Designated Defense Counsel


Independent, confidential, and honest advise is what the New Jersey Air National Guard Designated Defense Counsel team is all about.

The DDC provides Air Force members who are suspected of an offense or facing potential adverse administrative actions with independent legal representation. The DDC is an experienced judge advocate outside the local chain of command which avoids even an appearance of possible command influence or conflicts of interest as well as allows Airmen to receive completely confidential legal advice.
 

Services Provided

The DDC's prime responsibility is to zealously and ethically represent clients during adverse military actions such as:

- Courts-martial and Article 32 hearings
- Article 15 actions
- Administrative discharge and Demotion actions
- Denial of Reenlistment
- Referral EPRs/OPRs
- Suspect Rights Advisements
- Line of Duty Investigations
- Reports of Survey
- LOCs, LOAs, and LORs
- UIF entries and control rosters
- Any other adverse actions in which counsel for an individual is required or authorized

The DDC is not able to assist in certain areas such as personal civil legal matters, civilian convictions, congressional complaints, or items handled by other base agencies.