Understanding Trends

Air Force Trial Counsel in 2022: Prior Cases, Turnover, and Team Size

In 2022 Air Force courts-martial, the median most experienced trial counsel of record had 5 prior cases, and 17 cases (6%) had no trial counsel with an earlier case in this data. 298 different trial counsel of record appeared in 266 cases.

Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read

Trends › Counsel Experience › Air Force 2022

Short answer: In 2022 Air Force courts-martial, the median most experienced trial counsel of record had 5 prior cases, and 17 cases (6%) had no trial counsel with an earlier case in this data. 298 different trial counsel of record appeared in 266 cases. The median confinement was 6 months, compared with 4 months in 2021.

Based on 266 cases · 2022 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

What Counts as a Prior Case

This page measures experience by counting cases, not by judging performance. A prior case is any earlier Air Force court-martial in this data where the lawyer was counsel of record, whether for the government or the defense.

Lawyers may have tried cases before the data starts, so the count can be low for some of them. The records also do not say which lawyer led a team. Each case is placed in a band by its most experienced trial counsel of record. No lawyer is rated or ranked here.

Median of 5 Prior Cases

265 of the 266 cases in 2022 list at least one trial counsel of record. For those cases, the median prior-case count of the most experienced trial counsel was 5.

104 cases (39%) fell in the 1 to 4 band, the largest group. 51 cases (19%) had a top trial counsel with 5 to 9 prior cases, and 33 (12%) had one with 10 to 19. 60 cases (23%) had a trial counsel of record with 20 or more prior cases. In 17 cases (6%), no one on the government team had an earlier case in this data.

Prior cases (most experienced trial counsel)	Cases	Share
No prior cases	17	6%
1 to 4	104	39%
5 to 9	51	19%
10 to 19	33	12%
20 or more	60	23%

Verdict Rates Across the Bands

In a contested case, the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. 124 contested cases reached a verdict in 2022 and list a trial counsel. A full acquittal is a not-guilty finding on every charge. A partial acquittal is not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another.

The 5 to 9 band had the highest full-acquittal rate, 74% of 19 cases. The 20 or more band had the lowest, 31% of 35 cases, and it also had a partial-acquittal rate of 34%. The 1 to 4 band (36 cases) had 44% full acquittals, the 10 to 19 band (23 cases) had 43%, and the 11 cases with no experienced trial counsel had 45%.

These differences come from small groups, and the records leave out the evidence, the plea offers, and who did the work. The table describes how cases ended in each band. It does not show that experience changed any result.

Prior cases (most experienced trial counsel)	Contested cases	Full acquittal	Partial acquittal
No prior cases	11	45%	18%
1 to 4	36	44%	19%
5 to 9	19	74%	11%
10 to 19	23	43%	35%
20 or more	35	31%	34%

Who Appeared for the Government

298 different trial counsel of record appear in Air Force cases tried in 2022. 110 of them (37%) had no earlier case in this data.

151 of the 298 had a single 2022 case, and 137 had 2 to 4. Only 10 appeared in 5 to 9 cases during the year. None appeared in 10 or more.

Cases as trial counsel in 2022	Lawyers
1 case	151
2 to 4 cases	137
5 to 9 cases	10
10 or more cases	0

How Many Lawyers per Case

Of the 265 cases with a trial counsel listed, 120 named 2 trial counsel of record, 83 named 3 or more, and 62 named 1. With the band set by the most experienced member, the number of lawyers on a team does not change which band a case falls in.

The records also do not show whether a lawyer listed on a team spoke in court, wrote motions, or only signed filings.

Sentences and Charges in 2022

The median confinement in 2022 Air Force cases was 6 months. In 2021 it was 4 months. Article 120 (sexual assault) was charged in 15% of 2022 cases, compared with 11% in 2021.

Sentences here are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. The records show the change in the same year as the change in charges. They do not show whether one is connected to the other.

Prosecution and Defense Side by Side

265 cases list lawyers on both sides. The most experienced defense counsel of record had more prior cases than the most experienced trial counsel in 179 cases (68%). The trial counsel had more in 82 cases (31%). The rest were tied.

Name Coverage and Gaps in the Records

Air Force counsel names are nearly complete from 2016, and these pages begin two years later so that most lawyers have earlier cases behind them. Name variants are merged with the method used for Learn Your Lawyer. Navy and Marine Corps cases are not included because their records list counsel only from mid-2025, mostly by surname.

Only cases that reached a courtroom appear. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, and cases with no action are outside these records, and so are the evidence and the plea terms. 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.

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, 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.