Jon Shelburne

Jon Shelburne is an experienced trial attorney who works primarily in the area of military criminal defense as a military defense attorney.  He has defended complex cases for more than 20 years. In the past year he has successfully defended military members in cases ranging from rape or sexual assault to simple orders violations.  He has a global practice having tried cases throughout Europe, Asia and the United States.  He is certified to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and is certified to practice in both Rhode Island and Texas.

Prior to joining Military Justice Attorneys, Jon served as a Professor and Acting Director of the Roger Williams School of Law Criminal Defense Clinic.  He taught courses in Trial Advocacy, Advanced Trial Advocacy, Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure as well as seminars on Military Law, Terrorism and the First Amendment, and International Law.  He served as the Director of Competitions for the law school for five years and was an advisor for the Moot Court board.  He also coached moot court and mock trial teams for ten years.  Teams he coached or mentored won National and Regional honors and enjoyed success at all levels.

Jon is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.  He is currently a Regional Judge Advocate for the Northeast Region.  Prior to this assignment, he served as the Assistant Regional Defense Counsel for the East Coast.  He deployed to Iraq in 2004 and defends Marines in high visibility cases that often receive international attention.  Shortly after returning from Iraq, he was certified as a military judge.  Lieutenant Colonel Shelburne served on active duty with the Marine Corps for more than ten years prior to joining the faculty at Roger Williams University School of Law in 2002.

In addition to his work with the law school and the Marines, Jon continues to teach at Legal Education conferences across the United States.  He regularly teaches ethics, professional responsibility and other topics at both military and civilian Continuing Legal Education conferences.  He also remains active in international law serving as an adjunct professor with the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies in places such as Bosnia, Cambodia, Colombia, Czech Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, Guatemala, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mexico, Moldova, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.  He also teaches at resident courses sponsored by the Defense Institute in Newport, RI.