Dear Viewer:
Please accept this letter and supporting resume as my written
application to serve as your criminal defense attorney. I am
cautiously optimistic that after you consider my extensive
courtroom experience as an Attorney and as a Military Judge and
local Magistrate, you will determine that I am the one you want
to be standing next to when your freedom is in jeopardy.
You may be aware that effective 1 July, 2006 I was promoted to
Colonel in the United States Marine Corp Reserve. I obtained
this rank through hard work, outstanding performance, and by
striving to uphold the highest traditions and customs of the
Marine Corps every day since commissioned as a Second Lieutenant
in 1985.
I can serve my clients well, just as I have served our Country
and its military members well since being sworn in as a Reserve
Military Judge for the Western Judicial Circuit in 2003. In July
2007, I was mobilized by the USMC to serve as the sole Marine
Judge in Iraq, and spent nearly 100 days inside the combat zone.
As Military Judge, I have presided over special (misdemeanor)
and general (felony) Courts-martial on such bases as Camp
Pendleton Ca.; Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego Ca.; Naval
Air Station, Mirimar Ca.; Naval Great Lakes Training Command,
Chicago, Ill. and the Marine Corps Base, Quantico, VA.
Specifically, I support the active duty trial judiciary by
presiding over members (or jury) trials, as well as pretrial
motions, guilty pleas and sentencing hearings. One trial in
particular included twenty witnesses and more than sixty
exhibits. I have considered and ruled on such complicated issues
as admissibility of evidence, unlawful command influence, and
alleged violations of a service member’s constitutional rights.
Following contested trials or guilty pleas, which last a minimum
of forty-five minutes, I routinely brief both counsel regarding
their performance and offer constructive criticism.
My military career began in Quantico, Va. with Marine Corps
Officer Candidate School. I graduated with Honors, Aug. 1985.
After graduating from UC law school in 1987, I completed the
Marine Corps Basic Officer Course and the Naval Justice School
in 1988, graduating with Honors. Some of my past military
billets include: Assistant Regional Defense Counsel for the East
Region USMC Reserve; Administration Officer for the Marine Corps
Mobilization Station, USMC Reserve, and Judge Advocate, Camp
Pendleton, California, USMC while on active duty. My entire
active duty career was spent in the courtroom, where I was
engaged in every phase of litigation on a daily basis.
Although my military obligations have taken me around the
country, my roots and my family are in Clermont County, Ohio. As
the fifth of eight children of Fran and Martha Rapp, I quickly
learned how to get along with others, and was immediately
exposed to their hard work ethic, as well as their strong
Christian conservative values. I attended St. Bernadette School,
and grew up supporting Clermont County elected officials by
hanging signs and passing out literature with my Dad, and
cheering election results at home with my family.
A 1980 graduate of Amelia High School, I was a member of the
National Honor Society, lettered in three sports, and was “All
County Running Back” my Senior year. I graduated in 1982 from UC
Clermont College Summa Cum Laude with an Associates of Arts
Degree in Liberal Arts and was Student Valedictorian. I earned a
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UC in March 1984
again graduating Summa Cum Laude. I graduated from UC College of
Law in May 1987, and subsequently reported for active duty.
I began my civilian legal career in Cincinnati in 1991, where I
built a successful practice. In 2000, I bought property in
Amelia and moved back home. I also moved my law office to One
East Main Street, Amelia, The Amelia State Bank Building, where
I try to help an additional 300 to 350 people per year. My
practice is extremely busy. I routinely appear in various
counties, including, but not limited
to Clermont, Hamilton, Brown, Adams, Butler, and Warren. I have
also tried cases in Campbell, Covington and Boone Counties in
Kentucky.
I was lead counsel for a capital murder client in Lagrange Ky.,
whose case lasted almost four years, and in Campbell County, KY,
I successfully defended an older male charged with rape of a
teenage male on the theory of consent.
I have represented clients in civil and criminal trials in the
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio. I defended the
first federal carjacking case in the Southern District of Ohio,
and I believe I tried the first jury trial in the United States
District, Eastern District of Kentucky’s new courthouse in
Covington, KY.
In Hamilton County, Ohio I got a "Not Guilty" finding from a
jury for my client charged with Murder on the theory of self
defense. This was particularly rewarding given that a high
profile criminal defense attorney had initially plead him guilty
to manslaughter with an expectation of a 10 to 12 yearsentence.
Fortunately, the Judge allowed us to withdraw his plea of guilty
after I substituted as counsel for the Defendant.
In Clermont County, I obtained a straight "Not Guilty" for a
Defendant charged with 10 Counts of Attempted Aggravated Murder,
plus Burglary and Arson charges. That Defendant had spent eight
months in pretrial confinement with 2 public defenders who had
repeatedly told him that his cases could not be won, before I
was retained and substituted for both Counsel.
While I prefer litigation to appellate work, I have had the
opportunity early in my practice to research, draft, file and
argue federal appeal cases before U.S. Circuit Courts located in
such cities as Cincinnati, Philadelphia, New York, Denver, San
Antonio, and Chicago.
In addition to my extensive private practice and my sitting as
Judge for the United States Marine Corps Reserves, I also
preside as the Magistrate for the Villages of both Sardinia and
Bethel Mayor’s courts. I have three years experience hearing
many of the same criminal and traffic cases that I represent my
own clients on. I respectfully submit that it is because of
these extensive and diverse courtroom experiences and successes
that I believe I am most qualified to REPRESENT YOU!
I am confident that if the Courts where I have appeared on one
or on one hundred occasions are contacted, the presiding judge
will surely comment that I was prepared, knowledgeable,
professional, and courteous. In the words of Captain Rolph, USN
the Chief Military Judge of the Navy and the Marine Corps in
2005, “ LtCol. Rapp’s decisions, consistently made in a superior
manner, are fully supported by law. Assigned complex members
trials, SNO [subject named officer] has continued to perform his
duties as military judge in an outstanding manner. Justice is
well served when SNO is on
the Bench. Outstanding military appearance. Highest
recommendation for promotion.”
In the interest of justice, THAT IS JUSTICE FOR YOU, I
respectfully request that you consider my request to become your
defense counsel. When selecting the most qualified person, I am
confident that you will agree with me that it is experience in
the courtroom that counts.
Sincerely,
William J. Rapp, Esq.
Resume of William J. Rapp |
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