Serving members as well as veterans of military services who face legal issues which threaten their military careers need expert legal representation to get justice. There are professional legal firms in Tacoma offering legal defense services for court martial and other military legal cases. The best Tacoma military defense attorney has immense experience in prosecuting as well as defending soldiers accused of various charges in the capacity of JAG in US Army. Thus, such an attorney is well versed with various kinds of strategies and tactics required to defend the client against the evidence presented by the military.
The following cases are taken by a military defense attorney in Tacoma.
Appeal for court martial
Court martial is a trial faced by the serving member of any of the military branches for military offenses ranging from disobeying orders, desertion and absence without leave to murders and drug abuse. Court martial is conducted by a military court and is presided over by a military judge. The Tacoma military defense attorney will conduct an investigation of the case at the pretrial stage itself. An experienced attorney is well versed with the ways of the military investigators and uses the knowledge to find loopholes in the evidences found by them against the client. The attorney also attempts to find evidences which benefit the client. The military defense attorney brings experts and witnesses to testify in favour of the client.
Military sexual assault defense
Under Article 120, a serving member of the military can be charged for sexual misconduct for wrongful sexual contact, rape, indecent exposure, sexual abuse of a child, aggravated sexual contact and sexual assault. Dishonorable discharge is the least of the punishment handed out by a military court. Imprisonment is a common punishment for rape. A Tacoma defense attorney will investigate the allegations made against the client and seek evidences which exonerate the client against the allegations. The attorney will argue the case in the military court, prepare the client for hearing, prepare witnesses and determine ways to defend the client in light of the evidence. Sexual assault cases are complex and only a skillful and experienced attorney can put up a strong defense against the military prosecutors who come prepared with strong cases. As soon as a military member is accused of sexual misconduct, he should immediately contact a military sexual assault case defense lawyer.
Homicide cases
Serving members of military can be charged under Article 118 for murder, Article 119 for voluntary or involuntary manslaughter, Article 119(a) for causing death or injury of an unborn child and Article 134 for negligent homicide. An experienced Tacoma defense attorney willtry to base the defense on various grounds such as contamination of DNA and blood sample obtained by the investigators, mentally unsound status of the defendant due to continuous deployments and self defense. Military service members charged with homicide get the assistance of military defense counsel. But it is necessary to not rely on the military defense counsel and contact an experienced defense attorney.
Discharge cases
Discharge document given to a military personnel after he/she leaves active duty includes an important information called discharge status. If a retired military personnel receives less than honourable discharge unfairly, the best course of action is to contact an experienced defense attorney to present his/her case before the Discharge Review Board.