All Armed Forces personnel as well as certain civilians subject to Force’s discipline, can be tried for offences against both military law and the criminal law in a Courts Martial; where the trial process, albeit not dissimilar in most respects to that of a normal criminal court, has its own individual rules and regulations, depending often on the nature of the alleged offence and the status of the individual being tried. Prosecutions are conducted by legally qualified military personnel, a ‘Judge Advocate’ presides over the hearing, and a ‘Court Board’ made up of serving military personnel also sits in place of a jury.  The Court has the same powers of sentence as a civilian court.

As with civilian criminal proceedings a defendant in a Courts Martial case has a right to legal representation, both at the investigation/interview stage and in court proceedings themselves, and Legal Aid is available to cover the costs of such representation.

This is a highly specialised area of law, and is deserving of a legal team who have experience in dealing with these cases.  At Reeds we have senior practitioners with experience of successfully defending members of the Armed Forces charged with a variety of serious offences in Courts Martial proceedings.  Our team of barristers and solicitor-advocates can assist in representing military personnel in a range of cases before Courts Martial, including homicide, sexual offences, fraud and assault.

We believe that our structure at Reeds enables us to provide an unparalleled, and seamless service to our clients by combining the best practices and features of the independent bar with the support structure of an established law firm.  Our advocates are frequently consulted while our clients are still in the investigation stage, so you can be sure that your case is being expertly directed from the very beginning.  Our military law solicitors attend RAF, Navy and Army bases across the UK to represent clients in interviews under caution and if you have been asked to attend such an interview, you can also contact them.

If you are already facing a Courts Martial, contact us now for further information.  You can also click here to make an online enquiry and we will contact you as soon as possible.

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