James Matthew Branum

My family

I wear many hats in life…

C.V.

 

Curriculum Vitae

of

James M. Branum

 

-||-    -||-    -||-    -||-

-||-    -||-    -||-    -||-

Legal Practice

 

Employment

Solo Law Practice (2006-date) primarily focused on civilian practice before US
military courts-martial, administrative boards, and appellate courts

  • Participated in cases at:
    • Fort Hood, Texas
    • Fort Bliss, Texas
    • Fort Carson, Colorado
    • Fort Sill, Oklahoma
    • Fort Stewart, Georgia
    • Fort Gordon, Georgia
    • Fort Bragg, North Carolina
    • Fort Riley, Kansas
    • Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
    • Fort Drum, New York
    • Fort Campbell, Kentucky
    • Fort Knox, Kentucky
    • Fort Lee, Virginia
    • National Guard posts in Oklahoma, Texas and California
    • US Army Human Resources Command, St. Louis
    • US Army Pardon and Parole Board, Crystal City, Virginia
    • US Army CO Review Board
    • US Army Court of Criminal Appeals (pro hac vice)
    • Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Washington
    • Tinker AFB, Oklahoma
    • Sheppard AFB, Texas
    • Charleston Naval Brig, South Carolina
    • Miramar Naval Consolidated Brig, California
    • Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
    • US Court of Criminal Appeals for the Armed Forces (pro hac vice)
  • Major Cases:
    • United States v. Robin Long (court-martial at Fort Carson – the first US soldier to be deported from Canada after having fled there to avoid military service in the current era)
    • United States v. Victor Agosto (court-martial at Fort Hood – one of the first US soldiers to refuse to deploy to Afghanistan)
    • United States v. Travis Bishop (court-martial at Fort Hood, subsequent appeals to the US Army Court of Criminal Appeals and the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. – This case was argued principally over the issue of whether the failure of a command to inform a soldier of his or her right to seek CO status, should constitute a defense to actions taken in obedience to conscience but otherwise in violation of law)
  • Facilitated the early discharge of more than 250 servicemembers to date
  • Non-military law work in Oklahoma has included estate planning, consumer bankruptcy, criminal defense and LGBT law issues

Oklahoma Center for Conscience and Peace Research, Legal Director (2006-date)

  • Co-founded the organization in 2004
  • Supervised the Oklahoma GI Rights Hotline project from 2007-2011
  • Current work focuses on providing pro-bono and low-cost representation to members of the US military seeking discharge on the grounds of conscientious objection, as well as speaking engagements on the topics of conscience and war

BAR ADMISSIONS/QUALIFICATIONS

  • Oklahoma Bar Association, member in good standing
  • United States District Court, Western District of Oklahoma, member in good standing
  • United States District Court, Eastern District of Oklahoma, member in good Standing
  • Qualified to practice before all U.S. Military courts-martial pursuant to the provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and military regulations
  • Have entered appearance pro hac vice before the US Army Court of Criminal Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals of the Armed Forces

PRESS COVERAGE

Legal Organizations

  • Military Law Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild, Chair (2008-date), Steering
    Committee Member (2007-date)
  • National Lawyers Guild, Past Texoma Co-Regional Vice President, Chair of the
    Oklahoma Chapter
  • GI Rights Hotline Network, member of the board of directors, 2011-2012
  • Member of the Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyers Association

Continuing Legal Education/Public Presentations:

  • Presenter for CLE “Representing soldiers who can no longer serve” in Anchorage, Alaska (October 2008)
  • Presenter for CLE “Representing soldiers who can no longer serve” in Fairbanks, Alaska (October 2008)
  • Presenter for CLE “Court-Martial Practice” at the NLG National Convention in Seattle (2009)
  • Presenter for CLE “Being effective in court and not losing your politics” at the NLG National Convention in Seattle (2009)
  • Presenter for CLE “Doing your first court-martial” at the Texoma Regional Convention of the National Lawyers Guild, Killeen, Texas (2009)
  • Presenter for CLE “Doing Justice: Representing Unpopular Clients” at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston (2011)
  • Presenter for CLE “Army AWOL Defense” at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque (2011)
  • Presented “The History of Oklahoma’s Exemptions in Bankruptcy” to the Bankruptcy Section of the Oklahoma County Bar Association (2012)
  • Taught “Advanced G.I. Rights counselor training” for the Flint Hills GI Rights Hotline in Manhattan, KS (2011)
  • Taught “G.I. Rights counselor training on Army AWOL policies” at Under the Hood outreach center, Killeen, TX (2011)
  • Taught “G.I. Rights counselor training on Army AWOL policies” at the GI rights Network conference in San Francisco, CA (2010)
  • Presented “Civilian practice before military courts” at the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville (2010)
  • Co-presented “How Does One’s World View and Faith Affect Career Choices?” at Oklahoma City University School of Law (2010)
  • Presenter for “G.I. Rights counselor training on AWOL policies” at the GI rights Network conference in Atlanta, GA (2009)
  • Co-presented “Stories from helping soldiers in need”, Memorial Road Mennonite Brethren Church, 2008
  • Presenter for “Applied Lessons from Vietnam and Winter Soldier”, workshop at the National Lawyers Guild Convention in Detroit, MI, 2008
  • Presenter for “Introduction to G.I. Rights Advocacy/Basic Triage Skills” Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission in Colorado Springs, CO, 2008
  • Presenter for “Introductory G.I. Rights Counselor training” in Manhattan, KS, 2008
  • Presenter for “Introductory G.I. Rights Counselor training” in Oklahoma City, OK 2007

-||-    -||-    -||-    -||-

Christian Ministry

Positions held

  • Minister of Peace and Justice, Joy Mennonite Church of Oklahoma City, (2007-date) – Job responsibilities include preaching approximately once per month, serving as the church administrator, and coordinating the congregation’s peace and justice ministries
  • Commissioned for special ministry by the Western District Conference of Mennonite Church USA (2007-date)
  • Interim Minister, Newcastle Heights Church of Christ, 2003-2004 – Preached six times each month
  • Campus Ministry Intern/Small Group Leader, Project UT (Hope in the City/Hope Chapel of Austin, TX), 2000-2001
  • Supply Preacher, Churches of Christ in Thomas, Leedey, Colony, Anadarko and other communities in Western Oklahoma, 1995-1997

-||-    -||-    -||-    -||-

PUBLISHING

-||-    -||-    -||-    -||-

EDUCATION

Juris Doctorate

Oklahoma City University School of Law, December 2005

  • Dean’s Summer Public Interest Fellowship, 2005 (Worked in the area of military law, under the supervision of a local attorney in Oklahoma City)
  • Audited a course in military law from New College of California School of Law (San Francisco, CA)
  • Co-Founder, National Lawyers Guild student chapter, 2003-2005
  • On-campus employment included working as a lab assistant for the law school computer lab, and one of the WestLaw student representatives

Bachelor of Arts

Austin Graduate School of Theology (then known as the Institute for Christian Studies), May 2000

  • Major in Bible with a Christian Ministry emphasis
  • Student Government Vice-President
  • Volunteered with local campus ministry projects at the University of Texas in Austin

Other Course Work completed

    Southwestern Oklahoma State University, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Community College, Texas State University, Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City and Tulsa Community College

Currently Enrolled

  • via the hybrid online program at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (2013-date)

Continuing Education

  • Completed 12 credit hours of continuing legal education credit each year since 2006

-||-    -||-    -||-    -||-

Contact

James M. Branum
PO Box 721016
Oklahoma City, OK 73172

405-494-0562

girightslawyer(at)gmail(dot)com

-||-    -||-    -||-    -||-

Minister

I currently serve as the Minister of Peace & Justice at Joy Mennonite Church in Oklahoma City.

I also edit/publish The Mennonite Worker of Oklahoma City Newspaper.

Lawyer

picture of attorney James M. Branum

Since 2006 I have operated a solo law practice, working in the areas of military law (nation-wide) as well as civilian law in Oklahoma. (My c.v. can be found here.)

At this time I am not taking new cases with the exception of select military law matters related to conscientious objection and war resistance and LGBT Estate planning.

If you are looking for an attorney for another matter in Oklahoma, I encourage you to contact one of the following folks (these are all friends or family, but I also think they do good work.):

If you are looking for a lawyer for a case outside of Oklahoma, I recommend consulting the directory of the National Lawyers Guild.

 

General Disclaimers: This website is designed to provide general information for clients and those browsing our firm’s website and should not be construed as legal advice, or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. This web site is designed for general information only. The information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.

Any reference on this website to results obtained in a particular matter does not infer the probability of success for any prospective client in regard to any particular case, as each case stands on it own merits.

Pedicab Driver

For more information on my occasional work as pedicab driver in Oklahoma City, please visit OKCPedicab.com.

Teacher

CLE Trainings for Attorneys

I can provide CLE (continuing legal education) training for your local bar assocication or advocacy group. These trainings can be adapted to your local needs but most often serve as an introduction to military law for civilian attorneys who want to assist military servicemembers in their area. My past presentations have been approved for credit by the state bars of Oklahoma, Texas, California, Washington, Alaska and New Mexico.

GI Rights Counselor Trainings

These trainings normally run over a weekend and serve as an introductory training for new GI Rights paralegal counselors. I can do these trainings on my own or with other trainers from the Military Law Task Force.

GI Advocate Trainings

These trainings are much shorter (typically 3-4 hours) and serve as introduction for peace/veterans’ rights activists on the various resources that are available to assist Servicemembers in need.

I am willing to travel just about anywhere to do a training, but it is important to get me on your schedule far in advance. I normally charge $250-500 per day plus expenses, but these rates can be reduced under special circumstances.

If you are interested in me doing a training in your area, please contact me.

My c.v. can be found here.

Past trainings have included:

CLE Trainings for Attorneys

  • CLE “Representing soldiers who can no longer serve” in Anchorage, Alaska – taught with Peggy Herman and Margaret Stock (October 2008)
  • CLE “Representing soldiers who can no longer serve” in Fairbanks, Alaska – taught with Peggy Herman and Margaret Stock (October 2008)
  • Participated in two CLE panels at the NLG National Convention in Seattle (2009)
  • CLE “Doing your first court-martial” at the Texoma Regional Convention in Killeen, Texas (2009)
  • CLE session “Doing Justice: Representing Unpopular Clients” at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston (2011)
  • CLE session “Army AWOL Defense” at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque (2011)

GI Rights Counselor and Advocate Trainings

  • Introductory G.I. Rights Counselor training in Oklahoma City, OK (with Luke & Marti Hiken)
  • Introductory G.I. Rights Counselor training in Manhattan, KS (with Luke & Marti Hiken)
  • G.I. Rights Advocate training in Colorado Springs, CO
  • G.I. Rights counselor training on AWOL policies at the GI rights Network conference in Atlanta, GA (2009)
  • G.I. Rights counselor training on AWOL policies at the GI rights Network conference in San Francisco, CA (2010)
  • G.I. Rights counselor training on AWOL policies at Under the Hood outreach center, Killeen, TX
  • Advanced G.I. Rights counselor training for the Flint Hills GI Rights Hotline in Manhattan, KS (2011)
  • G.I. Rights counselor training on AWOL policies at the GI rights Network conference in Fayetteville, AR (2012)

Other educational presentations

  • Presentation on civilian practice before military courts at the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville (2010)
  • Co-presented “How Does One’s World View and Faith Affect Career Choices?” at Oklahoma City University School of Law (2010)
  • Presentation to the Bankruptcy Section of the Oklahoma County Bar Association (2012)

Hobbyist

Some of my hobbies include:

Stamp Collecting

I am a world-wide collector, focusing mostly on low-cost used stamps (I love knowing that a stamp was actually used to carry mail in some exotic locale). Countries where I have the most stamps include: USA, Canada, Cuba, USSR/Russia, Germany, UK, Spain, Australia and New Zealand.

I am a proud member of the American Philatelic Society

Photography

I take lots and lots of pictures, mostly of interesting things I see in Oklahoma and on my travels. I also take lots of pictures of my family, church, and the local activist community.

Blogging

Read my blog: JMBzine.com (written since 1999)

Organic Gardening

Check back for pictures from this year’s garden

Cooking

Favorite cuisines to cook are Barbeque, Cajun/creole, Soul food, Tex-mex and Mexican

Enjoying good food and drink

I am a beer reviewer at BeerAdvocate.com.

I also love hole-in-the wall restaurants in both small towns and in out-of-the-spotlight urban neighborhoods. In the future I will be writing some reviews of these establishments at Urbanspoon.com.

Loving dogs

Our family currently has 3 dogs: Gitli (a happy-go-lucky wire-haired doxie); Otis (a one-eyed pug) and Maxwell (a grumpy chihuahua).

Contact

Telephone: 405-494-0562

Fax: 866-757-8785

Email: girightslawyer@gmail.com

Postal Mail: PO Box 721016, Oklahoma City, OK 73172