Armed forces law specialist takes on new role
A team member at Mackrell Turner Garrett has been appointed to a senior role at a legal association specialising in armed forces law.
John Hartley, a senior associate in the firm’s London office, has been a member of the Association of Military Court Advocates (AMCA) for around five years and has now become an AMCA committee member.
He has been involved in representing members of the armed forces since qualification, both within the civilian courts system and under military jurisdiction. Cases he has worked on include representing service personnel undergoing internal investigations for bringing the armed forces into disrepute, in which an adverse outcome can end a military career. John has also advised clients through the Courts Martial process, attended Royal Military Police interviews in the UK and overseas, and represented members of the UK Special Forces.
As an AMCA committee member, John will be involved in work including raising the profile of the organisation and arranging seminars designed to share information and expertise on current issues and trends in this specialist field. AMCA is able to offer a broad spectrum of knowledge, including war crime cases in the international criminal courts.
John says: “I am looking forward to playing an enhanced role in AMCA’s work and highlighting this often overlooked area of the law. My interest in this type of work began when I represented service personnel in the civilian courts and it has developed into a determination to offer members of the armed forces first class legal representation and advice. Allegations of any kind can have far-reaching effects for members of the armed forces, so it is crucial that they have representation from lawyers who understand both armed forces law and the pressures of service life.”
