Ryan Sweet, Esquire

 

Hi, I'm Ryan Sweet.  Lawyer.  Defense Attorney.  Advocate.  Combat Veteran.  Paratrooper.  Business Owner with an MBA.  Prosecutor (former).  Vice President (former).  Stock Broker (former).   Fraud Investigator (former).  These are just some of the titles I earned through hard work, passion,  dedication, trust, integrity, and courage.  You can expect that from me.  I'm a Military Law and Criminal Defense lawyer and a patriotic US Army combat veteran, representing people like you against the might of the US military or state authorities or private companies.  I fight against injustice in the military and civilian sectors, including illegal employment practices for my civilian clients.  And I am dedicated toward helping my disabled military Veteran clients win their VA benefits.

 

I know the sacrifices Service Members make.   I served in the US Army for over 7 years from 2006 - 2013, and deployed to combat operations in Iraq several times.  If you're like me, you have worked hard, served and fought for your nation, and value your freedoms, your career, and your reputation.  Now, however, you're accused of misconduct by the very organization that you've served, or by the state or federal authorities.  Loyal service has been forgotten, as Service Members are often wrongly accused of misconduct, your rights trampled, and/or the charges are inflated.  This especially occurs in times of rapid and irresponsible downsizing.  These allegations often lead to being relieved/fired from your job, loss of security clearance, harassment from leadership, loss of good reputation, being Involuntarily Separated from the service, loss of retirement and benefits, or even being faced with a Federal Conviction, Punitive Discharge, or other serious penalties.

 

My mission is to DEFEND YOU or PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS from injustices.  I am passionate about defending people accused of crimes or being kicked out of the military, losing rank or privileges, facing various penalties, and restoring rights and setting the record straight.  I have had incredible success in helping Service Members win their freedom, save their careers, secure their Medical Disabilities, repair reputations, and keep their retirements.  I'm also passionate about winning VA disability cases, and protecting my clients from illegal employer behavior.  There is no case too big or small. 

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Through hard work and luck, I have diverse working experiences and an excellent education.  I graduated with an Honors BA from an excellent college, where I also worked in Campus Security.  While in college, I completed an internship with the Philadelphia District Attorney Homicide Division, where I gained an interest in the law while studying murder trials and other felonies.  I've worked as an undercover retail fraud security detective before law school, conducting surveillance, investigations, physical apprehensions and custodial interviews of retail fraud suspects.  I have a business background, having worked in the Financial-Securities industry, and earned several securities and insurance licenses (including the Series 7, 65, and 63) working as a stock broker and financial adviser.   I also earned an Honors Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree.  During law school, I also completed an internship with the Colorado Attorney General's Office in the Special Crimes Unit, studying complex crimes.  I have lived in 8 states and 3 countries, and have traveled much of the world.  My experiences have given me a broad world view, and I am concerned about the high level of incarceration rates in the United States.  It is an ironic twist that the most 'free' nation in the world imprisons the most people, and that Military Service Members don't enjoy the freedoms or rights we defended.  Tragically, innocent people often get convicted in our over-zealous prosecution model and the Military tends to punish individuals quite severely. 

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I am from a military family, and commissioned in the Army during a time of a two-front war to serve the United States and fight in the Global War on Terror.  I've served with and deployed to combat multiple times with the 101st Airborne Division and 5th Special Forces Group,  served with the US Army Trial Defense Services (TDS) for 2.5 years, completed many challenging military schools, and worked with amazing patriots and heroes.  I've served as Prosecutor, Magistrate, Legal Adviser to Commanders and Soldiers, International Law Attorney, Detainee Operations Attorney, and as a Defense Attorney (my favorite career).  I am most proud of defending and representing Service Members as a Defense Lawyer.   I pride myself on "Defending Heroes."  

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When I was a Prosecutor, I always approached every case with an eye for justice and fair results, and disagreed with Commanders who wanted to unfairly hammer a Soldier, and have experienced Commanders abusing their authority.  I particularly viewed rampant allegations of sex assault with healthy skepticism, especially when there was clear motive to fabricate allegations.  Having said that, I did prosecute serious felony-type crimes when I was satisfied that the evidence met the standard to prosecute.  I have worked for and observed abusive - even toxic leadership - Commanders and senior NCOs who treated Soldiers unfairly and even abusively, so I empathize with Soldiers who face similar maltreatment from toxic leaders.  These experiences shaped my desire to defend Service Members from rampant injustice against them under the UCMJ.

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Defending Soldiers was and continues to be very rewarding.  I worked for over two years in the US Army Trial Defense Services office at Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington, which is among the busiest jurisdictions.  I experienced great personal and professional success and reward representing Soldiers, and my clients appreciated my services.   I've had top notch education and training, continuing education through intense hands-on coursework, and a significant amount of Court Martial and Administrative Board experience (earning the Senior Military Law Practitioner Award from the US Army).   My hard work has earned great results, resulting in helping better the lives of countless Service Members.  I'm proud to keep fighting the fight for America's Heroes.   

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After diverse working experiences, working in the corporate world as a stockbroker and financial adviser, retail fraud investigator, working as a Prosecutor, International Law Attorney, Legal Adviser to Soldiers, and a host of other areas of practice and world experiences, I have found that trial work and defending those accused of misconduct or crimes brings me the most satisfaction.

 

I built the Law Firm of Ryan Sweet, PLLC, to continue to provide outstanding and affordable legal representation to America's Heroes.  Let me put my experience to work for you.