Richard V Stevens III

Attorney Stevens earned the money he was paid, and then some. He hit the ground running as soon as I hired him. He fought zealously for my defense since day 1. He knows the DOD system well. He didn’t just react to their actions, he proactively went on the offense and fought back. He filed an IG comp...laint on my behalf, and multiple objections and challenges to the board prior to it commencing. The days leading up to the board were 16-18 hour days of restless grinding preparing for the case. I didn’t see him eat or get up to take a break the entire week. He called out every misstep by the government (of which there were many), and he had a response for every attack by them. In case prep he will talk to you from a devil’s advocate perspective, and sometimes make you feel like he doesn’t believe you. I assure you he’s just trying to get inside the prosecutor’s mind. It’s necessary and it gets results! Don’t take it personally. His efforts ended up winning me the case with the highest outcome possible …unanimously by the board! He let me know that he’s not disappearing just because it’s over, and that he’s here to help for any future needs. Highly recommend!

I am a senior military officer who faced an involuntary administrative discharge board hearing in which the military was attempting to separate me before I could make it to retirement. If I had been separated at the board hearing, I would have lost not only my military retirement, but my retirement b...enefits. Mr. Stevens represented me in this case from the point I received the discharge notification. This was my career and future at stake so having the right representation was extremely important to me. I talked to countless attorneys before I hired Mr. Stevens to represent me. After our first consultation I hired him not only because of our discussion about the case, but also because of the reviews I read about his courtroom performance and professional demeanor. Mr. Stevens' performance in the board hearing was remarkable. His preparation for the case was extremely comprehensive. He sent me documents to provide details of my case that helped him develop a defensible position. He was easy to get ahold of and answered my countless questions either instantly, or within 24hrs if he was on another case. I had e-mails responding to questions as late as midnight and as early as 0600. There wasn’t a moment that I felt he wasn’t focused on my case even while balancing other clients. In the board hearing (which is very similar to a trial), Mr. Stevens interviewed the witnesses and gathered supporting memos, he gave the opening statement, cross-examined the key government witness, questioned our witnesses, and he gave the closing argument. He had a commanding courtroom presence…cool, calm, and collected. His years of experience showed through his confidence and demeanor. His questioning of witnesses was thorough and no detail in support of my case was left unspoken. His cross-examination of the key government witness revealed a lot of information that was supportive of my retention. After Mr. Stevens cross examination of the government witness, I personally felt that the government witness was more beneficial to the defense after being cross examined by Mr. Stevens. His closing argument was undoubtedly the best that I could have hoped for and was exceptionally comprehensive. No minor detail of the case was missed, and he referred to all applicable military instructions supporting my retention. I felt extremely confident after hearing Mr. Stevens’ closing argument. Ultimately, the board members determined that I should be retained in the service. Mr. Stevens' advice, representation, advocacy in the hearing, and his work on the case was exceptional. Not only did he focus on the case, but also prepared me for every possible outcome. Even after the favorable outcome he checked in on me to make sure I was doing well. From our countless discussions he knew how stressful the overall experience was for me and that even though the board chose to retain me, the stress of the entire experience still negatively impacted my overall mental health. He offered life advice, and it was clear that his concern for my overall wellbeing was genuine. Going through this process was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with and I could not be happier with my decision to have had Mr. Stevens represent me. I offer my STRONGEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION to hire Mr. Stevens if you face allegations and adverse actions in the military justice system.

I am a military officer who was falsely accused of sexual assault by a female military member who had a strong motives to make up the allegations against me. I did not face a court-martial because she elected not to participate in the case after making the allegations, but the military still attempte...d to kick me out through an administrative discharge board hearing. If I had been found responsible in the board hearing, I would have been discharged and I would have likely received an Other Than Honorable Conditions discharge that would have negatively affected my future. Mr. Stevens represented me in this case from the beginning. In the board hearing (which is very similar to a trial), Mr. Stevens gave the opening statement, cross-examined the key government witness, questioned our witnesses and our expert, and he gave the closing argument. Mr. Stevens' performance in the board hearing was phenomenal. His experience and case prep showed immediately, with his opening statement being very effective and highlighting the governments weak case immediately. His questioning of witnesses was also excellent, he knows exactly what questions to ask to draw out the needed information. His cross-examination of the key government witness was very tough, thorough and effective. His closing argument was, likewise, very thorough and persuasive. Ultimately, the board members determined that I did not commit the alleged sexual assault, and there was no basis for discharge. So, they recommended my retention in the military. Mr. Stevens' advice, representation, advocacy in the hearing, and his work on the case was great, and absolutely instrumental in me being retained in the air force. Even when I first hired him, his reputation preceded him, as my assigned ADC told me that he was a great lawyer that some of her colleagues had worked with previously. He was always easy to reach over phone or email, and he was very candid about our chances and our case. His professionalism and presence in the courtroom immediately gave me confidence that we had a fighting chance. I would, without a doubt, recommend Mr. Stevens if you face criminal allegations in the military justice system.

A couple years ago a false sexual assault allegation was made about me. After being handed off 2 times by the Air Force legal system I opted for a civilian attorney that would make it all the way to trail with me. I did a lot of research and interviewed many different attorneys across the U.S. and fo...und Mr. Stevens to be the best fit for me and my situation. He was always 100% upfront and candid with me from the start. He wasn’t one to say something to make you feel good; he told the truth and his thoughts on the matter. Throughout the process I never once felt like just another number, another paycheck. When he was working on my case at that point in time nothing else mattered. Anybody that has or is going through a case such as mine will say it is stressful. However, I believe my team made me feel more at ease than anybody else could. I am extremely grateful to Mr. Stevens for poking holes in her story and getting the truth in front of the panel members. I highly recommend Mr. Stevens for anybody seeking a highly skilled and experienced defense attorney.

I am a military officer who was generally accused of domestic violence by a civilian I was in a past relationship with.  I faced a general court-martial trial, in which the maximum punishment if convicted could have been decades in prison, a dismissal (dishonorable discharge equivalent) and, as a col...lateral affect, I would have lost my military retirement.   Mr. Stevens represented me in this case from the very beginning. Almost two years to be exact.  During the course of the case, there were multiple motion hearings.  Mr. Stevens wrote and filed the motions, questioned the witnesses on the stand during the motion hearings, and argued the motions. The case then proceeded to trial, and there were multiple charges and allegations to defend against.   Mr. Stevens' performance in court was  so much more than I could have asked for, he was like a well oiled machine. There were times where I was convinced he knew more about the law than the judge. His questioning of witnesses was was unbelievably well prepared, professional and always eloquent. His cross-examination of the complaining witness was very thorough and effective.  His closing argument was, likewise, very thorough and impactful, I tell people it was like watching a symphony, it was over two hours long and was what the jury needed to hear in order to find me not guilty.  Ultimately, I was found not guilty of the most serious offenses and the case went into sentencing on what I was convicted of.  In the sentencing hearing, Mr. Stevens questioned the sentencing witnesses and made the sentencing argument.  Again, his sentencing argument was so unbelievably impactful and I believe it was this that secured my retirement.  The trial began as a very serious felony type case.  The sentence I received was like a misdemeanor type sentence, and it did not include a punitive discharge.  Because of that, I was able to retire honorably from the military and most importantly secure my retirement. Mr. Stevens' advice, representation, advocacy in motions and trial, and work on the case was life saving.  I truly believe had I not gone with Mr. Stevens the outcome would have been much different.  One of the more difficult parts of being put under investigation then being told you would be facing a court martial is trying to decide if you should hire a lawyer, then even more difficult is deciding who you should retain.  I started with a list of lawyers but ultimately decided on Mr. Stevens.  My decision stemmed from the overwhelmingly strong recommendations I received from other military members, as well as a Judge who is a friend of the family who asked around and came back with Mr. Steven’s name.  Also, Mr. Stevens is reasonably priced. He started at about half the price of the other attorneys I interviewed.  I believe this is because he does this job not for the money but because he loves his work.  I would, without a doubt, recommend Mr. Stevens if you face criminal allegations in the military justice system.  I can’t stress this enough.  This process is very long and mine specifically took two years to litigate.  During this process I was always able to get ahold of him, day or night if i needed him he was there.  I probably sent hundreds of emails over the course of two years and never once did Mr. Stevens take issue with it.  He was always there to answer questions I had, even in the evening.  If you are reading this because you are currently facing a possible court martial I am sorry, but please trust me in saying that Mr. Steven will represent you to the upmost of his ability and you should feel confident in choosing him.  If I had to go through this whole thing again I would do some things differently but I would without question hire Mr. Steven’s again.