Stephen H. Carpenter Jr. - Seattle, WA

Saved my life, faced an uphill battle for a sexual assault case. Worst possible situation I’ve ever found myself in. Stephen is the guy you need and he takes your case serious. I was fully acquitted and able to continue on with my career. Would recommend to anyone faces serious charges.

The service provided were very professional and tailored to meet my individual needs, both in terms of my specific circumstances and the outcome I was seeking when meeting with my hearing board. He was extremely mindful, engaged and prepared during the hearing board, which helped alleviate the stressful nature of the situation. I am back working . Thank you.

Stephen Carpenter got me out of prison when I didn't belong there. I had endured a court-martial that was unfair and it seemed like the outcome was predestined. My military defense counsel failed to introduce evidence and testimony that was exculpatory and I was mystified how this could happen. Once in prison it became abundantly clear that my faith in the competence of my military counsel was misplaced. My family retained Mr. Carpenter upon personal recommendations and excellent reviews. Mr. Carpenter put long hours into my clemency request, I suspect more than our initial contract called for, and produced a very clear, detailed and well-researched document. When my case went before the convening authority, I was out of prison the same day. After my release, Mr. Carpenter worked tirelessly to put legal placeholders in place that allowed me to produce more exculpatory evidence than I had already. He also assisted me with responding to professional actions that were taken against me by peer review committees at the hospital where I worked. I thoroughly enjoyed my professional relationship with him, and noted that he believed in me and bent over backwards for me. To me - he was the epitome of "the bulldog" lawyer one hears about on TV and in podcasts. Then with decisive professional clarity and maturity, he referred me to a new lawyer to handle my appeals process. He recognized my case needed very specific expertise. He could have kept me as a client, but he recognized I needed a very specific person to do a very specific thing - that ultimately was successful. He put my needs above his own - once again. To me that is the penultimate sign of a professional. My case was in 2012 - 2013. He still keeps occasional tabs on me and my case. This man is invested in justice. If you have trouble with the UCMJ - you need Mr. Carpenter by your side.

I paid Mr. Carpenter’s legal fees in full on March 13th, 2022, and did everything he asked of me for him to discover the details of my case. This case simply dealt with a wrongful denial to enlistment in the U.S. Military by an incompetent recruiter. Unfortunately, it took him more than three and a half months to file my case. For the first two months, when I inquired about my case or asked for a simple update, his usual response was “I am in court martial” or “I am outside of the country.” Although this was not my problem, I felt no progress was being made on my time-sensitive case. Another problem was, following the filing of my case, it was delivered to the respective service branch on July 12th, 2022, they sent their response back to Mr. Carpenter dated July 26th, 2022. Mr. Carpenter did not bother to inform me until September 27th, a whole two months after the fact. Most of the time, it appeared as if he did not check the emails from me, and we never spoke at the times he scheduled to speak with me. I strongly feel that he had no interest in helping me because nothing was done correctly and in a prompt fashion. I am extremely disappointed and saddened by the way this attorney and his office handled my case.