Military personnel who are charged with crimes are tried in a court martial where they are given the right to choose legal representation to defend allegations made against them. Most service members rely on the military defense lawyers who are randomly appointed by the state, but they often do not act in your best interest.

The decision is viable because such appointed attorneys are readily available; the government covers the entire cost of legal defense and saves you the money associated with a paid representation. In some instances, the service members assume that the appointed defense counsel is more experienced given that he spends most of the time working with military criminal justice systems. Sometimes, soldiers are oblivious of their right to appoint a private military criminal lawyer.

Keep in mind that the decision made by the courts’ martial impacts your life and that of your dependents, hence the need to obtain the best possible representation. You must make every effort to ensure that you get acquitted, or the charges are reduced to minor and inconsequential allegations in your military record. Members of the armed forces who are accused of criminal activities have the right to:

• Allow the appointed counsel to represent them
• Represent themselves
• Hire private military criminal lawyers

Here are other reasons to appoint private legal representation:

Adequate Experience

When facing charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the primary concern when appointing a defense counsel is getting one who has sufficient experience in handling such cases. Note that most appointed military attorneys have minimal contested trial experience, hence are more likely to lose the case. They are not conversant with:

• Conducting proper investigations
• Giving adequate attention to cases
• Developing effective defense strategies

Private military criminal lawyers, on the other hand, are knowledgeable about the Uniform Code of Military justice and have had first-hand experience in the working of the military justice system. Their mission is to protect your legal rights during the entire process and guarantee the best possible outcome. Note that the lawyers are well-versed in military matters and defending criminal cases. They have also worked on lots of jury trials, giving you an edge that will help you win.

No Restrictions of Advocacy

An appointed defense counsel is often prohibited from being too detailed when representing you until the investigation against you is completed and have been charged with the offense. He is subject to restraints by the military chain of command also. For example, limitations about approaching the members of the press are usually present. Private military criminal defense lawyers are not restricted by any chain of command, rank, or supervisory chain of responsibility; they will employ every defense strategy within their means to ensure you get a full acquittal. Additionally, they are independent of upcoming promotions, evaluation reports, or other biased factors that hinder appointed defense attorneys from acting objectively.

Freedom to Choose Representation

Good representation begins with finding the right military lawyer. The lawyer’s personality should be compatible with yours, and he should be willing to educate you about the court processes. Most state-appointed defense counsels who represent service members are assigned such duties depending on who is available at the moment. No thought is given as to your preferences, personality, or the attorney’s experience. Selecting a private military criminal lawyer provides you with a bit of some leeway as to your preferred personality, time, and expertise. Additionally, you have the power to assemble a team of lawyers to help you through that difficult period in your life. Service members need a team to represent them not just one individual.

Total Commitment to Every Case

Private military criminal lawyers are free to work within their time jurisdictions to ensure 100% commitment to every case. Army defense counsel, on the other hand, take on every case assigned to them, hence have little time to interact with the client let alone commit all their efforts to winning. They have to divide their time between 10-20 pending cases, exclusive of nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, and other regulatory obligations.

Lawyer References

Private military criminal lawyers are willing to give names of other military defense lawyers as references. It gives you confidence that you are hiring a competent lawyer who can win. The lawyer may provide names of army or marine corp defense counsels that they have worked with in the past. With defense attorneys appointed by the state, you can only hope and trust that they will deliver a good job.