Mission Statement

“Criminal defense of uniformed members is a special endeavor. As such, we are solely dedicated to this overwhelmingly unique field of law. We do not focus our attention on civilian criminal or civilian cases. This strict focus enables us to harness our collective knowledge for the benefit of our uniformed clientele, and their families, and with that, increase the likelihood for the best possible outcome. We have three rules." 

Rule 1: We ONLY defend active duty servicemembers;

Rule 2: We ONLY defend servicemembers in military courts and boards; and

Rule 3: We ONLY like to win.  

This is not to say we win each and every case, but what can be said is that we have an unmatched record of success since 2008.

Put another way, we selectively advocate on behalf of members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard and the various state National Guards. The firm has represented officers and enlisted members of all ranks, rates and grades. Our heavily experienced lawyers regularly appear in courts-martial, administrative boards and before appellate panels. 

Court & Carpenter also routinely advises servicemembers about the best tactics to take when addressing command investigations. Our firm, unlike others that perfunctorily boast young and brash lawyers that self-servingly claim to be the best, is comprised of truly experienced advocates with long established track records. 

Courts-Martial Defense

Courts-martial are exceptionally intimidating processes for uniformed members and their families. In recognizing these challenges, the lawyers at Court & Carpenter ensure that Client’s reassuringly understand the complicated nuances of this process based upon our many decades of military justice experience.  

Court-Martial Appeals

Not every court-martial sentence guarantees an automatic appeal. However, in cases that an appeal is warranted Court & Carpenter’s lawyers are uniquely equipped to research, draft and argue cases before the various service appellate courts to rectify miscarriages of justice.

Involuntary Separation Boards

Each service branch may attempt to involuntarily separate uniformed members from their hard earned military careers. Separation boards are controlled by administrative law procedures that provide service members several inalienable rights. Indeed the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled “men and women in the Armed Forces do not leave constitutional safeguards and judicial protections behind when they enter military service.” Weiss v. United States, 114 S. Ct. 752, 769 (1994) Simply put, constitutional due process principles require fairly constituted boards to convene, and impartially judge the merits of any initiated discharge. Accordingly these three-member boards are akin to “mini-trials” in which the Government’s evidence is, in part, zealously examined, and its witnesses can be cross-examined.

Rebuttals to Military Reprimands

In this particular era of our nation’s history, any negative paperwork in one’s service record can have a particularly deleterious impact on any chance of promotion, and may even, in some instances, result in involuntary separation. Knowing how to persuasively assess, organize and write an effective rebuttal is a valued expertise that Court & Carpenter’s lawyers, who have been doing it for decades, excel at every day.

Assisting with Command Investigations

Sometimes members “trust the system” to do the right thing, and therefore willingly participate in investigations that can often compromise their military careers. Of course, there can be innumerable risks in addressing any investigation, no matter its subject. The lawyers at Court & Carpenter have ample experience in assisting Clients maneuver through these legal minefields.