This profile is part of the NACDL Find a Lawyer directory, a public listing of NACDL member attorneys in private practice. The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is not a law firm and does not represent or assist individuals with criminal or other cases. NACDL provides this directory as a public service without recommendation or warranty.
Michael is a Life Member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Life Membership recognizes a demonstrated commitment to criminal defense and the mission of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Contact Information
- Weston, FL
- https://www.ucmjdefense.com
Social Media
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/militarydefenselawyers
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelwaddingtonlawyer/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@courtmartiallawyers
Biography
Michael is a criminal defense lawyer and former Army JAG attorney. He has defended cases in courtrooms worldwide, including in Japan, South Korea, Germany, Iraq, Bahrain, Italy, England, and the United States. He has defended some of the highest-profile court-martial cases from the “War on Terror" and has been reported on and quoted by hundreds of major media sources worldwide.
Michael is a Life Member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and a Fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers (ABCL). He is licensed to practice law in Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and South Carolina. He has lectured on trial strategy and cross-examination at national CLE events, including NACDL, the National Trial Lawyers Summit, and Gideon’s Promise.
Michael has provided consultation services to CNN, 60 Minutes, ABC Nightline, the BBC, CBS, and the Golden Globe-winning TV series, The Good Wife. He appeared in a CNN documentary, Killings at the Canal. Some of his cases have inspired books and movies, including the Academy Award-winning documentary Taxi to the Dark Side, the documentary The Kill Team, and Brian De Palma’s Redacted. Since 2013, Mr. Waddington has written chapters in the American Bar Association's annual publication, The State of Criminal Justice. He authored the following books:Â
- Pattern Cross-Examination Questions for DNA & Biological Evidence
- Pattern Cross-Examination Questions for Sexual Assault Cases
- Pattern Cross-Examination for Expert Witnesses
- Exposing Toxic Manipulators
- Pattern Cross-Examination for Digital Forensic Experts
- The Art of Trial Warfare: Winning at Trial Using Sun Tzu’s The Art of War
- The Art of Trial Warfare Volume II: Applying Sun Tzu’s The Art of War to Modern Litigation
- Kick-Ass Closings: A Guide to Giving the Best Closing Argument of Your Life
- Battlemind: A Military Legal Thriller
Education
- Undergraduate: Duquesne University, BA, 1997
- Law School: Temple University School of Law, JD, 2000
Bar Information
FL, PA, NJ, GA, SC - All military courts worldwide
Practice Areas
- Federal Practice
- International
- Military Defense
- Military Justice
- Sex Crimes
- White Collar Crime
Any reproduction, distribution, transmission, publication, or commercial use of the information contained in the NACDL directories without the express, written permission of NACDL is prohibited.
Explore NACDL's Find a Lawyer Directory
Become a Member. Stand Stronger Together. Join Today.
Join thousands of criminal defense lawyers working together to protect the defense bar and resist the government's expanding power to prosecute and punish.