Lieutenant Colonel (LtCol) Suzy Dempsey has been serving as a Marine Corps Judge Advocate since 2007. She has been designated an expert litigator (4453) and military justice specialist (4409). She is currently serving as Regional Special Trial Counsel-National Capital Region.
LtCol Dempsey was born and raised in Wisconsin. She studied aviation flight and management and music at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. She graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Management. During college, she earned a multi-engine commercial pilot license with an instrument rating.
After flying cargo commercially, she changed career paths and began her military service. She attended Officer Candidates School after her first year of law school, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 2004. She returned to the University of Arizona to complete law school, and earned her Juris Doctorate in 2006.
Upon completion of The Basic School and Naval Justice School in 2007, First Lieutenant Dempsey reported to the Legal Services Support Section (LSSS) aboard Camp Pendleton, California. She promoted to Captain (Capt) and served as Defense Counsel, Review Officer-in-Charge (OIC), and LSSS Assistant OIC. During this time she and her teammates represented a Marine pending a capital sentence rehearing, ultimately securing him a life sentence.
Capt Dempsey transferred to Judge Advocate Division, Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps in 2011. She served as Legal Assistance Attorney and Officer Misconduct Officer. While there she contributed to the revision of the Marine Corps Legal Assistance Program Manual and the Officer Misconduct Volume of the Legal Support and Administration Manual. She also led the final development, beta-testing, and full roll-out of the automated Officer Disciplinary Notebook Management System.
In March 2014, Capt Dempsey reported to the Navy and Marine Corps Appellate Review Activity where she promoted to Major (Maj) and served as Appellate Government Counsel, Senior Appellate Government Counsel, and Appellate Government Division Deputy Director. She filed numerous pleadings with the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF) and the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals (NMCCA) and argued three times before each Court.
In 2016, Major (Maj) Dempsey was competitively selected by the Commandant’s Professional Intermediate-Level Education Board to participate in the Special Education Program-Law. She attended Georgetown University and earned a Master of Laws degree. Maj Dempsey focused her studies in criminal law and technology, and was designated a military justice specialist (4409) upon graduation.
After school, Maj Dempsey reported for duty as the Senior Defense Counsel, Legal Services Support Team-Cherry Point, North Carolina. In October 2019, upon selection to Lieutenant Colonel (LtCol), she transferred to the LSSS aboard Camp Lejeune, North Carolina to assume the role as Regional Defense Counsel, Eastern Region.
In June 2021, LtCol Dempsey transferred to Quantico, Virginia to serve as the Staff Judge Advocate for Marine Corps Recruiting Command. While there, she assisted in a complete administrative and legal review of the Officer Commissioning Manual and completed Air War College Distance Education Program. After two years, she transferred to assume her current duties as Regional Special Trial Counsel, National Capital Region.