> ## 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. # How Many Prior Courts-Martial Had Army Defense Counsel Tried? 2023 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-defense-counsel-2023/ - Published: 2026-10-30T05:28:59.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T05:28:59.000Z - Description: 203 different defense counsel of record appeared in Army courts-martial tried in 2023, and 67 of them (33%) had no earlier case in this data. In the 415 cases that list a defense counsel, the median most experienced defense counsel had 7 prior cases. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Army [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Counsel Experience](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/counsel-experience/) › Army 2023 **Short answer:** 203 different defense counsel of record appeared in Army courts-martial tried in 2023, and 67 of them (33%) had no earlier case in this data. In the 415 cases that list a defense counsel, the median most experienced defense counsel had 7 prior cases. 31% of the year's 469 cases were contested, compared with 36% in 2022. Based on 469 cases · 2023 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Defense Teams Were Usually 1 or 2 Lawyers 415 of the 469 Army cases tried in 2023 list at least one defense counsel of record. Of those, 237 listed 2 defense counsel and 166 listed 1\. Only 12 listed 3 or more. In 14 cases (3%), no defense counsel of record on the team had an earlier case in this data. The band for a case is set by the most experienced defense counsel of record on the team, so a second lawyer with fewer prior cases does not change it. The records also do not say which lawyer on a team argued the case or how the team divided the work. ## How Experience Is Measured The measure is a count of earlier courts-martial. For each case, it is the number of Army courts-martial in this data where the lawyer was already counsel of record, for either side, before that trial date. The count is not a rating of skill, and it leaves out any cases a lawyer handled before the records begin. Records list the whole team without saying who led. Each case is therefore counted by its most experienced defense counsel of record. Nothing here rates or ranks a lawyer. ## Where the 2023 Cases Fell The 5 to 9 band was the largest, with 161 cases (39%). The 1 to 4 band held 115 cases (28%), and the 10 to 19 band held 95 (23%). 30 cases (7%) had a defense counsel of record with 20 or more prior cases. The median prior-case count of the most experienced defense counsel was 7. | Prior cases (most experienced defense counsel) | Cases | Share | | ---------------------------------------------- | ----- | ----- | | No prior cases | 14 | 3% | | 1 to 4 | 115 | 28% | | 5 to 9 | 161 | 39% | | 10 to 19 | 95 | 23% | | 20 or more | 30 | 7% | ## Verdicts in Contested Cases by Defense Experience A contested case is one where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. 134 contested cases reached a verdict and list a defense counsel. A partial acquittal means not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. In the 5 to 9 band (52 cases) and the 10 to 19 band (40 cases), full acquittals were 40%. The 1 to 4 band (30 cases) had 33% full acquittals and the highest partial-acquittal rate, 60%. The 10 to 19 band had 42% partial acquittals, and the 5 to 9 band had 31%. The smallest groups are only a handful of cases. With a defense counsel of 20 or more prior cases, 4 of 7 ended in a full acquittal and 2 of 7 in a partial acquittal. With no experienced defense counsel, 1 of 5 ended in each. The records do not include the evidence, plea offers, or how work was shared on a team. These rows describe how cases ended. They do not show that experience produced the result. | Prior cases (most experienced defense counsel) | Contested cases | Full acquittal | Partial acquittal | | ---------------------------------------------- | --------------- | -------------- | ----------------- | | No prior cases | 5 | 1 of 5 | 1 of 5 | | 1 to 4 | 30 | 33% | 60% | | 5 to 9 | 52 | 40% | 31% | | 10 to 19 | 40 | 40% | 42% | | 20 or more | 7 | 4 of 7 | 2 of 7 | ## The 203 Defense Counsel Of the 203 defense counsel of record in 2023, 70 appeared in only 1 case that year. 80 appeared in 2 to 4 cases, 44 in 5 to 9, and 9 in 10 or more. 67 of the 203 (33%) had no case in this data before 2023. | Cases as defense counsel in 2023 | Lawyers | | -------------------------------- | ------- | | 1 case | 70 | | 2 to 4 cases | 80 | | 5 to 9 cases | 44 | | 10 or more cases | 9 | ## Matched Against the Prosecution 414 cases list lawyers on both sides. When the most experienced lawyer on each side is compared, the defense counsel had more prior cases in 196 cases (47%) and fewer in 193 (47%). The rest were tied. ## Pleas and Charges in 2023 Contested cases were 31% of 2023 Army cases, lower than the 36% in 2022\. The verdict table on this page covers only contested cases that reached a verdict, so a lower contested share means fewer cases in each band of that table. Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 21% of 2023 cases, compared with 13% in 2022\. The records show both changes in the same year but cannot show whether they are connected. ## Name Coverage and Other Limits Army counsel names are nearly complete from 2021\. The counsel pages begin two years later so that most lawyers have earlier cases in the data. Different spellings of a name 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 included. Only cases that reached a courtroom appear. Cases resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not in the records, and neither are the evidence or the plea terms. Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Every Army court-martial with a trial date in 2023 (469 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) - [Army Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial/) (hub) - [2023: Experience of Army Trial Counsel of Record](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-trial-counsel-2023/) - [2024: Experience of Army Trial Counsel of Record](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-trial-counsel-2024/) - [How Many Prior Courts-Martial Had Army Defense Counsel Tried? 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-defense-counsel-2024/) - [How Many Prior Courts-Martial Had Army Defense Counsel Tried? 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-defense-counsel-2025/) - [How Many Prior Courts-Martial Had Army Trial Counsel Tried? 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-trial-counsel-2025/) - [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/) - [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.