Need Attorney Recommendation for my son

What is the name of your state? Georgia
My son is a Staff Sargeant in the USMC and was arrested last week in Okinawa and is facing very serious charges. Would like recommendations or referral for both a Military Attorney that he can request and in addition a Civilian Attorney with Military Experience. Research has turned up several names, Phil Cave, Charlie Gittins, Neil Puckett and Frank Spinner. If anyone has any experience and can make any recommendations it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

theron said:

What is the name of your state? Georgia
My son is a Staff Sargeant in the USMC and was arrested last week in Okinawa and is facing very serious charges. Would like recommendations or referral for both a Military Attorney that he can request and in addition a Civilian Attorney with Military Experience. Research has turned up several names, Phil Cave, Charlie Gittins, Neil Puckett and Frank Spinner. If anyone has any experience and can make any recommendations it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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Here is a list previously posted in this forum you already have heard of 2 of them:
Originally Posted by badapple40
.....

Let me give you a short list:

1. Charles Gittens

Law Offices of Charles W. Gittins
P.O. Box 144
Middletown, VA 22645
phone: 540-868-0949
fax: 540-868-0976
eMail: [email protected]

2. Frank Spinner

Law Offices of Frank J. Spinner
7035 Campus Drive, Suite 904
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80920
phone: (719) 598-6494

3. David Sheldon

Law Offices of David P. Sheldon
Barracks Row, 512 8th Street, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel (202) 546-9575
Toll free (866) 546-9575
Fax (202) 546-0135

Charles Gittens and Frank Spinner have been known to take cases where there has been an injustice and represent the client for free. "

Rmet hit it right on the head. What, exactly, are the charges, as I may be able to focus you in a bit more on 1 specific attorney?

Civilian lawyer

Two other attorneys that handled serious military cases at a reduced rate are:

Michael Waddington
114 Pleasant Home Road, Suite B
Augusta, GA 30907
706-664-1395
706-210-6420 (fax)
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site: http://www.ucmjdefense.com/index.html

Paul Bergrin
572 Market Street, Suite 1
Newark, New Jersey 07105
Telephone: 973-344-4405

First of all, this post is over one year old. These charges are likely resolved by now, and the need for an attorney is probably well over with.

Now on a totally separate note, I know of NEITHER of the attorneys you have listed.

That could be because the first attorney you listed has only been licensed since 2000, most likely served active duty as a prosecutor from 2000-2004, and, I suppose, has only been in private practice for 3 years tops. It could be because this firm has not handled any appellate work that I am aware of, and has no cases at CAAF. But the bottom line is that this attorney does not have a reputation that has caused me to take notice of him.

I also have no information about the second attorney. Which leads me to the same conclusion -- he has no solid reputation in the military lawyer community that would cause me to take note of him.

And this is from a current reserve wing SJA and former appellate defense counsel who, by and large, knows the regular civilian practioners.


I do not mind attorneys plugging themselves, but I do feel that they should not do so on a post that is over one year old, and they should expect, if they feel the need to shamelessly advertize, for me to come back and point out the fact that they are largely inexperienced and virtually unknown.

--badapple, COL, JA, USAFR.