D-Day Justice: Fake Army Veteran Divorce Lawyer Fooled Clients, Colleagues, and Judges Throughout Silicon Valley

Using False Stories of Vietnam Valor, Family Law Attorney Bradford Baugh Generated Clients, Millions in Legal Fees

For over 25 years, Silicon Valley divorce lawyer Brad Baugh has been known for his endless, repetitive boasting about his heroic exploits as a soldier in the Vietnam War. Part of his sales pitch to potential clients is that they would be hiring, and helping a veteran who had served his country with distinction. And he rarely missed an opportunity to remind colleagues, court employees and family court judges of the selfless sacrifice he made as a front line fighter in Southeast Asia.

But an investigation by a "stolen valor" veterans research organization has determined that Baugh's claims about military service during the Vietnam War era are not true. Government records and other sources, including the 1968 yearbook from Del Valle High School in Walnut Creek show the lawyers assertions to be demonstrably false. In 1968, Baugh went directly from high school, to Stanford University in the fall, and never served in the military.

Attorney Brad Baugh appears in several places in the 1968 Del Valle High
School yearbook - including this listing for the student council. The same
year he claimed to a soldier in Vietnam.

Baugh repeatedly promoted his status as a veteran to generate business and grow his law practice, according to current and former clients, many of whom said they fell for the ruse and did hire Baugh because he was a vet.

Court appointed experts who worked on family court cases involving the lawyer said Baugh would also brag about the high number of enemy fatalities he was personally responsible for during his service in Vietnam.

Several experts interpreted Baugh's unsettling recitation of his "kill count" as a veiled threat or intimidation tactic, intended to ensure that the testimony of experts was favorable to his clients.

1968 Del Valle High School Senior
 Brad Baugh yearbook listing.

The veterans group said they will ask the Supreme Court and State Bar to disbar the controversial attorney, and are closely reviewing the case for possible referral to the U.S. Department of Justice for criminal prosecution under the Stolen Valor Act.

California Business and Professions Code § 6106 prohibits acts involving dishonesty or corruption, "whether the act is committed in the course of his relations as an attorney or otherwise."

The law has been well established since at least 1992, according to the State Bar Compendium of Professional Responsibility, a directory of past disciplinary decisions against lawyers.

Baugh may also be vulnerable to civil lawsuits. A jury in Montana recently assessed $1.7 million in damages against fake veteran Laron Shannon for fraud and negligent misrepresentation in a case involving his business, Oilfield Warriors, an oilfield services company.

Shannon misrepresented himself to clients and investors as an active U.S. Marine when he "never actually served in the United States Marine Corps or in any other military service branch," according to the lawsuit.

The litigation was filed by Don Kaltschmidt, an actual, former Marine who thought he was investing in a veteran-owned business.

“When someone infiltrates this community of veterans, it’s a violation of our code… We earned the right to be called Marines, and when someone who has not earned that right (calls themselves a Marine), you feel violated,” he said. “This lawsuit was not about me. It was about making sure Shannon didn’t do this again.” the Flathead Beacon reported.

Clients, former clients, court employees and others in the legal community who contributed to this report asked not to be named for fear of retaliation by Baugh, who is known to be ruthlessly vindictive and is well-connected in the Santa Clara County Bar Association and among judges and court clerks.

One court employee said they believed former law partners of Baugh were in on the military service deception, which generated substantial business for Baugh and his associates. "Brad's lies have been so brazen and reckless that he's like a serial killer who leaves clues because he wants to get caught."