MILITARY DEFENSE LAW OFFICES OF RICHARD V. STEVENS AND FRANK J. SPINNER

Friday, July 03, 2009

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July to you and yours! Before the cookouts and fireworks, please take a moment to give thanks for the brave men and women of the American military, and their families, whose courage and sacrifice ensure our freedom. And, remember the amazing story of how it all began. Happy birthday America!

Have a great and safe Independence Day!

By: Attorney Richard V. Stevens
Civilian criminal defense lawyer and military defense lawyer
Military Defense Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens, PC

http://www.militaryadvocate.com

Blog postscript: Attorney Frank Spinner and I (attorney Richard Stevens) are former active duty military lawyers (JAG). Our perspectives and advice, therefore, are based upon our experience as military defense lawyers and as civilian criminal defense lawyers practicing exclusively in the area of military law. This blog addresses issues in military law, military justice, military discipline, military defense, court-martial practice, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and other military and/or legal topics. Nothing posted in this blog should be substituted for legal advice in any particular case. If you seek legal advice for a particular case, please contact The Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens & The Law Office of Frank J. Spinner for a free consultation.

Saturday, June 06, 2009

REMEMBERING D-DAY

On 6 June 1944, the WWII Allied forces, led by the American military, invaded the beaches of Normandy, France in a major offensive push to defeat the Axis powers in Europe. War raged across Europe until, at the end of April 1945, Benito Mussolini, the Italian dictator, was captured and executed. Adolf Hitler, the German dictator, then committed suicide at the end of April as well.

Throughout the first week of May 1945, German forces throughout Europe laid down their arms and on 8 May 1945, Germany offered its unconditional surrender. It would be another three months, on 2 September 1945, that Japan also surrendered bringing WWII to a victorious end.

Today is the anniversary of the Allied landing in Normandy; D-Day. Let us all remember the incredible sacrifices made by the American troops on that beach, the families who lost their sons that day, and the crusade that followed which kept the world free.

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By: Attorney Richard V. Stevens
Civilian criminal defense lawyer and military defense lawyer
Military Defense Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens, PC

http://www.militaryadvocate.com

Saturday, May 23, 2009

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

We wish you all a very happy and meaningful Memorial Day. Please take some time this weekend to reflect on the meaning of the day and to thank those brave Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

According to a story on CNN, Americans are being asked to stop what they're doing at 3:00pm today and to reflect on the meaning of the holiday and to remember those who have died defending the cause of freedom. The story goes on to say that when children were asked what Memorial Day means, they said that's when the swimming pool opens.

http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=35189370&postID=8093825413668071239

While those children are right, public pools often open on Memorial Day weekend, we can never allow Memorial Day to be just a nice excuse to be off of work and having cook outs with our families. We enjoy the freedom to do this because of the ultimate sacrifice made by so many who have served in the armed forces.

In addition to those who have fallen, please also keep in your thoughts and prayers those brave Americans (and their families) who are currently serving our country, particularly overseas in the War on Terror. Thank you.

By: Attorney Richard V. Stevens

Civilian criminal defense lawyer and military defense lawyer
Military Defense Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens,PC
http://www.militaryadvocate.com

Blog postscript: Attorney Frank Spinner and I (attorney Richard Stevens) are former active duty military lawyers (JAG). Our perspectives and advice, therefore, are based upon our experience as military defense lawyers and as civilian criminal defense lawyers practicing exclusively in the area of military law. This blog addresses issues in military law, military justice, military discipline, military defense, court-martial practice, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and other military and/or legal topics. Nothing posted in this blog should be substituted for legal advice in any particular case. If you seek legal advice for a particular case, please contact The Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens & The Law Office of Frank J. Spinner for a free consultation. Military defense law offices are located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Military defense law practices are worldwide.

Friday, April 03, 2009

Attorney Richard V. Stevens and Attorney Frank J. Spinner Interviewed for "War Crimes" Articles
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Recently, The Middle East Times ran a two part article titled "The Media, Military and Murder" in which the article's author, Marcia Drezon-Tepler, tackles the difficult issue of how the United States Military handles allegations of "war crimes" or "murder" on the battlefield. While military prosecutions for these alleged crimes claim the issues are black and white, they are far from that.
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In truth, these prosecutions are often the product of "Monday morning quarterbacking" of high pressure, highly dangerous combat situations in which split second decisions are made and the "fog of battle" is a factor. And, these prosecutions often result from the military's preoccupation with public perception and media coverage. It's hard to fight a war while looking over your shoulder and wondering how engagements will play on CNN.
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Last spring, Frank Spinner and I (attorney Richard V. Stevens, Military Defense Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens, PC) defended two Army murder trials in which our respective clients were accused of "murdering" terrorist insurgents in Iraq. Both clients were fully acquitted (found not guilty of all charges). Those cases are discussed in this latest news article. My case is cited in part 1:
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http://www.metimes.com/Opinion/2009/03/24/the_media_military_and_murder/4164/
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Frank's case is cited in part 2:
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http://www.metimes.com/Opinion/2009/03/25/the_media_military_and_murder_-_2/1699/

This two-part article is worth reading, to understand the complexities of decisions soldiers face in combat.

As I always caveat when mentioning cases we've defended, while these military court-martial cases were successfully defended, it is important to understand that every case has different facts, and success in previous cases does not guarantee success in any particular future case. No military lawyer or civilian defense lawyer, including those who specialize in military law, can guarantee the outcome of any military case. For more information on the military justice system, please see our other blog posts.

By: Attorney Richard V. Stevens
Civilian criminal defense lawyer and military defense lawyer
Military Defense Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens, PC
http://www.militaryadvocate.com

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Worldwide Military Law Practices and Court-Martial Defense – Overseas Locations

As the “world wide web” gets more congested, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find certain specific services or individuals, because there are so many internet search results (“hits”) that can come up. This is something that has been pointed out to us by our clients. Therefore, in a continuing effort to ensure potential clients can locate us on the web, I am posting some recurring blog posts about our services/locations. For other blog topics, scroll down to our blog archives in the right margin. For our website, please access: www.militaryadvocate.com.

As current criminal defense lawyers/attorneys, and former active duty military JAG lawyers/attorneys, Frank Spinner and I (attorney Richard V. Stevens) exclusively represent and defend military members around the world who face court-martial trials, court-martial appeals, UCMJ actions, administrative separations/discharges, Article 15s, NJP, other military law cases, disciplinary actions and adverse administrative actions (i.e. promotion, performance eval, security clearance).

While our military defense law practices – Military Defense Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens, PC and Military Defense Law Office of Frank J. Spinner – are located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, we defend military members worldwide. The countries and military bases, posts, installations named below are not all inclusive, but represent areas with higher rates of military justice actions. We travel to the location of our military clients, regardless of where stationed. Overseas, we defend military members in areas including:

IRAQ, KUWAIT, SAUDI ARABIA, AFGHANISTAN – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and other locations in the Global War On Terror:

Travel available into Middle East and other forward military locations
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GERMANY – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in Germany:

Ramstein Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base
Rhein-Main Air Base
Geilenkirchen Air Base
Schweinfurt Air Base
Wiesbaden
Mannheim
Heidelberg
Stuttgart/Robinson Barracks
Vilseck
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BRITAIN/UNITED KINGDOM – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in Britain/United Kingdom:

Molesworth RAF
Lakenheath RAF
Mildenhall RAF
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SOUTH KOREA – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in South Korea:
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Osan Air Base
Kunsan Air Base
Camp Casey
Camp Giant
Camp Humphreys
Camp Henry
Camp Walker
Camp Carroll
Camp Hialeah-Pusan

USAG Yongsan
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JAPAN/OKINAWA – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in Japan and Okinawa:
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Misawa Air Base
Yokota Air Base
Kadena Air Base, Okinawa
Camp Zama
Torii Station, Okinawa
Yokosuka Fleet Activities
Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Station
Camp S.D. Butler Marine Corps Base, Okinawa
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GREENLAND – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in Greenland:

Thule Air Base
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CUBA – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in Cuba:

Guantanamo Bay Naval Station

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PUERTO RICO – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in Puerto Rico:

Fort Buchanan
Roosevelt Roads Naval Station
Borinquen US Coast Guard Station
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PORTUGAL – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in Portugal:

Lajes Field, Azores
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SPAIN – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in Spain:

Moron Air Base
Rota Naval Station
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ITALY – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in Italy:

Aviano Air Base
Caserma Ederle/Vicenza
Camp Darby/Livorno
Gaeta Naval Support Activity
Naples Naval Support Activity
Sigonella Naval Air Station
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BOSNIA – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in Bosnia:

Camp McGovern
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KOSOVO – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in Kosovo:

Camp Bondsteel
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GREECE – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in Greece:
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Souda Bay Naval Support Activity/Air Activity
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TURKEY – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in Turkey:
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Incirlik Air Base
Izmir Air Station
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BAHRAIN – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in Bahrain:
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Bahrain Naval Support Activity
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DIEGO GARCIA – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in Diego Garcia:
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Diego Garcia Navy Support Facility
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GUAM – Civilian Defense Lawyer/Attorney, Military Law and Military Defense Services in Guam:
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Andersen AFB
Naval Forces Marianas, Guam
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We offer free consultations.
Please visit our website: www.militaryadvocate.com
Call the toll free number: 800-988-0602
E-mail me: militarylawfirm@gmail.com

By: Attorney Richard V. Stevens

Civilian criminal defense lawyer and military defense lawyer

Military Defense Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens, PC

http://www.militaryadvocate.com

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Blog postscript: Attorney Frank Spinner and I (attorney Richard Stevens) are former active duty military lawyers (JAG). Our perspectives and advice, therefore, are based upon our experience as military defense lawyers and as civilian criminal defense lawyers practicing exclusively in the area of military law. This blog addresses issues in military law, military justice, military discipline, military defense, court-martial practice, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and other military and/or legal topics. Nothing posted in this blog should be substituted for legal advice in any particular case. If you seek legal advice for a particular case, please contact The Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens & The Law Office of Frank J. Spinner for a free consultation. Military defense law offices are located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Military defense law practices are worldwide.