Understanding Trends

2020: Experience of Air Force Trial Counsel of Record

In 254 Air Force courts-martial tried in 2020 that list a trial counsel of record, the median prior-case count of the most experienced prosecutor on the team was 8, and cases were spread almost evenly across experience ranges from 1 to 4 prior cases up to 20 or more.

Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read

Trends › Counsel Experience › Air Force 2020

Short answer: In 254 Air Force courts-martial tried in 2020 that list a trial counsel of record, the median prior-case count of the most experienced prosecutor on the team was 8, and cases were spread almost evenly across experience ranges from 1 to 4 prior cases up to 20 or more. Of the 278 different trial counsel who appeared that year, 97 (35%) had no earlier case in this data.

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

An Even Spread of Prosecution Experience

Of the 257 cases tried in 2020, 254 list at least one trial counsel of record. The median prior-case count for the most experienced trial counsel was 8.

No single range held most of the cases. The 1 to 4 group had 65 cases (26%), the 20 or more group 61 (24%), the 10 to 19 group 58 (23%), and the 5 to 9 group 55 (22%).

So cases with a prosecutor at 20 or more prior cases were about as common as cases where the most experienced prosecutor had only 1 to 4.

In 15 cases (6%), no trial counsel of record on the team had a prior case in this data.

Prior cases (most experienced trial counsel)	Cases	Share
No prior cases	15	6%
1 to 4	65	26%
5 to 9	55	22%
10 to 19	58	23%
20 or more	61	24%

Experience as a Count of Earlier Cases

The page measures experience by counting the 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. Cases from before the records start are not counted. The count says nothing about skill.

Most prosecution teams list more than one lawyer, and none is marked as the lead. So each case is grouped by its trial counsel of record with the most prior cases. The page does not rate or rank any lawyer.

Contested Verdicts and Prosecution Experience

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

Where the most experienced trial counsel had 10 to 19 prior cases, 68% of these cases ended in a full acquittal. The rate was 61% in the 5 to 9 group, 54% in the 20 or more group, and 45% in the 1 to 4 group. Partial acquittals were 16% or 17% in each of those groups except 1 to 4, where they were 10%. In the 4 cases with no prior-case trial counsel, 3 of 4 ended in a full acquittal.

The records do not show the evidence, plea offers, or who did the work. The table describes outcomes, not the effect of experience.

Prior cases (most experienced trial counsel)	Contested cases	Full acquittal	Partial acquittal
No prior cases	4	3 of 4	0 of 4
1 to 4	20	45%	10%
5 to 9	23	61%	17%
10 to 19	25	68%	16%
20 or more	35	54%	17%

278 Prosecutors, Many Appearing Once

The 2020 records name 278 different trial counsel of record. The largest group, 136 lawyers, appeared in only 1 case that year, and 119 appeared in 2 to 4. Just 20 appeared in 5 to 9 cases, and 3 in 10 or more.

Of the 278, 97 (35%) had no earlier case in this data. That means the records show no earlier court-martial for them, not that they had never tried one.

Cases as trial counsel in 2020	Lawyers
1 case	136
2 to 4 cases	119
5 to 9 cases	20
10 or more cases	3

Team Size and the Defense Comparison

Of the 254 cases with a trial counsel, 122 listed 2 trial counsel of record and 96 listed 3 or more. Only 36 listed 1.

All 254 cases also list a defense lawyer. Comparing the most experienced counsel of record on each side, the trial counsel had more prior cases in 95 cases (37%) and fewer in 152 (60%). The rest were tied. The comparison is of earlier appearances, not ability.

Year-Over-Year Changes

Punitive discharges were less common in 2020 than in 2019: 50% of convicted enlisted members received one, compared with 57%. A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge, and sentences here are as adjudged at trial.

Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 5% of 2020 cases, compared with 0% of Air Force cases in 2019. Neither figure is broken down by lawyer, and the records do not show why they changed.

Coverage and Missing Pieces

Air Force counsel names are nearly complete from 2016. Names written more than one way 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 used here.

The records give trial dates rather than offense dates, do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and leave out nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations. 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.