Alumni Spotlight: Lt. Adam Butman Brandon ’07
Navy JAG Corps
In just a few weeks, Navy Lieutenant Adam Butman Brandon will head to Iraq to help rebuild the rule of law in that war-torn nation. He was not ordered to deploy by the Navy, but rather volunteered to go because “the Army and Marines are overstretched, and there is a tremendous need for judge advocates,” says Brandon, a criminal defense attorney. “I’ve been influenced by those who have seen battle, and want to support them more directly in what they do.”
While in Baghdad, Brandon will work to see that detainees are treated in accordance with international law, a subject that has always interested him. “I took three international law classes from Professor Mary Ellen O’Connell, and learned a lot about the Geneva Conventions and the law of armed conflict from her. It was intellectually very stimulating.” Brandon says he also learned about national security issues in his “Terrorism and the Law” class with Prof. Jimmy Gurule, one of the world’s foremost experts on the financing of terrorism.
Brandon decided as a first-year student that he wanted to pursue a military career after graduation as a way to obtain courtroom experience immediately and develop his skills as a trial lawyer and leader. “The Navy best fits me, because it offers the chance to practice at the intersection of international law, human rights, and national security.”
Since entering the Navy two years ago—he is stationed at Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois—Brandon has defended scores of court-martialed Sailors and Marines. “It’s important to remember that, by putting on a uniform, these men and women made a least one honorable choice in their life,” he says. Brandon notes that there are often mitigating factors in a Sailor’s case, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, which influence the defendant’s behavior and have an impact on the verdict. “My challenge is to humanize them before the court,” Brandon explains, adding that a “win” is usually a sentence reduction, as full acquittals are rare.
Brandon, whose wife is scheduled to deliver their first child in May, says that while the timing for his departure to Iraq isn’t great, he’s excited about the possibilities that await him there.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Brandon’s Officer in Charge—his boss—is Lieutenant Commander Kelly Lemke Trunnell, Notre Dame Law School Class of 2002.
