2024: Experience of Army Trial Counsel of Record
The median most experienced trial counsel of record in 2024 Army courts-martial had 10 prior cases, and in 223 of 440 cases (51%) the government's top lawyer had more prior cases than the defense's. 280 different trial counsel appeared, and 125 of them (45%) were new to this data.
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Trends › Counsel Experience › Army 2024
Short answer: The median most experienced trial counsel of record in 2024 Army courts-martial had 10 prior cases, and in 223 of 440 cases (51%) the government's top lawyer had more prior cases than the defense's. 280 different trial counsel appeared, and 125 of them (45%) were new to this data. 37% of decided contested cases ended in a full acquittal (46 of 124), compared with 39% in 2023.
The Government Side Had More Prior Cases in 51% of Cases
440 Army cases tried in 2024 list lawyers on both sides. The most experienced trial counsel of record had more prior cases than the most experienced defense counsel in 223 of them (51%). The defense side had more in 193 (44%). The remaining cases were tied.
This compares counts of earlier cases only. It does not compare skill or the work done at trial.
The Experience Measure
A prior case is an earlier Army court-martial in this data where the lawyer was counsel of record, on either side, before the trial date. The count does not grade a lawyer, and cases a lawyer tried before the records begin are not included.
The records list each team without naming a lead, so each case takes the count of its most experienced trial counsel of record. No lawyer is rated or ranked on this page.
A Median of 10
All 440 cases with a trial counsel listed are included here, out of 478 in the year. The median prior-case count of the most experienced trial counsel was 10.
The 10 to 19 band was the largest, with 153 cases (35%). 104 cases (24%) were in the 5 to 9 band and 93 (21%) in the 1 to 4 band. 70 cases (16%) had a trial counsel of record with 20 or more prior cases. In 20 cases (5%), no trial counsel on the team had an earlier case.
| Prior cases (most experienced trial counsel) | Cases | Share |
|---|---|---|
| No prior cases | 20 | 5% |
| 1 to 4 | 93 | 21% |
| 5 to 9 | 104 | 24% |
| 10 to 19 | 153 | 35% |
| 20 or more | 70 | 16% |
Verdict Rates by Band
118 contested cases reached a verdict and list a trial counsel. A contested case has a not-guilty or mixed plea. A partial acquittal is a finding of not guilty on at least one charge or specification and guilty on another.
Full-acquittal rates were within a narrow range across the main bands. The 20 or more band had 45% across 22 cases. The 1 to 4 band had 38% across 21 cases, the 5 to 9 band 37% across 30, and the 10 to 19 band 33% across 42.
Partial acquittals ran from 43% to 48% in those bands. Only 3 contested cases had no experienced trial counsel: 1 of 3 ended in a full acquittal and 1 of 3 in a partial acquittal.
Because the records do not include the evidence, plea offers, or who did the work, these rows describe outcomes. They do not show an effect of experience.
| Prior cases (most experienced trial counsel) | Contested cases | Full acquittal | Partial acquittal |
|---|---|---|---|
| No prior cases | 3 | 1 of 3 | 1 of 3 |
| 1 to 4 | 21 | 38% | 48% |
| 5 to 9 | 30 | 37% | 47% |
| 10 to 19 | 42 | 33% | 43% |
| 20 or more | 22 | 45% | 45% |
Trial Counsel Who Appeared in 2024
280 different trial counsel of record appear in Army cases tried in 2024. 125 of them (45%) had no earlier case in this data.
113 appeared in 1 case during the year, and another 113 in 2 to 4 cases. 41 appeared in 5 to 9 cases, and 13 in 10 or more.
| Cases as trial counsel in 2024 | Lawyers |
|---|---|
| 1 case | 113 |
| 2 to 4 cases | 113 |
| 5 to 9 cases | 41 |
| 10 or more cases | 13 |
Team Size
Of the 440 cases with a trial counsel listed, 314 named 2 trial counsel of record. 95 named 1, and 31 named 3 or more. A case's band comes from its most experienced team member, so extra lawyers with fewer cases do not change it.
Pleas, Verdicts, and the December 2023 Rules
27% of 2024 Army cases were contested, compared with 31% in 2023. Of the contested cases that reached a verdict, 46 of 124 ended in a full acquittal (37%), compared with 39% in 2023.
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 is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. Both rules depend on the offense date. The records give only trial dates, so 2024 trials mix cases under old and new rules, and the records cannot show whether the rules changed these numbers.
Limits of the Counsel Data
Army counsel names are nearly complete from 2021, and these pages start two years later so most lawyers have earlier cases in the data. Name variants are merged by the Learn Your Lawyer method. Navy and Marine Corps records list counsel only from mid-2025, mostly by surname, so they are left out.
Cases resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not in the records. The evidence and the plea terms are not described.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every Army court-martial with a trial date in 2024 (478 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
- 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 Defense Counsel Tried? 2025
- 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.