Michael S. Waddington

I was accused of an Article 120 violation. I was interrogated by investigators for over 2 hours after I told them repeatedly that I did not do what was alleged. After that, I was "booked" and then put on hold from my current position immediately, which also prevented me from moving forward in my ca...reer and getting promoted. I was pretty much cast out of my unit and stuck in an office by myself with not much interaction from others. I went to the military defense office immediately and was basically told that this will most likely go to court, you will have a preliminary hearing in about 6 months and then you will have a courts martial a few months after that. While I understand now that the military defense lawyer was doing his job and keeping it "real" this news of course caused me instant grief to say the least. That's when I did my research and decided to contact the Waddington & Gonzalez law firm. I first talked to Sandra the paralegal who took my preliminary information and then put me in touch with Mrs. Waddington. She assured me that they would fight this to the bitter end and restore my name and reputation. I can honestly say, that she is VERY passionate about criminal cases and protecting her client’s innocence. Closer to the start of trial, I was in contact with Mr. Waddington who explained his strategy to me on how he was going to fight this case. He also reached out to obtain all “evidence” and had the judge secure my witnesses who the government at first denied. This was absolutely crucial to my case and without him, I’m not sure we would of succeeded with the defense witnesses. He also took an unprecedented step by fighting the prosecutors in a way which I can’t mention, as it may identify this exact case. Let’s just say, it’s something the military lawyer was not comfortable doing, but needed to be done. Mr. Waddington exposed the accuser for the liar and drama maker that she was. He was also able to call up witnesses to testify against her untruthfulness and back stabbing. If that doesn’t blow your mind, I’m not sure what will. Then during his closing arguments, he came up with multiple reasons and questions that the prosecution could not answer. The jury went back and deliberated for over an hour, and after they returned, the judge said, "Will the defense and accused please stand for the verdict...". The jury had reached their decision alright ….. not guilty! Thank you to my military lawyer and to the Waddington and Gonzalez law firm.

My ordeal started in August 2014 with a false allegation of sexual assault. I called numerous law firms and was told many times that it was best for me to take a plea deal, this was even before they heard my side of the story. Once I contacted Mr. Waddington, he immediately eased my fears and told me... to explain everything to him. Once I did this he comforted me and said that he would do everything in his power for a great outcome. Once I retained him, CID and my chain of command stopped bothering me. 12 months after the initial investigation the CID investigation came back "unfounded" and proved that my accuser was a liar. At this point I thought that everything was over but knowing the Army it was far from over. In September 2015 they notified me that I would be facing an elimination board due to the evidence that refuted that I was a rapist. I was not worried and retained Michael once again. The Army was trying to kick me out with no benefits and an other than honorable discharge. At the conclusion of the board I got to keep my benefits and also a nice $3,403 tax free check ($40,826 annually) for the rest of my life. I could not be happier. Michael is an EXCELLENT attorney and he is well respected in the legal community. Be weary of hiring known lawyers, just because they are known does not mean that they are respected. If you are facing any sort of legal issues please do not hesitate to contact him.

I hired Michael and Alexandra after firing another civilian lawyer. I made a big mistake in hiring the first lawyer. His website looked pretty, but he was a fraud. When he started pushing me to plead guilty and do 2 years in jail the day after I paid him for the 32, I knew I had to find someone I cou...ld trust. I knew there was evidence against me, but I wanted a fighting chance. I first talked to Alexandra and she made me feel there was hope and that I had a chance of avoiding a conviction and being a sex offender, which where my goals. Their fee was higher than most of the other lawyers I talked to and double what my first lawyer charged, but it was nothing compared to a lifetime as a registered sex offender. Both Michael and Alexander worked on my case so I got two lawyers for the price. When I talked to Michael, he laid out the defense strategies and techniques we could use to either win the case or avoid a court martial. It was obvious he knew what he was doing. He knew pleading guilty was not an option for me and he never brought it up. He didn’t make empty promises and he was straightforward. Michale said the prosecutor has two choices. Drop the charges and let me out of the military or prove their case to a jury. My case was scheduled for a trial and I was getting nervous but I had faith that they were my best chance. A few weeks before the trial, I got a call with good news. The prosecution was now willing to dismiss the charges and let me out of the military instead of going to court. I am not sure what happened behind the scenes, but it was better than the 2 year deal my other lawyer negotiated. I jumped at the opportunity and now I moved on with my life and I’m finishing college. If I didn’t hire the Waddington’s theres a good chance I would be sitting in jail and my life would be ruined. If you find yourself in a legal problem, don't waste your time, call the Waddington’s and save yourself all the frustration and worry.

Micheal Waddington is hands down the best of the best! Selecting Micheal to represent me at my recent court martial was one of the best decision I could have made. Earlier on in my year long journey Micheal and his exceptional staff reached out to CID informing them that I represented and to leave me... alone. Micheal work deligently on my case developing case strategy, gathering evidence and filing critical motions which would eventually lead to my full acquittal of several specifications of Article 120, 134 and 92 charges. Being tried at general court martial is one of the scariest things I have ever done in my life. Regardless of the evidence in the case the government is coming after you and you are in a fight for your life. Forget the innocent until proving guilty, I'm telling you from experience that you are Guility until you can prove your innocent. Anyone that tellsyou any different has probably never faced 60 years, separation from their family and a complete erase of over a decade of exceptional service to their country. You are Guility until you can prove that your innocent and that's the bottom line! The government has unlimited resources and if you'refacing a sexual assault trail, then the alleged victim has at least three lawyers free of charge at his/her disposal. The Special Victim Counsel, Trial Counsel and the very vicious Special Victim Prosecutor. You my friend have a Trail Counsel whom you will only get assigned after charges have been preferred against you. So much can go wrong for you during the investigation, charges being preferred and being assigned a trial counsel. As I stated earlier Micheal contacted CID special agents and advised them to leave me alone, with a good lawyer you wont be hounded by CID Agents who claim they want to help. CID is not your friend and they have absolutely no other desire than to aid the government's team of lawyers in gathering information to convict you. You need a Lawyer, I will warn you however that not all lawyers are equal and sometimes you get exactly what you pay for. If you are facing serious criminal charges than you need a lawyer that has the experience in dealing with such manners. If you are facing a sexual assault allegation there is a 95% or better chance that you are going to trail. I'm sorry to break the news to you but get it in your head I'm in a fight for my life and I'm going to trial. You need a lawyer that has tried cases to verdicts with successful results. I'm telling you from months of research, that Micheal Waddington is the best lawyer that money can buy. If I had to do it all over again I wouldn't trust my life in the hands of no one other than Micheal Waddington. At trail Micheal meticulously exploited all of the weaknesses in the government case. Micheal took the fight to the government and after cross examination of the first witness, he had to government in a defensive posture. At the end of the first day of my trail Micheal was so effective that the government was attempting to offer plea deals, I watched him laugh in their face!!!! The second day I testified and was well prepared as a result of Micheal preparing me. Then came the scariest 3 hours of my life after the SVP made me look like the worst person that ever walked the planet, Micheal was up and he in a very calm manner changed the perspective of virtually everyone in the room in regards to facts in the case and the type of Soldier I had been and currently was. Sitting in that waiting room for the decision to come down I remember walking past a table were in plain sight were two boxes containing leg irons and hand cuffs. I say yet again you are in a battle for your life. If it had not been for the exceptional work of Micheal, I wouldnt be typing this messageI. I would be wearing those leg irons and convicted of a crime I didn't even commit. You may think you can't afford a civilian lawyer, I personally feel that you can't not afford one! MICHEAL WADDINGTON!!!!

I hired Michael to represent my son in an aggravated assault case. I have never met a person with the integrity and compassion of Mr. Waddington. He and his law partner Alexandra are the most compassionate, non-judgmental people I have ever met. They have a sincere commitment to you. They never give ...up. If you never hired a lawyer before, be careful. Be certain that the attorney your hiring is actually representing your best interests and not the military or themselves. Many ex-military lawyers seem entrenched in the military system and are basically prosecutors taking your money and not fighting for you. Lawyers like Michael and Alexandra Waddington don’t play these game… They truly believe in their client and defend them to the end. Mr. Waddington let us know up front that the odds were against my son, but that he would do whatever he could to try and avoid years in prison, a felony record and a discharge (which is what the Army lawyer wanted my son to plead guilty to from the beginning). At trial Mr. Waddington presented the case in the best light possible and exposed the holes in the prosecutions case and the lies of CID and other coached witnesses. After a hard fought case, my son was acquitted of the serious felony charges and was allowed to stay in the military thanks to their legal representation.