If you’re in the United States military and are facing accusations of unlawful action or behavior, consult with a Columbia, MD, military criminal defense lawyer. With the help of a skilled law firm, you can feel confident that your legal counsel has experience helping numerous clients under circumstances resembling your own.
Our Howard County military attorneys and law team understand the seriousness of the adverse effects a military conviction can bring. At the Law Offices of Todd K. Mohink, PA, preserving your military career and reputation is our focus. Our law firm has worked on a variety of defense matters, including DUIs, sex crimes, drug offenses, assault, fraud, bribery, and more.
Criminal defense for service members of the US military is not dissimilar to criminal defense for civilians, but it does require extra care, sometimes also along with a knowledge of military protocols and procedures. As is the case with the rest of society, military service members (of all ranks) can also be charged with criminal offenses in addition to service-specific misconduct or other administrative issues.
A defense attorney who offers their legal counsel and representation to members of the military typically helps these service members when they are facing investigation of misconduct, disciplinary actions, or set to be tried in courts-martial. It’s important for service members to have capable criminal defense in these cases since their careers, military records, and future are subject to substantial damage.
Service members may be charged with offenses including general misconduct of a military officer (e.g., dishonesty, amorality, lawlessness, cruelty), sexual offenses, assault, harassment, domestic violence, hazing, security clearance matters, positive drug tests, drug possession or distribution, fraud, disobeying orders, AWOL charges, other federal crimes and administration issues like Article 15-6, separation from duty, rebuttals, and appealing a courts-martial decision.
Military service members, when facing any suspicions of wrongdoing or preparing to face their charges in courts-martial or before separation boards will be automatically appointed a JAG (Judge Advocate General’s Corps) officer. A JAG officer is an educated lawyer who joined a military branch to serve upon finishing their schooling and represents both a branch’s officers (defense) in addition to acting on behalf of the military branch itself (prosecution).
As a service member, it is your choice whether to rely on an appointed JAG lawyer or to consult with a chosen civilian criminal defense attorney. JAG attorneys are trained law officers certainly qualified to represent a military service member, perhaps especially so due to their familiarity with military law proceedings; JAG officers also don’t often have control over what cases they’re assigned to and are required to have working knowledge of several areas of the law.
It’s advisable to consider the severity of the charges you are accused of as well as the potential penalties if convicted when deciding whether to obtain a civilian defense attorney. For minor infractions, a JAG officer is sure to represent your case well. This can be true, even in more serious instances, but it is possible the appointed attorney may not be overly experienced or familiar with the types of charges you’re facing and the most effective defense strategies.
The added benefit of a private military defense lawyer is they often have more direct experience in “traditional” offenses, such as assault or drug possession. Defense attorneys also frequently have a familiarity with one or more areas of criminal law that they elect to focus on helping clients in — possessing a knowledge of which defensive arguments are more effective given the circumstances.
A: Lawyers who serve the various branches of the United States military are known as JAG officers, belonging to the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG Corps). JAG lawyers are trained and educated just as other civilian attorneys are before learning about military procedures and practicing law on behalf of the JAG Corps. JAG attorneys work as commissioned officers in a military branch of their choosing.
A: Whether you proceed with your appointed JAG lawyer or hire a military defense attorney depends on your judgment of your circumstances. If the charges and potential penalties seem minor, you may feel confident in your JAG officer’s abilities.
However, if you have any doubts because of the severity of the possible punishment or the complexity of your case in Columbia, Maryland, you may feel it’s worth it to get a criminal defense attorney who has experience in the type of charges against you.
A: JAG officers often fulfill a variety of legal duties and roles, coming into contact with cases involving criminal law, labor law, administrative law, operational law, environmental law, national security, and international law.
These commissioned law officers are qualified to provide senior service members with legal advice, represent clients of all ranks, and participate in courts-martial representing either an offending service member or on behalf of the military branch itself.
A: JAG lawyers may be deployed during their period(s) of active duty. Typically, JAG officers are assigned to stay on a military base for a duration of two years at a time; they may also be deployed elsewhere while stationed at a base. Deployments are often overseas but may be within the continental United States as well and can last several months. JAG lawyers don’t usually have a say in who they represent or what cases they’re assigned to.
The skilled team of law professionals at the Law Offices of Todd K. Mohink, PA, is well-equipped to assist service members of the armed forces regardless of their rank or the complexity of their case.
Reach out to us today to speak with an experienced military defense lawyer about your situation. We will proceed to give you a rundown of what legal options are available under your circumstances, what your next steps should be, and answer any questions you have before our team begins working on your case.
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