If you’re facing a court-martial and dishonorable discharge, you’re facing a case that could derail your whole future.
A dishonorable discharge doesn’t just throw you out of the military and cost you years in lost wages. It disqualifies you from all military and veteran benefits and can make it difficult to find work as a civilian.
Don’t let one case change the course of your life. A civilian military lawyer can help. Here are three reasons you should hire a civilian attorney if you’re facing legal action.
1. Workload and Choice
First, it’s important to understand the difference between a civilian military defense lawyer and a Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG) lawyer.
A civilian lawyer takes on cases at their own discretion. A JAG lawyer is like a public defender – they have to take any cases that come through their door.
So while a civilian lawyer can keep their workload low enough to give individual attention to every case, a JAG lawyer has to spread their time thin across a huge docket of cases.
The choice is different on your side as well.
You choose a civilian lawyer, but a JAG attorney is chosen for you. The choice of a JAG has nothing to do with experience, time, preference, or personality – it’s solely based on who’s available at the time.
With a civilian attorney, you can choose the best lawyer for the job.
2. Two for the Price of One
The biggest benefit of a JAG lawyer is that they’re provided at no cost to you, like a public defender.
But if you know you’re getting a JAG for free, why not put your money to work?
You could get one free attorney, or you could get two attorneys for the price of one. Most of the time, when you hire a civilian military defense attorney, you can keep your military counsel at no charge.
That way, you can assemble a legal team to represent you at a price you can actually afford. One attorney has extensive military defense experience around the world, like the attorneys at MilitaryAdvocate.com, while your JAG officer has experience with local military personnel.
3. They’ll Do Their Own Investigation
When you hire a civilian attorney for your case, they’ll fully investigate every detail of the allegations against you. They’ll leave no stone unturned. They’ll learn everything they can about you and the government’s case against you.
Every case has weaknesses, even a case that looks rock-solid. A good attorney knows this – and knows how to exploit those weaknesses.
A JAG lawyer will do their best, but the fact is, they have to investigate at least a dozen other cases at any given time. They just can’t dedicate the time and resources that a civilian attorney can. They may even miss opportunities to dismiss or reduce your charges.
Why would you settle for a mediocre investigation when you could get a top-notch investigation with one-on-one support?
The Right Military Lawyer Makes a Huge Difference
We know that the right military lawyer can make all the difference between a continued career in the armed forces and a loss of work, housing, and benefits.
If you need more legal advice, check out our blog for more useful tips.
