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 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. 

I am a military officer who was falsely accused of sexual assault. With the allegations being completely false and some very clear motives to fabricate from the accuser, I was sure that the government would quickly recognize these claims were clearly false and let me move on with my career.  I was co...mpletely wrong... As the investigation continued I started to quickly realize that you are ‘guilty until proven innocent’ with respect to sexual assault allegations in the military. I felt as if my branch that I served faithfully for years quickly abandoned me and chose to take the word of an individual with several documented integrity issues.  As I started to realize the severity of the situation and the investigating agencies willingness to conduct a biased investigation in order to collaborate an almost inconceivable narrative, I began my search for legal representation. I had consultations with over a dozen attorneys. I read reviews, case results, bios, strategies, and talked to everyone from high profile costly attorneys with lavish social media accounts, to the newest firms specializing in court martial defense. Ultimately, I stumbled across Mr. Stevens' blog. I decided to give him a call. First impressions are everything and what I can tell you is that my first impression of Mr. Stevens was that he is the guy I can put my trust in. During the consultation, I did not feel rushed like I did with others. I did not feel like I had to cash a check at that moment in order to get some ‘real advice.’ I felt as if I was talking to a friend that was giving just the right amount of guidance for that stage of the game. Mr. Stevens tactfully gave me a ‘reality check’  and  incredibly sound counsel.  His knowledge of the system is unparalleled. From consultation to hiring, I was continuously amazed at his ability to identify the intricacies of the system and how to navigate around or even through them. In my opinion, Rich knows the system better than those who run it. The investigation phase was very long. I was optimistic in terms of timeline and the 'process' that would prove my innocence. However, I was continuously let down. Mr. Stevens was able to answer a lot of the questions for me during our long waits. I can’t count how many times I look back now and can say “wow Rich was right again.” One thing I like about Rich is that he will always give you an answer or advice based on FACTS. He doesn’t tell you what you want to hear. He will tell you what you NEED to hear. When it came to questions with established facts his answers were spot on and almost seem like ‘insider information.' When it came to subjective questions about the case itself, theories, strategy, etc. Rich was always extremely calculated and answered based on the information available. During the investigation phase, Rich conducted his own investigation. I was amazed at his attention to detail and meticulousness. It was incredibly unbiased and in my opinion he conducted a superior investigation compared to the government. As we began to prepare for my defense “new information came to light” and the complainant decided not to participate and dropped their false allegations. One thing that gave me a little peace of mind at night was that Rich was on my side. An acquaintance familiar with the inner circles of the military justice system asked who I decided to have represent me. I told them “Mr. Richard V. Stevens, have you heard of him?” They just smiled and replied “I know Rich… he is the best of the best.”  No matter how early it is in your situation, speak to no one. In today’s culture a single accusation (no matter how ridiculous) will be taken as truth by the government as you find yourself preparing for a GCM. Mr. Stevens WILL prepare you for what you are going to face. He guided me through the most difficult time of my life with the utmost professionalism with the compassion of a friend.

I am a military officer who was falsely accused of sexual assault by a civilian acquaintance. I faced a general court-martial trial, in which the maximum punishment if convicted was decades in prison and I would have had to register as a sex offender. Mr. Stevens represented me in this case, and ...I was exonerated at trial. I plead not guilty in front of a military judge and Mr. Stevens handled all aspects of my court-martial trial. In a separate motion hearing, he filed and argued motions to help us present my defense and obtain discovery. Ultimately, he was able to obtain discovery that we used in defense of my case. When my case went to trial, Mr. Stevens presented both the opening statement and closing argument, and he questioned all major witnesses, to include cross-examining the complaining witness and government experts. His questioning of the witnesses was exceptional. Particularly with regard to his questioning of the complaining witness, and exposing her lies and her motives to make false allegations against me, his cross-examination of her was methodical, logical, and well thought out. He was calm and professional at all times, allowing her to trap herself in her own lies versus trying to "bully" her into admitting anything. Finally, Mr. Stevens delivered his closing argument, to wrap up the week-long case, and to show the truth of my innocence. His closing argument tied together the entire case in an easily understood manner that addressed every falsehood and inconsistency in the allegations. After a long investigation and intense trial, I was found not guilty of all allegations I faced. Mr. Stevens' representation, advocacy, and work on the case was crucial to show my innocence and to combat the idea that all sexual assault allegations must be believed. Mr. Stevens is a pleasure to work with. He is very accessible and returns calls and emails in a timely manner. He has a no nonsense manner of interaction and is guaranteed to tell you how it is versus trying to tell you what you want to hear. His fees for his services are reasonable and he is respectful of your finances in regards to booking his travel arrangements. Overall, I highly recommend Mr. Stevens and cannot express enough how valuable his services are to your situation. Do not risk your life, liberty, or career with an inexperienced government attorney. Spend the money and allow Mr. Stevens with his decades of experience to expertly guide you through what will surely be one of the most trying times of your life.

I was falsely accused of drug use. I was represented by attorney Richard Stevens in this case. He assisted me in responding to the allegations and the impact these claims were having on my military career. Ultimately, I was cleared of the allegations and I have been able to move forward with my milit...ary career. Highlights: -Mr. Stevens was always accessible (calls, emails, and texts were answered in an expeditious manner). -Excellent pricing/fees! -Legal expertise is unparalleled. Mr. Stevens writing (responses to my administrative punishment) was impressive. His writing style was well crafted and effective. -He is forthright and his advice can be trusted. -Reputation is first-class. I was recommended to him by my Commander. Moreover, when I informed the JA that my attorney was Mr. Stevens, his response was "you have one of the best attorneys money can buy." Thats the same JA that was thinking about taking me to a Courts-Martial. Bottom Line- Mr. Stevens is the best civilian military defense lawyer. His reviews/reputation corroborates my opinion/review. Money well spent, five stars!