Why Retain a Civilian Attorney?

Should you use the appointed military defense counsel?

When you have been charged with a crime and are facing the possibility of a court-martial, you have a right to receive legal representation to advocate on your behalf and to fight to defend you against the allegations. Many service members in your situation choose to rely on the appointed military defense counsel. Often, they do this because the appointed attorney is free; the U.S. government covers the costs of legal defense, sparing the accused the necessary of paying for representation. In other cases, they assume that their case will thereby be in the best possible hands, given the fact that the appointed counsel spends all day, every day working in the military criminal justice system. Other people still simply do not realize that they have the right to choose their own attorney and can hire a civilian military criminal defense lawyer.

The truth is that you do have the option of deciding whether to let the appointed counsel represent you, to hire your own private legal representation or even to represent yourself. It is nearly always better, however, to retain your own attorney, since this serves to maximize your chances of a successful outcome to the case. One of the reasons this is true due in large part to the fact that most of the appointed military attorneys are simply overwhelmed with massive numbers of cases, and there is a very high likelihood that if you chose this course of action, you would end up with a lawyer who does not have the time to pay full attention to your case, to conduct a proper investigation and to develop an effective strategy for defending you against the charges.

Fortunately, you can give yourself the benefit of having a private lawyer without sacrificing the advantages of working with an attorney who has an intimate understanding of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and who knows from first-hand experience how the military justice system works. When you hire an attorney from McCormack & McCormack, you will be represented by a lawyer who has worked with the military since 1979. Attorney Greg McCormack's experience as a prosecutor and defense lawyer while he served on active duty with the U.S. Army JAG Corps provided him with the foundations for his ability to successfully defend countless military personnel.

Speak with a Military Criminal Defense Lawyer

With the experience of hundreds of military court-martials behind him, Greg McCormack has the ability to fully evaluate and anticipate the prosecution's case, so as to be able to best prepare a successful defense. Whether you need legal counsel for nonjudicial punishment or a summary court-martial, or if you are facing a special court-martial or general court-martial, we are ready to fight for you. Contact our office now for a confidential case evaluation to discuss the situation and to learn more about how we can help!