44% full and 23% partial. The 20 or more group had 38% of each. In the 1 to 4 group, which had only 5 cases, 3 of 5 ended in a full acquittal and 1 of 5 in a partial acquittal. The records do not show the evidence, plea offers, or who did the work. These rows describe outcomes and cannot show whether experience played any part. | Prior cases (most experienced defense counsel) | Contested cases | Full acquittal | Partial acquittal | | ---------------------------------------------- | --------------- | -------------- | ----------------- | | 1 to 4 | 5 | 3 of 5 | 1 of 5 | | 5 to 9 | 29 | 52% | 17% | | 10 to 19 | 64 | 44% | 23% | | 20 or more | 26 | 38% | 38% | ## The 139 Defense Lawyers of 2022 Air Force cases tried in 2022 name 139 different defense counsel of record. The largest group, 69 lawyers, appeared in 2 to 4 cases that year. Another 36 appeared in 1 case and 34 in 5 to 9 cases. No lawyer appeared in 10 or more cases as defense counsel during the year. Of the 139, 8 (6%) had no earlier case in this data. That means only that the records show no earlier court-martial for them, not that they had never tried a case. | Cases as defense counsel in 2022 | Lawyers | | -------------------------------- | ------- | | 1 case | 36 | | 2 to 4 cases | 69 | | 5 to 9 cases | 34 | | 10 or more cases | 0 | ## Defense Team Size A single defense counsel of record was listed in 124 cases, 2 in 119 cases, and 3 or more in 23 cases. The records list names only and do not show how work was divided. ## Sentences and Charges Compared With 2021 The median confinement in 2022 was 6 months, compared with 4 months in 2021\. These are sentences as adjudged at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Article 120 (sexual assault) was charged in 15% of 2022 cases, compared with 11% in 2021\. Both comparisons describe the year's cases as a whole and are not linked to any lawyer. The records do not show why either figure changed. ## Limits of These Records Air Force counsel names are nearly complete from 2016, and name variants 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 used. 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Every Air Force court-martial with a trial date in 2022 (266 cases). Counsel of record are as listed in the public records. Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com. ## Related Analysis - [Counsel Experience](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/counsel-experience/) (hub) - [Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial/) (hub) - [2018: Experience of Air Force Defense Counsel of Record](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-defense-counsel-2018/) - [2020: Experience of Air Force Trial Counsel of Record](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-trial-counsel-2020/) - [2021: Experience of Air Force Trial Counsel of Record](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-trial-counsel-2021/) - [2023: Experience of Air Force Trial Counsel of Record](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-trial-counsel-2023/) - [2024: Experience of Air Force Trial Counsel of Record](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-trial-counsel-2024/) - [2025: Experience of Air Force Defense Counsel of Record](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-defense-counsel-2025/) - [2025: Experience of Air Force Trial Counsel of Record](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-trial-counsel-2025/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) **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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.