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# 2021: Experience of Air Force Trial Counsel of Record
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-trial-counsel-2021/
- Published: 2026-10-30T05:29:12.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T05:29:12.000Z
- Description: In 2021, 312 different trial counsel of record appeared in 267 Air Force courts-martial, and 105 of them (34%) had no earlier case in this data. On the median case, the most experienced trial counsel on the team had 7.5 prior cases.
- 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 2021

**Short answer:** In 2021, 312 different trial counsel of record appeared in 267 Air Force courts-martial, and 105 of them (34%) had no earlier case in this data. On the median case, the most experienced trial counsel on the team had 7.5 prior cases. Full acquittals came in 47% of decided contested cases (65 of 137), lower than the 58% seen in 2020.

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

## Contested Verdicts in 2021

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of the 137 contested cases that reached a verdict in 2021, 65 ended in a full acquittal (47%). In 2020 the Air Force rate was 58%.

Article 128 (assault) was charged in 27% of 2021 cases, compared with 17% in 2020\. The records show both changes in the same year. They do not show whether the change in charges and the change in verdicts are connected.

## How This Page Counts Experience

Experience on this page is a count. For each lawyer, it is the number of courts-martial that lawyer had already been counsel of record on in this data, for either side, in the Air Force, before the trial date. It does not measure skill. A lawyer may also have tried cases before the records begin.

Most cases list more than one lawyer on the government side, and the records do not say who led. Each case is therefore counted by the most experienced trial counsel of record on the team. Nothing on this page rates or ranks any lawyer.

## Prior Cases on the Government Side

266 of the 267 cases list at least one trial counsel of record. The median prior-case count for the most experienced trial counsel on those teams was 7.5.

The largest group of cases, 100 (38%), had a most experienced trial counsel with 1 to 4 prior cases. At the other end, 68 cases (26%) had a trial counsel with 20 or more. Only 6 cases (2%) had no trial counsel with any earlier case in this data. The middle bands held 44 cases (17%) at 5 to 9 prior cases and 48 cases (18%) at 10 to 19.

| Prior cases (most experienced trial counsel) | Cases | Share |
| -------------------------------------------- | ----- | ----- |
| No prior cases                               | 6     | 2%    |
| 1 to 4                                       | 100   | 38%   |
| 5 to 9                                       | 44    | 17%   |
| 10 to 19                                     | 48    | 18%   |
| 20 or more                                   | 68    | 26%   |

## Full and Partial Acquittals by Experience Band

137 contested cases reached a verdict and list a trial counsel. A partial acquittal means the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another.

Where the most experienced trial counsel had 1 to 4 prior cases, 42 contested cases reached a verdict, and 60% ended in a full acquittal. In the 5 to 9 band the full-acquittal rate was 50% across 18 cases. The 10 to 19 band and the 20 or more band both had a 40% rate, across 30 cases and 43 cases. Partial acquittals were most common in the 20 or more band, at 23%.

The 4 cases with no experienced trial counsel are too few to read: 2 of 4 ended in a full acquittal. The records do not show the evidence, plea offers, or who did the work at trial. These rows describe outcomes. They do not show that experience produced them.

| Prior cases (most experienced trial counsel) | Contested cases | Full acquittal | Partial acquittal |
| -------------------------------------------- | --------------- | -------------- | ----------------- |
| No prior cases                               | 4               | 2 of 4         | 1 of 4            |
| 1 to 4                                       | 42              | 60%            | 12%               |
| 5 to 9                                       | 18              | 50%            | 6%                |
| 10 to 19                                     | 30              | 40%            | 13%               |
| 20 or more                                   | 43              | 40%            | 23%               |

## A Large Group of Lawyers, Most With Few 2021 Cases

312 different trial counsel of record appear in Air Force cases tried in 2021\. Of those, 157 appeared in only 1 case that year, and 138 appeared in 2 to 4 cases.

Only 16 trial counsel appeared in 5 to 9 cases in 2021, and 1 appeared in 10 or more. 105 of the 312 (34%) had no case in this data before their 2021 trial.

| Cases as trial counsel in 2021 | Lawyers |
| ------------------------------ | ------- |
| 1 case                         | 157     |
| 2 to 4 cases                   | 138     |
| 5 to 9 cases                   | 16      |
| 10 or more cases               | 1       |

## Team Size

Air Force cases in 2021 usually listed more than one trial counsel of record. Of the 266 cases with a trial counsel listed, 31 named 1, 137 named 2, and 98 named 3 or more.

Because each case is counted by its most experienced member, a team of 3 with one experienced lawyer counts the same as that lawyer alone. The records do not say how the team divided the work.

## Defense Experience in the Same Cases

266 cases list lawyers on both sides. When the most experienced lawyer of record on each side is compared, the defense side had more prior cases in 162 cases (61%). The trial counsel had more in 99 cases (37%). The remaining cases were tied.

## Coverage and Limits

Air Force counsel names are nearly complete in this data from 2016\. The counsel pages start two years later, so most lawyers already have earlier cases on record. Names spelled several ways are merged using the same method as Learn Your Lawyer. Navy and Marine Corps records list counsel only from mid-2025, mostly by surname, and are left out.

The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. Cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation do not appear. Air Force records rarely list the charges in a full acquittal 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 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](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/)
- [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/)
- [Air Force Defense Counsel in 2019: Prior Cases, Turnover, and Team Size](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-defense-counsel-2019/)
- [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.