Prior to joining Littler Mendelson, Ryan R. Crosswell was a judge advocate in the United States Marine Corps. As a defense attorney he represented over 100 servicemembers facing either criminal charges or adverse administrative hearings. Ryan was lead counsel on six contested jury trials and eleven sentencing cases in front of a military judge in cases alleging a range of crimes, including drug use, drug distribution, assault, sexual assault, larceny, fraud, resisting arrest and falsifying court documents. He also wrote and argued over twenty motions at courts-martial and served as lead counsel in five Article 32 investigations, which are the military equivalent of grand jury hearings. In addition, Ryan negotiated more than thirty pre-trial agreements resulting in either favorable sentencing caps or dispositions of charges in lower forums.

Ryan began his military law practice as a legal assistance attorney, in which he provided legal advice to servicemembers and their families regarding a range of issues, including family law, landlord-tenant, debt relief, estate planning, and veterans’ benefits.  For squadrons deploying worldwide, he briefed Marines on potential legal issues that could arise for them and their families during their time abroad.

Ryan also worked as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar and served as a legal representative on the base’s Crisis Action Team. In this capacity, he was directly involved with MCAS Miramar’s response to the F-18 crash in San Diego, CA that made national headlines in December 2008.