Josh Traeger is the Founding Attorney of The Military Defense Firm. As a former military prosecutor and a reserve leader in the United States Air Force, he is one of the nation’s premier military justice lawyers. He has single-handedly prosecuted or defended more than 250 courts-martial and handled more than 1,000 military disciplinary actions. He has personally trained hundreds of military lawyers, and he leverages his connections to deliver outstanding results for clients.

What Sets Josh Apart:

• Former Senior Prosecutor:  Trusted to prosecute the military’s most serious cases for more than six years, Josh has mountains of military justice experience. He is well-networked and enormously respected in the military community.
• JAG School Instructor:  As a reserve officer, Josh is trusted to teach military justice at the Air Force JAG School, a highly coveted position. The military asks Josh to teach at its schoolhouse because they recognize the value of his skills and experience.
• Service Academy Professor:  Josh was an Adjunct Professor of Law at the United States Naval Academy, and he was on the legal staff at the United States Air Force Academy. He knows military law like the back of his hand.

Josh’s reputation for military justice excellence rests on a foundation of character, compassion, and conscientiousness. Judges, prosecutors, defense counsel, and other military lawyers around the world recognize Josh’s record of success and his uniquely perfected skills. Josh has become most well-known for his ability to handle the most difficult and intensely complex military cases while achieving unbelievable results.

Josh knew he wanted to be a trial lawyer from an early age, and he worked to hone his skills at every step along the way. While studying for his undergraduate degree at Wake Forest University, Josh became involved in its championship debate program and earned immediate success. When he left Wake Forest for law school, Loyola University Chicago offered Josh the prestigious Philip H. Corboy Fellowship in Trial Advocacy. Before he even became a lawyer, Josh spent thousands of hours building his trial skills in the image of Philip Corboy, one of the greatest trial lawyers in American history. After graduating law school as a leading young trial lawyer in the country, Josh joined the United States Air Force.

After just two years in the Air Force, military leadership recognized Josh’s talent and asked him to tackle an even more challenging task. He would move across the country, from Georgia to Arizona, and lead the Office of the Area Defense Counsel in Phoenix. Josh’s position there was unique, because he was one of very few young JAGs who had ever moved directly into a defense position from a different military installation.

After just a year as a defense attorney, military leadership recognized his talents and offered him the opportunity of a lifetime — to serve in the Air Force’s most coveted and respected position for trial attorneys. After just over three years in the JAG Corps, Josh became one of the youngest Senior Trial Counsel in Air Force history.  For the next six years, Josh traveled around the world prosecuting the military’s most difficult cases. He was known and recognized as the Air Force’s best trial attorney. He tried cases in all corners of the world and routinely handled the military’s biggest sexual assault, child abuse and homicide cases. When Josh left active duty, countless military judges praised his hustle, professionalism and trial abilities.

Even now, as a civilian attorney and a reservist, military leaders recognize Josh’s immense skill and experience. He has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the United States Naval Academy and on the legal staff at the United States Air Force Academy, handling highly sensitive military justice cases. He is also an Instructor of Law at the Air Force JAG School, where he teaches military justice and trial advocacy. The military called upon Josh to teach at its JAG School for one simple reason — they know he’s the best.

Josh launched The Military Defense Firm in 2024 and has quickly grown it into the most recognizable and respected legal brand in military justice.

Josh, his wife, and their two children divide their time between Traverse City, Michigan and Colorado Springs, Colorado.