Veterans and Military Service - A New Resource
by: Jessbarton • May 25, 2012 • no comments
I just finished something that has been on my "bucket list"-a web-based resource from which criminal-defense colleagues can get a good batch of the information they need to represent veterans and servicemembers who've found themselves on the business end of criminal prosecutions.
Working with Alex Bassos, I set up a Veterans and Military Service page on the Library of Defense. Basically what I did was take the major parts of the information and documents that I've used in various CLE presentations these last four years, and put them all in one place. The information is grouped into the following topics:
- Constitutional Considerations
- Terminology
- Developing a Veteran-Defendant's Case for Pretrial Negotiations, Trial, & Sentencing
- Military Service as a Mitigating Factor
- District Attorney Diversion Authority
- DUII Diversion Authority
- Additional Resources for Assistance
Assuming you have an OCDLA password, I would encourage you to look through this legal page now, so that you're familiar with what's available in the event that you find yourself with a veteran-defendant client.
More importantly, if you're in a position to influence your office's client-intake procedures, I would strongly encourage you to immediately review the third topic, Developing a Veteran-Defendant's Case for Pretrial Negotiations, Trial, & Sentencing. There, you'll find information for establishing intake procedures that will help ensure that your office identifies (i) its veteran clients, and (ii) which of those clients' cases present the basis for claims for special consideration. If you have any questions or comments about the Library of Defense's Veterans and Military Service legal page, please feel free to contact me at 503-391-6283 or jwmb@jessbartonlaw.com.
