Michael Brian Hanzel

Mr. and Mrs. Hanzel responded quickly when guidance was sought in my case. They were very professional and every step of the way they made sure that they had my back and put their best foot forward representing me in my military matter and also getting me the result that I was aiming for. By far best... attorneys out there, hands down. Hire them!!!

Mr. Hanzel was a force to be reckon with. Watching him work was amazing. He is very thorough, responsive, and detailed. During the course of my separation board proceedings, he was in complete control and prepped me for whatever situation may occur. I highly recommend his services to anyone in need. ...I am so blessed that I chose you! Thank you Mr. Hanzel for your services and dedication to your clients around the world!

Mike and Lauren are the absolute BEST! Do not do what I did and assume the military-appointed lawyers are going to take time to defend you. In my case, I had 2 military lawyers that completely botched my BOI...I was 1 month shy of 19 years in service at the time, had a flawless record (number 1 eve...rywhere), I had a minor UCMJ violation, and the result of the board was 3-0 separate. WHAT?!? That's how bad they screwed it up. So I contacted Mike and Lauren and they jumped on my case. They were very thorough, responsive, and completely in control of my situation. Looking back, I should have not assumed my case was an easy, cut and dry case where the board would retain me...I should have called Mike and Lauren the second I knew I had an investigation on me. We somehow (thanks to Mike and Lauren) were able to salvage my retirement, but not my career. My advice, call or e-mail these guys the second you think you might be in trouble. They will guide you through the entire process and ensure you get the best possible outcome. I would never have been able to do what they did by myself or with any military-appointed lawyer, so do not hesitate to contact them! They truly are the best in the business and I can't thank them enough for everything they did for me!

I cannot express my gratitude enough for attorney’s Mike and Lauren Hanzel for successfully defeating the NJP charges that were levied against my son, who is an O-1 Ensign. At one point the situation appeared very dire as my son was an Ensign for less than a year when he found himself the target of ...a corrupted, unchecked chain of command, who abused their authority and committed unlawful actions, and who were very willing to unjustly ruin a young man’s Navy career and life through NJP. To think of other young sailors who may have been kicked out of the Navy by an abusive leadership, acting outside their authority, and to think that those young sailors may have accepted their life altering punishment through an archaic NJP process, where your accusers decide your fate, is absolutely horrifying. This was my son’s situation. He was very close to thinking he had no other recourse then to let this NJP process move forward until I did some research and found Mike Hanzel at the Jag Defense law firm. I contacted a number of firms that suggested obtaining character references for my son along with other tactics as a primary means of defense which left me feeling very uneasy about whether they would actually be able to help, or just cost us a great deal of money on top of our problems. Then I came across Mike and Lauren, both ex-Navy Jag lawyers with an excellent understanding of military law as well as Navy customs, rules, and contacts within the Navy leadership and legal offices. It became quite clear very quickly that they had the tools to take charge of our case and execute quickly and decisively. Most importantly, after learning the facts of our case, they recommended that we go on the offensive and file our own Inspector General (IG) complaint against specific corrupt leaders on my son’s ship. The fact that the NJP was happening within 2 days of my initial contact with the Hanzel’s, they worked with us through the weekend to file our IG complaint against my son’s accuser’s, and quickly navigated the Navy bureaucracy to successfully postpone the NJP and initiate actions to protect my son from further abuse or retribution while our own IG complaints were followed up. I am relieved to say that after 6 months of IG investigations 2 senior officers were fired and my son has been completely cleared to proceed with his career in the Navy and honorably serve his country as he set out to do, and is doing exceptionally well. Thank you Mike, Lauren and the Jag Defense law firm!!! We are eternally grateful.

Mr. Hanzel was appointed to my JAG Officer when I was brought up on Adultery charges. He was professional, meticulous, and thorough at his job. He went the extra mile on everything and was always available to answer any of my questions. When I was found not guilty I knew it was because of the hard wo...rk and dedication that Mr. Hanzel and his team did that made it happen. I would 100% recommend him to anyone for anytime of court case you could possibly have. Thanks again for everything!