How Many Prior Courts-Martial Had Army Defense Counsel Tried? 2025
45% of decided contested Army cases in 2025 ended in a full acquittal (39 of 87), higher than the 37% in 2024, and the median confinement was 8 months, compared with 6 months. 214 different defense counsel of record appeared in the year's 446 cases.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › Counsel Experience › Army 2025
Short answer: 45% of decided contested Army cases in 2025 ended in a full acquittal (39 of 87), higher than the 37% in 2024, and the median confinement was 8 months, compared with 6 months. 214 different defense counsel of record appeared in the year's 446 cases. In the 418 cases that list one, the median most experienced defense counsel had 9 prior cases.
Changes From 2024
Full acquittals came in 39 of 87 contested Army cases that reached a verdict in 2025, a rate of 45%. In 2024 the rate was 37%. A contested case is one where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge.
The median confinement was 8 months in 2025 and 6 months in 2024. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. The records show these changes in the same year. They do not show why the numbers moved.
Who Appeared for the Defense
214 different defense counsel of record appear in Army cases tried in 2025. 50 of them (23%) had no earlier case in this data.
85 of the 214 appeared in 2 to 4 cases during 2025. 74 appeared in 1 case, 51 in 5 to 9, and 4 in 10 or more.
| Cases as defense counsel in 2025 | Lawyers |
|---|---|
| 1 case | 74 |
| 2 to 4 cases | 85 |
| 5 to 9 cases | 51 |
| 10 or more cases | 4 |
Prior Cases as the Measure
Experience on this page is the number of earlier Army courts-martial in this data on which a lawyer was counsel of record, for either side, before the trial date. It does not grade skill, and work before the records start is not counted.
The records name every lawyer on a team but not the lead. Each case is counted by its most experienced defense counsel of record. No lawyer is rated or ranked.
Experience Bands in 2025
The 5 to 9 band held 156 cases (37%), and the 10 to 19 band held 134 (32%). 72 cases (17%) were in the 1 to 4 band, and 49 (12%) had a defense counsel of record with 20 or more prior cases.
Only 7 cases (2%) had no defense counsel on the team with an earlier case. The median was 9.
| Prior cases (most experienced defense counsel) | Cases | Share |
|---|---|---|
| No prior cases | 7 | 2% |
| 1 to 4 | 72 | 17% |
| 5 to 9 | 156 | 37% |
| 10 to 19 | 134 | 32% |
| 20 or more | 49 | 12% |
Full and Partial Acquittals by Band
82 contested cases reached a verdict and list a defense counsel. A full acquittal means not guilty of every charge. A partial acquittal is a not-guilty finding on at least one charge or specification with a guilty finding on another.
The 20 or more band had 60% full acquittals and 30% partial acquittals, across 10 cases. The 1 to 4 band, with 12 cases, had 50% of each. The largest bands had similar rates: 41% full acquittals in the 5 to 9 band (32 cases) and 43% in the 10 to 19 band (28 cases). Partial acquittals were 44% and 36%.
Every band here has 32 cases or fewer, so a few verdicts can move a rate. Evidence, plea offers, and the work done by each lawyer are not recorded. The rows show outcomes only.
| Prior cases (most experienced defense counsel) | Contested cases | Full acquittal | Partial acquittal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 12 | 50% | 50% |
| 5 to 9 | 32 | 41% | 44% |
| 10 to 19 | 28 | 43% | 36% |
| 20 or more | 10 | 60% | 30% |
Most Teams Had 2 Defense Counsel
Of the 418 cases with a defense counsel listed, 223 listed 2 defense counsel of record and 178 listed 1. 17 listed 3 or more.
Because the band follows the most experienced lawyer on the team, a case with 2 defense counsel is placed by whichever of the 2 had more prior cases. The records do not show how the 2 shared the work.
417 cases list lawyers on both sides. The trial counsel had more prior cases than the defense counsel in 217 of them (52%), and the defense counsel had more in 182 (44%). The rest were tied.
Rules Behind the 2025 Trials
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so 2025 trials can include cases under either set of rules.
What the Counsel Data Covers
Army counsel names are nearly complete from 2021, and these pages start two years later so most lawyers have an earlier record. Name variants 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 included.
The records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. Cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not in them.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every Army court-martial with a trial date in 2025 (446 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
- Counsel Experience (hub)
- Army Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- 2023: Experience of Army Trial Counsel of Record
- 2024: Experience of Army Trial Counsel of Record
- How Many Prior Courts-Martial Had Army Defense Counsel Tried? 2023
- How Many Prior Courts-Martial Had Army Defense Counsel Tried? 2024
- How Many Prior Courts-Martial Had Army Trial Counsel Tried? 2025
- 2018: Experience of Air Force Defense Counsel of Record
- 2020: Experience of Air Force Trial Counsel of Record
- Search every case in 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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.