Money can buy you a great defense team, but what happens when you’re in the United States Armed Forces and are appointed an inexperienced attorney by your service branch? An attorney without experience isn’t necessarily a bad attorney, but what they lack in skill and understanding can become a vulnerable point if you’re facing serious criminal charges.
In this video, civilian court martial defense attorneys Michael Waddington, from Gonzalez & Waddington LLC and Tim Bilecki, from Bilecki Law Group, discuss the growing trend of the military selecting lawyers with little to no criminal experience to defend soldiers accused of crimes. Bilecki, explains how the Army hires senior defense lawyers, who are specifically chosen to supervise and mentor defense attorneys, with zero experience. Many have never defended a case in their entire life, which not only negatively affects their clients, but also all of the young attorneys who are taken under their wing. This lack of knowledge is then passed down, creating a trove of ill-prepared attorneys.
The bottom line is that the Army is not putting these attorneys in high positions to give their soldiers a fighting chance; instead, the military is setting up their soldiers to lose. Why is this done you may ask? Guilty please make the court process smoother. It’s less work for the new attorneys, and makes it easy for them to move on to the next client. A guilty plea makes life easier for them, but not for their clients, who may be innocent.
When civilian court martial defense attorneys, who are equipped to properly defend those in the Army, go in place of these inexperienced lawyers, acquittal rates go up. Aggression and years of experience make a difference in the court room. Instead of innocent soldiers going to jail, simply to convenience the Armed Forces, a civilian court martial defense lawyer can ensure that they get a fair chance at freedom.
If you’re facing serious criminal charges, contact the military criminal defense lawyers at Bilecki Law Group.
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