Michael S. Waddington

Mr. Waddington‘s attention to detail and thoroughness overly exceeded our initial expectations. From the very beginning, Mr. Waddington displayed the highest level of integrity and genuinely cared about his client; our son. His experience and expertise in defending these type of sexual assault cases... became very apparent and comforting as he gathered, compiled, and studied the facts of the case. Mr. Waddington‘s defense was so compelling that the prosecution in our son’s case did not even present evidence in the General Court Martial. His knowledge preparation and genius are second to none. We trusted him with the most precious thing in our lives; our son. The stakes were extremely high and Mr. Waddington came through in the most impressive way. We give thanks to God for his mighty deeds done in and through Mr. Waddington and his entire defense team. He turned our mourning into dancing. We highly recommend Mr. Waddington as a defense attorney.

Mr. Waddington and his team are a true powerhouse duo! I was facing three charges: Article 120, w/2x specifications, Article 128b, w/2x specifications, and Article 128, w/1x specification. All these charges combined was enough jail time for two lifetimes. I knew I needed a professional with experien...ce under the laws of the UCMJ. My ex-wife is a master manipulator. She convinced several officers, OSI agents, adult protective services, child protective services and her entire prosecution team they had a solid case moving forward. Mr. Waddington helped me gather and analyze information that supported the case. His thinking outside the box created new ways to relay information to the court. Waddington and González have extensive knowledge in dealing with Article 120 cases and their expertise ensured the outcome was favorable. They recommended and hired key experienced doctors to examine evidence providing critical insight to the lies and manipulation being alleged. Three days into the court martial the prosecution realized based on the extensive evidence we compiled that it was in the best interest of my ex-wife to tell the truth before she severely perjured herself on the stand. My ex-wife decided not to participate resulting in all charges being dismissed. Waddington and González's professional team have given me the opportunity to finish my last couple years in the Air Force and to retire without any repercussions to my career. Thanks to Mr. Waddington and his team justice was served. He saved my life.

I was facing 2 counts of UCMJ 112a, being a convicted felon, up to 10 years in prison and a dismissal. When I was arrested, I was completely shocked and knew that I needed counsel and not to say anything, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I had never been in trouble and now I am being told, ...I will lose everything. I am a single parent, facing not only losing my retirement, but my VA benefits, even my house. I did my research, took a long look at everything I could find, I didn’t want a good lawyer, I wanted the very best lawyer there is. When comparing up to $4 million in retirement benefits and paying up to $50,000 to have your life back, you do not “skimp” on getting good enough. You get the absolute most experienced, best trial council there is, that is Michael Waddington. The government only needs probably cause to take you to a general court martial, a positive urinalysis is that probable cause. I did not hire Mr. Waddington to find me a plea deal, I hired Mr. Waddington because he is the very best trial defense lawyer there is. There was not a close second that I found. He is routinely ranked in the top 100 lawyers in the country, he has defended more federal cases, actually fought it out in court, than anyone I could find. Do not take being charged by the government lightly. The government has unlimited resources and time. Do not try to beat the government alone, get someone who will fight for you, someone who does this job only for service members, get someone with honor and integrity, get Michael Waddington. Everyone wants to win, I was more concerned about that than how, but Michael Waddington did it above board, by the book, with integrity and defended me in a way that impressed the prosecution, the judge and the 8 Colonels on the panel. Michael is an honest person, an excellent lawyer, and someone you will never regret hiring. He is one of the good guys, trust him completely, he will not let you down. After 24 years of service, I am going to retire honorably and get to watch my kids grow up and I owe it to Michael Waddington.

I hired the Waddington's to represent my son for an Article 120 case at Fort Hood. When my son called and broke the news, we knew we were in for a heck of a fight. From the beginning, the Army came after him with all their might. Aside from his squad leader, everyone abandoned him. After a few months... of stress and getting nowhere with the Army lawyer, our family hired Michael and Alexandra. I was very happy with the responsiveness to our phone calls and texts. They worked together as a team and kept us updated. They really cared about the best interest of my son. After a year long struggle, I am happy to say that my son was able to finish his service and get out with an honorable discharge and without a criminal record. The Waddington's cleared his name and reputation. We are forever grateful.

I first retained the Waddington’s back in 2018, when I filed for divorce after I caught my wife cheating on me. In retaliation, she falsely accused me of sexually assaulting her throughout our marriage and domestic violence. OSI did no investigation. None, other than to take my wife’s statement. They... took her word as gold and dragged the investigation out over a year. I don’t know what took so long. My command turned on me instantly and sided with my ex-wife. They removed me from my job and assigned me to a menial job. They destroyed my 12-year career in the blink of an eye. At first, I was in shock. How could the Air Force turn on me after so many years? Then, I became bitter and depressed as the months wore on. A few months into the investigation, I hired Michael and Alexandra and instantly felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. Alexandra was my rock. I mainly dealt with her during the investigation. She gave me hope. By the time I was charged, I was ready to fight. I had gathered a lot of evidence to use in court during the investigation. When I got the preferred charges, I was glad to get it over with. By this point, my ex had dragged out our divorce for a year. She was using the false allegations against me in family court as leverage. Her corrupt Air Force victim’s lawyer and her divorce lawyer kept delaying the divorce, hoping to get a conviction so that she could take the kids, the house and get three years of victim compensation benefits. As we got ready for court, the Waddington’s and my ADC worked together seamlessly. By the time Michael flew in for trial, we were prepared for battle. In the court martial, it was no contest. The Air Force JAGs were no match for Michael, and they literally looked like fools as Michael ripped their witnesses apart. It was kind of entertaining. My ex-wife was a puppet in his hands. I thought the OSI agent was going to start crying on the witness stand when Michael exposed his incompetent investigation and bias. At the beginning of his cross examination, Michael asked him if “his investigation was thorough and complete.” The OSI agent said “yes.” Then, Michael exposed him for not following his own training and the OSI instruction. In the end, after exposing his biased investigation, all of the evidence he did not collect, the people he did not interview, , Michael asked him again, “so you still think your investigation was thorough and complete?” The agent’s face turned bright red, and he said “yes.” The jury rolled their eyes. During the trial, I was nervous, but I was also enjoying every moment of it. The jury found me NOT GUILTY, and I was a free man. Yes, I had to rebuild my life and reputation, but that is better than sitting in jail for a crime you did not commit. I am grateful that I hired Alexandra and Michael when I did and cannot recommend them enough.