If you have been arrested as a serviceman or servicewoman, call the military friendly law Firm at Austin Hagee Law Firm immediately, we know exactly how to handle your cases and your command.
If you are a Veteran, we are a Veteran Friendly Law Firm here to serve you. Call us today at 210-500-3700 if you have been arrested. DO NOT automatically apply for Veterans Court.
Being arrested as a Military Serviceman or woman can be life-changing. You must act quickly and decisively while using an experienced criminal defense attorney at Austin Hagee Law Firm who knows how the Military operates. We have helped hundreds of servicemen and servicewomen move past their accusations with minimal consequences.
Once you are arrested as a member of the Military, your first step should be to contact your command and inform them of the arrest. Your command will know within a matter of days if not hours that an arrest has occurred, and it is your duty to report this arrest as soon as possible. Do not be afraid of reporting the arrest, in fact, there are more severe consequences of not reporting the arrest.
Once your command has been notified, they will want to structure a meeting and go over the facts of the case. We need to advise of what you should and should not divulge during this meeting. Your command will issue a decision on the route for which they will take when distributing punishment. Typically, this DOES NOT include separation from the Military if you adhere to our advice.
In most situations, the Military and your Command will separate the civilian side of the arrest/accusations from the Military. Meaning they will let you handle the arrest on its own in the civilian world and based upon the result of your case, they will then determine appropriate actions to take.
What this means, is that you must choose a Military Friendly Law Firm to ensure you get the best possible result and do everything possible to win the case and keep a conviction off your record. So long as you do not get convicted, as a serviceman or servicewoman, you stand a great chance of staying in the military and keeping your current position.
Steps to Take When Arrested in the Military
- Bond Out of Jail
- Call Austin Hagee Law Firm and Retain a Military and Veteran Friendly Lawyer
- Report The Arrest To Your Command (They Will Know About The Arrest)
- Schedule a Sit-Down Meeting with Your Command to Discuss The Facts
- Adhere to Any Orders From the Command’s Initial Decisions (Initial Orders/Punishments are typically very minimal)
- Fight the Case with Our Attorney to Get the Best Possible Result
- End of Case Meeting or Update with Command
- Move Past This Arrest and Live Your Life
Veterans Court
If you are a Veteran and have been arrested, you might have heard about Veterans Court programs available in certain counties. DO NOT automatically apply for these programs as they can still result in a conviction and permanent stain on your record.
You must consult an experienced veteran attorney to understand all the implications associated with a Veteran Court program. Often, at Austin Hagee Law Firm, we only use the Veterans Court programs as last resort.
Typically, we can fight the cases on their merits and achieve far superior results and wins for our Veteran Clients without ever subjecting our clients to the extremely rigorous Veterans Court programs.
Depending on the county, Veterans Court is often an extremely rigorous program designed with weekly reporting and even program meetings on multiple days in a week. The intensity of these programs can cause a lot of stress on participants who are trying to work and participate in the program. For these reasons, we always work with our clients to tailor the best approach for their unique situation.
On top of the meeting schedule, you will be required to attend classes, perform community service, perform urine analysis tests, and essentially place you on an extremely strict zero-tolerance regimen often likened to parole or felony probation.
Even if you comply with everything the program demands, you could still wind up with a conviction or arrest on your record that will be there forever. Therefore, we only use Veterans Court as a last resort.