Patrick Joseph Hughes

I hired Pat Hughes from Patriot Law Group while serving on active duty. The situation I was wrongly placed in was very complex. I was placed in the position of “proving my innocence”, which seemed impossible. Pat prioritized my case and kept me informed every step of the way while he successfully ...litigated against multiple DOJ attorneys . I highly recommend Pat and Patriot Law Group to uniformed service members in need of attentive and professional legal representation.

I have been fortunate in the United States Air Force to obtain the rank of MSgt and work in some of the most unique environments over my 12 years of service. However, this experience almost came to a crashing holt when I was arrested by military police and charged based on false accusations. In order... to deal with the unfortunate event, I did my research and came across the highly regarded Mr. Hughes. Not only did Mr. Hughes take the time to the listen and review my documents thoroughly, but helped guide me through this journey. Based on Mr. Hughes guidance I was able to retain my rank, follow on assignment, and walked away from this event with nothing more than a verbal counseling. Furthermore, the military police admitted five months after my initial arrest there was no probable cause. If it was not for Mr. Hughes expertise, I may have faced a much different outcome. I would recommend Mr. Hughes without hesitation for any service member facing potential UCMJ actions.

I met Patrick in 2014 during a 3 year investigation for sexual assault. He came highly recommended so I chose him to be on my team. Patrick walked into a unique situation. Two years prior a woman falsely accused me of sexual assault. I enjoyed the pleasure of my name in the news and on the internet a...nd still it's on the internet. Very hard to get rid of. I sat in jail for three weeks before finally getting bond granted and three weeks later the charges were dropped and later expunged. One would think great but not so. OSI took the case and decided to run their own investigation. As Patrick took on the case ( he was highly recommended by his own peers) he had to play catch up pretty quick. There was even a time when the military dropped the charges only to bring them back the following week. You can understand the frustrations of this case. As Patrick and co-counsel prepared for the trial we found out my ex wife was going to also file false charges in hopes of gaining full custody of our son. Patrick took on the part of the defense against the ex wife. I won't deny it looked bad since at the time we were looking at false allegations going back seven years and how do you defend something that didn't happen with no proof of it never happening? Well Patrick took it head on and started to see the case build by looking at my family court case. Speaking with a previous ex husband and seeing how the stories lined up. As trial began to get close I was asked to look for any previous emails I would have had with the ex. Not being to email savvy I thought all previous emails were lost. But they were not. The trove of information that fell on Patricks lap allowed him to open a major defensive case. At trial the initial accuser never showed even though later we would have proof that both women knew of each other and were talking to one another through twitter. During this time frame leading up to trial I will admit I called him so many times he was tired of hearing from me but took the calls and calmed me down when I thought it was the end of the world again. He took calls from family members and reassured them the best he could. He went above and beyond the call of being "just a counselor" and wore many hats. So trial comes during a snow storm and extreme cold causing the trial to be delayed a day. The ex wife did show up for trial and took to the stand to testify. The story she gave would make Tom Clancy weep. Yet Patrick stood by very calmly taking notes and listening to the testimony. During this time we found out the ex wife put our son in a psych ward under false pretenses of he tried to harm himself. I will get back to my son in a moment. Now the time came for Patrick to do his thing that he was well known for and respected by his peers. He stood up and went to the podium and began reading emails one after another. The ex wife had no idea what was happening but soon the look on her face and the answers she provided everyone could tell she had perjured herself on the stand for the whole morning. She would never be able to reestablish herself as being an honest victim, and the OSI agents and other experts would testify against her story. Saturday was the last day of trial and we had to wait for Judge to make his ruling. We went back to the make shift office and I had to sign papers incase I was found guilty. We were back in the court room in less than an hour. Finding of the court: NOT GUILTY! I had to sit back down but then had to stand up again right after and almost pulled the table on me when I tried to stand. Now you ask me how did he save my life...if I was found guilty I would not be here today typing this or breathing. As we all know the phrase in the military about dishonor I will leave it there. He saved my son though and that I can never forget or repay. After the court case was over I sought out my son by calling Dr offices and facilities in PA. I was able to track him down and file for emergency custody.

I was fortunate to achieve the rank of Chief Master Sergeant (E-9) in the United States Air Force and served for over 28 years. However, I was a Chief with a secret and led a double life. While serving on active duty, I became addicted to crack cocaine and became an alcoholic while trying to use liq...uor to disguise my cocaine addiction. In September of 2013, my Commander informed me he was removing me from my primary duties and relocating me to an office about 12 feet from his until we await the results of my court-martial. My first move was to visit an off-base lawyer. During my visit, he quoted me what came close to a $15K fee. I said thank you Sir, departed his office, visited my drug spot and got high. I visited my ADC that next morning and was assigned Captain Patrick Hughes. We did not get off to a collaborative start because I consistently kept lying to him to downplay my usage and cover up my double life. Prior to my court-martial, Captain Hughes and I had numerous legal discussions, but after multiple drug test failures from Sept 2013 through Jan 2014, our discussions turned more towards my life, my poor decisions, my family and trying to get to the bottom of my consistent usage. He turned into a gifted listener, great friend and someone I slowly started opening up to about the destructive life I created as a result of drinking and drugging. Our conversations led to me finally admitting that I had a problem and needed help. As a result of 7 drug test failures, I was facing 1 year in jail, reduction from E-9 to E-1, forfeiture of pay and allowances, hard labor and a dishonorable discharge. During the trial, it took about 30 minutes for me to realize that my lawyer is exceptionally organized, an exceptional communicator and has a way of telling the truth but explaining the “Whys” and connecting with people. I honestly do not remember what he said during his closing argument, I only remember how it made me feel and how the jurors and the entire courtroom received his powerful message. I was only reduced to E-6, served 3 months in a military Brig and 4 months hard labor, and more importantly, I separated with an Honorable Discharge and kept my retirement. Additionally, I was re-promoted to the rank of E-8, which would have never happened without Captain Hughes' commitment to turning my life around and his incredible courtroom savvy. I honestly feel I did not deserve my positive outcome, but I feel God brought Captain Hughes in my life to change me, so I can help change others through my story. I am currently working on the same base that prosecuted me, been sober since 13 Jan 2014, and I tell my story to current alcoholics and addicts every Wednesday at my former outpatient program. My first impression of Captain Hughes is the exact same impression I have of him right now. He is a person who never meets a stranger, passionate about people, an awesome sense of humor which is needed during a life changing experience, and someone that figured out how to get 64 hours of work completed in a 24 hour day. He was a tireless worker and gifted communicator, who could engage in conversation and connect with a destitute person on the street, or a five-star General. More importantly, his caring conversations were aligned with his actions. He forgave me, provided me legal counsel and guided me through the worst time of my life, to include when my mother died while I was in jail. He simply inspired me to clean my life up and is an incredible lawyer. I ran into a juror who sat on my trial at a military function for my niece. He told me “Chief, you got a favorable outcome because you were truthful and YOUR LAWYER ABSOLUTELY CRUSHED THE PROSECUTION!” I am willing to talk to potential clients of Patrick’s, about his character and skill, he has my number.

Mr. Hughes was a professional, highly intelligent and motivated Area Defense Counsel. He acted as my attorney during an evaluation board. He took a difficult case in an area that was not his expertise and made it his expertise, creating a potent defense. His efforts and guidance helped me get thr...ough a difficult and confusing process and saved my career. When I was unable to carry on, his enthusiasm, drive and skills gave hope and direction. He truly cared about his client and put in long hours to deliver a stunning victory. The moment you walk into his office and meet him, you will know why he is so successful. I would recommend Mr. Hughes for any challenge or case.