I am a military officer who faced an involuntary administrative discharge board in which the military was attempting to end my career based on alleged misconduct. Mr. Stevens represented me in this case. Mr. Stevens assisted with all aspects of defending this case. He reviewed the evidence, he int...erviewed witnesses, he gathered evidence and statements, and he assisted me in preparing my rebuttal, and he prepared and submitted a rebuttal of his own. In Mr. Stevens' rebuttal, he attacked the claims of misconduct, arguing forcefully that I did not commit the alleged offense. He attacked the procedural errors and the government's incorrect legal interpretation of the situation. Ultimately, the board hearing recommended that I be retained, and the command concurred. Throughout the process, Mr. Stevens was highly responsive, professional, and reassuring during an extremely stressful period. He explained each step clearly, answered questions promptly, and provided candid, sound advice that allowed me to make informed decisions. His preparation and advocacy gave me confidence that my case was being handled with the highest level of care and competence. I would absolutely recommend Mr. Stevens to any service member facing adverse administrative or disciplinary action. His expertise, dedication, and professionalism made a decisive difference in my case.

I am a senior military noncommissioned officer who was falsely accused of sexual assault by another service member. As a result, I faced a general court-martial. Had I been convicted, I would have faced years of confinement and mandatory registration as a sex offender. Mr. Stevens represented me thro...ughout this process. Mr. Stevens handled every major aspect of my case. He drafted and argued multiple complex motions grounded in current and evolving military law. He prepared evidence and personally questioned all witnesses during the motion hearings, including my accuser. As a direct result of his preparation and advocacy during those hearings, significant and critical evidence was uncovered that became essential to the defense at trial. During the court-martial, Mr. Stevens delivered the opening statement, conducted direct examination of defense witnesses, and cross-examined the accuser, government witnesses, and the government’s expert. His questioning was precise, disciplined, and strategic. In particular, his cross-examination of the government’s expert demonstrated a deep understanding of both the subject matter and the weaknesses in the government’s theory of the case. Mr. Stevens’ cross-examination of the accuser was especially effective. He methodically exposed inconsistencies, credibility issues, and motives to fabricate, doing so in a professional manner that maintained credibility with the panel while clearly undermining the government’s case. His closing argument was thorough, well-organized, and compelling. He tied together the evidence, testimony, and credibility issues in a way that clearly demonstrated reasonable doubt and highlighted the government’s failure to meet its burden of proof. Ultimately, I was found not guilty of the alleged sexual assault. Mr. Stevens’ advice, preparation, courtroom advocacy, and strategic decision-making were critical to this outcome. Throughout the case, he was consistently available to answer questions, provided clear and honest advice, and ensured I understood the process and potential outcomes at every stage. His preparation was meticulous, his strategy was sound, and his courtroom presence was confident and effective. I would, without hesitation, recommend Mr. Stevens to anyone facing allegations or adverse actions within the military justice system, particularly cases involving sexual assault allegations. The stakes in these cases are extraordinarily high, and Mr. Stevens demonstrated the experience, judgment, and dedication necessary to defend them effectively.

I hired Attorney Richard V. Stevens because he was straight with me during the consultation about our chances of success (not great) and how knowledgeable he was of my situation. I appreciated him giving it to me straight and not over promising like the other lawyers I interviewed. However, this did... not impact how hard he fought for me and tirelessly worked on my behalf. It is because of his understanding of the regulations and experience that I am being promoted! I am a field grade military officer who was accused of misconduct and I received an adverse action based on the allegation. That adverse action could have resulted in my not being promoted, and ending my career progression. This would then have impacted my retirement grade/pay. Attorney Stevens explained the adverse action process to me, and provided me with advice as we prepared the rebuttal package. He assisted me with all aspects of preparing and submitting my rebuttal package. He assisted in gathering the evidence we used, and putting it in proper form. He contacted and interviewed character witnesses, and gathered supporting statements from them for my submission. We went back and forth on drafts of his attorney memo, and my respondent memo until we were satisfied with the final drafts. This included discussing tone, strategy, and supporting military law/regulations. Ultimately, we submitted a comprehensive and compelling rebuttal package, and he assisted me with preparing to present myself to my commander to further argue my case. After my rebuttal package was reviewed and my personal presentation was considered, my commander determined that the adverse action should be dropped. This cleared my record and will allow me to promote and continue my career. If you face a disciplinary/adverse action in the military I would highly recommend hiring Attorney Stevens.

Richard was a fantastic resource. I had a complex situation that was years old and required someone who had great organizational skills and tenacity to help guide me. I have no legal background and so did not know how to properly negotiate the process. Had Richard not been there, I am not confident t...hat I would’ve been successful in my appeal process. He worked around my very busy schedule, guiding me and making sure that I understood what needed to get done and how to do it. He listened carefully to my words, never injecting his opinion only Making sure that the facts were logically organized and ultimately presented. He was professional, thoughtful, and honest in his deliberations While I hope to never need someone again, I would go and hire him again without any hesitation. His prior military background combined with his tenacity is an asset when you need a lawyer to represent you and make sure that the facts logically presented to help you prevail

TL; DR: Thanks to the experience, guidance, and work product of Mr. Stevens, my leadership concluded it should drop the unfair disciplinary action pending against me, and fully cleared my record of any allegation of wrongdoing. Details: I am a field grade military officer who was falsely accu...sed of professional misconduct, for which I received a formal administrative disciplinary action, open to a rebuttal. Devastated, I hired Attorney Richard V. Stevens to assist and represent me during the investigation, and in rebutting the disciplinary action I received. Upon consultation, Attorney Stevens explained the military discipline process to me, and provided me with advice during the investigation. Then, when I received the disciplinary action, I chose to hire him after consulting with various attorneys, as I felt he had been both (1) the most candid about the uphill challenge, rather than telling me what I wanted to hear, and (2) clearly had the enthusiasm to fight with me up that hill to secure the optimal outcome of clearing me name, despite the odds against us. He assisted me with all aspects of preparing and submitting my rebuttal, including gathering and organizing the evidence, contacting and interviewing character witnesses, and readying supporting statements from those interviews for my submission. We iterated on drafts of both his attorney memo and my respondent memo until we had the strongest possible arguments ready. This included discussing tone, strategy, and supporting military law. Ultimately, we submitted an extremely comprehensive and compelling rebuttal package. After my rebuttal package was reviewed by the JAG and by the general who issued the disciplinary action, the general determined that I did not commit the alleged misconduct, that my conduct was protected under the law, and that any other decision other than dropping the disciplinary action and clearing my military record would be unjust. Mr. Stevens' assistance in the process was pivotal tactically and technically, but also helped me mentally steady myself for my own responsibilities to attain the outcome we sought. If you face disciplinary action in the military, I would highly recommend hiring Attorney Stevens to navigate you through the process and provide you the greatest chance of success. His knowledge of the system was unrivaled. His advice was sage. And his work product could not have been more persuasive, as it successfully persuaded the decision-maker to understand the very argument in my defense pivotal to the outcome.