Michael S. Waddington

I hired Mike Waddington when they Army started an investigation on me for fraternization, abusive sexual contact, and wrongful appropriation of government property. I was two months shy of retirement and I decided not to take any chances. His retainer was a little steep but well worth it. The investi...gation was shut down a few months later and I was allowed to retire with honor and dignity.

In October of 2016 I learned I was under investigation and shortly after learned it was for two charges of sexual assault. The investigation, decisions, etc. took months and in May 2017 I was taken to an administrative discharge board. At this point in my career I had over 23 years of service and my ...approved retirement was cancelled until the outcome of the board. Months before the decision to go to a board I hired Michael Waddington and he worked alongside my military legal counsel. The time leading up to the board was tense and I provided whatever information I could to both of my attorneys. At times I felt no one was doing anything with the information and I would remind myself it is a slow process and things would work out eventually. Be prepared to do a lot of work yourself by seeking out people that will stand by you, get letters written, ask folks to testify, etc. My real interaction with Michael was when he flew in for my board and began preparing. Michael presented a strong case for me and while my two accusers did not testify (not mandatory with a board), he did cross examine one “witness” and Michael kept his cool the entire time. The “witness” lost his temper, Michael smashed his creditability, and it was obvious the “witness” was lying. In addition, both of my attorneys had a game plan and knew when to object and when to let things slide. As the days passed I felt I was in good hands. Michael and my military attorney also made the prosecution look ridiculous…they found weaknesses and pounced on opportunities to show it. Part of me believes my military attorney stepped up her game because she would be working side-by-side with Michael…that is something to consider when hiring him as well. Luckily I had two great attorneys…Michael and my military counsel. In the end I was found “not guilty.” I was falsely accused and the military/government did not care about me, did not believe me, and no matter what the accusers said the prosecution used that against me. Be ready for a low point in your life because you cannot trust anyone. I cannot speak about Michael’s performance for someone who is sincerely guilty of a crime, but in my case he helped save all the benefits that I had earned over 23 years of service. I am now retired from active duty and thankful that I opted to hire Michael during the most stressful period of my life. I only wish I could hire him again to sue the women that falsely accused me. Sadly, there is nothing I can really do to them in this day and age. Hopefully in time those falsely accused can sue those that try to ruin their careers/lives. I still possess a lot of anger towards the military and how easily it allows false accusations to occur. In closing, while his services do cost a lot, in the long run having him on your side may help you save money and your career in the long run. He presented a solid case, worked on it the entire time he was in town, and his opening/closing statements were well thought out. During the board he would let me know what was going on and provide honest feedback about various topics. Michael devoted all his attention during the time he was in town to ensure he gave me the best possible defense. If you find yourself in a bad situation like I was hiring Michael will give you some piece of mind. He will work for you and hopefully give you the best possible outcome for your situation.

If you don't use Mr. Waddington as your defence lawyer you are doing yourself a disservice. I could not recommend him more. I was bullied by my command and some dirty prosecutors for long enough when I hired the Gonzales Waddington firm. What a difference it made. I was finally able to sleep at night... and my JAG got the message that I was not playing around. A disgruntled ex girlfriend falsely accused me and tried to destroy my life and career. CID and the military lawyers never questioned her story. They labeled me a predator and set out to put me in jail. I felt like I was facing an unwinnable battle when the prosecution called a bunch of lying witnesses and some high priced experts that never took the time to read the case file. This whole time nobody ever questioned the lying accuser or looked at her deleted texts. It was sickening. They took her word over mine no questions asked. They coached her to lie and twisted every word I said. They even tried to block the jury from hearing that we had prior sexual relations. The SVC kept objecting and trying to stop me from getting a fair trial. When Mr. Waddington came into court the prosecutors were scared. They would not even look him in the eye. They sat there talking loudly with the SVC about me and my lawyer. I was getting mad and Mr. Waddington told me to ignore them. He said their rudeness means they are weak and intimidated. After his opening statement, they looked like children. It was entertaining to watch Mr. Waddington deflecting their objections with ease like he was toying with them. He dealt with my ex on cross in a professional way and never lost his cool. She tried to fight him but he kept asking the question until she answered. She looked like an angry liar. The CID agent looked like a chump when he tried to explain why he did not do his job correctly. He was breaking a sweat when Mr. Waddington questioned him using his own manuals. In their closing the prosecution portrayed me like a stalking rapist and they asked why would she lie. During his closing Mr. Waddington told a funny story about a village idiot and I did not know where he was going at first. Then he pointed at the CID agents in the audience and said they were like the village idiot blinding following whatever my lying ex said no matter what. It broke the stress and called out the truth. My ex sat in the audience and got up and stomped out of court with her SVC when Mr. Waddington laid waste to her credibility in front of a packed court during his closing. He listed reasons why she lied and then pointed out examples of her lies made in court. After a scary two hours of deliberations I was acquitted of all charges. This was the best money I ever spent.!

I hired Mike Waddington for a positive urinalysis case with an extremely low nanogram level, no evidence and a professionally reviewed report for prescribed medication. Months went by and as the Board of Inquiry date came near, it was clear that no preparation had been done except by me. I paid Mik...e Waddington 21,700.00$....10k was for board of inquiry prep. Mike Waddington flew in the day before to "prepare"...and that was NOT worth 10k and I paid for the travel and hotel so another $1700.00. The day of the board this Mike Waddington with all the positive reviews and reputation for aggressive defense went with submission and asking the members for mercy. This tactic did not work and resulted in a separation with an OTH, and I spent $21,700.00. Lawyers do not guarantee results but I paid for something and got nothing. It was also clear after the board when he was speechless. So unless you have a sexual assault/rape case going to a court martial...DO NOT HIRE!

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.