Stephen P. Karns

I cannot recommend Mr. Karns after the experience I had with him as my attorney. Mr. Karns was hired to represent me in my pending case, and prior to paying him, he told me a couple things we could do to initiate the best possible defense. After he was paid, he started my defense case but subsequentl...y, nothing else happened. For context, I had a positive urinalysis and was told we could do a civilian polygraph and hair follicle test to prove my innocence. I only did a hair follicle test, and that was after reminding Mr. Karns about it and he told me to go ahead and get one. After I found out my hair would not be long enough to cover the length of time, where it was presumed I consumed the banned substance, I notified Mr. Karns and his response was "Well we can't use that". If you're an "aggressive" lawyer and have represented multiple drug cases, wouldn't you know this? Mr. Karns also didn't do anything to fight my charges. He did not contact legal and try to fight to drop or lessen the charges. He had his paralegal type up my defense and that was about it. I called around to multiple civilian attorneys who specialize in representing service members. They all disagreed with what Mr. Karns "defense" strategy was and one even said he is a "volume lawyer" that will take your money and no very little for you. If anything, plead out. Like you, I went off his website, reviews, and spoke with him myself and hired him off his reputation. I was very mistaken for doing so. I promptly terminated my professional working relationship with him and hired a FREE TDS attorney. My TDS attorney did more for me than Mr. Karns did and they only had 7 business days to put together my defense. Suffice to say, I beat my case and it was heavily accredited to my TDS attorneys arguments. They even called legal and tried to get them to drop the case, which ultimately worked. Long story short, hire a TDS attorney and save your money, or hire someone else. He isn't the "aggressive" lawyer who will be "in your corner".

This lawyer took my $6500 and did the bare minimum to defend my case. Once he received the hefty payment, he left everything up to me and his unfriendly paralegal. Even worse, this lawyer did not ensure my case was finalized before ending legal representation. I would not recommend this lawyer for an...y services. Finally, if you want to be treated like a human being and feel like your case actually matters, then I would highly advise seeking legal advice elsewhere.

After seven months of waiting, my case is finally over. I just want to thank Mr. Karns and his paralegal Rob for the outstanding work they did to help me clear my name. I was falsely accused of assault and was guilty in my command's mind from the start. Once I saw Mr. Karns question my accuser and sa...w the look on her face when she knew that she was caught lying, I knew I was going to be vindicated. Mr. Karns gave me the confidence to fight the charges and proved my accuser was lying. I would not have made it through my situation without him. He gave me the right advice every step of the way. I highly recommend Mr. Karns.

Dear Steve, I am writing this review for you as I sit here happy with my parents, wife and children. You deserve a lot of credit for me being able to do this freely devoid of any worries. I remember the frantic emails and distressed calls I made to you while I was in the thick of the situation but m...uch thanks to your instantaneous responses and counselling that I could breathe and know that you have got my back. Your reassurances during my extreme moments of self-doubt were instrumental in me getting through the situation. I am confident that my wife shares the same view and we are truly thankful. This was a journey full of road-blocks, self-discovery, self-doubt and mental challenges. It is only now, post resolving the situation that I realize how important it was for a knowledgable lawyer like you to look through the pile of information I provided and calibrate me to my path. Yes, I did have to walk through the fire myself but you held my hand and I appreciate that. This is my Life – Part 2 and a huge credit of my freedom goes to you. Thank you for keeping your patience with me and being a mentor. Please keep helping people who have veered off their path to realign themselves and walk freely with pride again. My sincere gratitude to you and your team!

When your career is on the line, and you know JAG is overwhelmed and less than interested in your case details, the superior man seeks wise counsel. Your case is your case. There may be details that JAG will miss...but Mr Karns will not miss them. When you hire Mr Karns I can assure you that he will ...treat your case like it is his only case. His paralegal, Rob, is a breeze to work with. Allow me to digress. Had I not hired Mr Karns, the command and judge advocate would have tried to make some nonsense fly and rely on my ignorance of the law to accept their nonsense and commit career suicide. You have many choices. If you value your career, and your case has any daylight, then you hire a lawyer. Do yourself a favor and hire Mr Karns.