Kevin Courtney, founder of Courtney Military Law Group, P.C., has been selected to the 2027 Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars list — a peer-driven honor given to no more than 2.5% of attorneys in the region. It is his third consecutive selection, following recognition in 2025 and 2026, and it will be published in the 2027 Super Lawyers magazine.
A Southern California Rising Stars honor, three years running
Recognition that repeats is worth more than recognition that happens once. Being named to the Rising Stars list for 2025, 2026, and now 2027 reflects a consistent, year-over-year assessment by peers and independent researchers — not a single good season.
The distinction is also selective. No more than 2.5% of attorneys in Southern California are named to the Rising Stars list in a given year. For clients, that scarcity matters less as a trophy and more as a signal: it is one more independent data point that the firm they are considering is taken seriously by other lawyers who know the work.
How Super Lawyers selects its Rising Stars
Super Lawyers uses a patented, multi-phase selection process, and it is worth understanding because it is what gives the honor weight. Selection combines three things: nominations from other attorneys, independent research by the Super Lawyers team, and a peer review of the strongest candidates in each practice area.
The research looks at 12 indicators of professional achievement — experience, honors, bar activity, community service, and results among them. Just as important is what the process does not allow. A lawyer cannot nominate themselves, cannot campaign for the honor, and cannot buy a place on the list. That independence is the point. When an outside organization applies its own standard and reaches the same conclusion three years in a row, it says something a firm cannot say about itself. You can review the full Super Lawyers selection process directly.
Establishing a military law practice rooted in Southern California
Southern California is home to one of the largest active-duty, veteran, and military-family populations in the country. From Camp Pendleton to San Diego’s Navy and Marine Corps commands, the region is full of service members and veterans who carry the weight of an adverse action on their record and are not sure where to turn.
Courtney Military Law Group is based in Orange County and built for exactly those clients. While the firm represents service members and veterans nationwide, this recognition reflects a growing, established presence here at home — a military law practice that peers in the Southern California legal community know and respect. For a client comparing options, that local footing offers something reassuring: experienced, focused counsel who understands this community and is recognized within it.
The work behind the recognition
An honor like this is ultimately a reflection of the cases and the clients behind it. Asked what the work means to him, Kevin put it plainly.
“Every service member who earns an honorable record deserves to have it reflected accurately. Helping deserving veterans restore their honor and reputations — through discharge upgrades and BCMR and BCNR corrections — is the most meaningful work I do. This recognition belongs as much to the clients who trusted me with their cases as it does to me.”
That focus drives the firm’s two core practice areas: discharge upgrade petitions for veterans carrying a less-than-honorable characterization, and corrections to military records before the Boards for Correction of Military and Naval Records. Both are evidence-intensive, and both can restore something a service member earned and lost.
About Courtney Military Law Group
Kevin Courtney is a former Marine Corps Judge Advocate who now represents service members, veterans, and retirees in military law matters. The firm’s work includes discharge upgrades, BCMR and BCNR records corrections, CRSC appeals, administrative separation boards, boards of inquiry, and security clearance matters. Kevin also shares plain-English guidance on these topics through the firm’s YouTube channel.
This selection follows another recent milestone: his selection for promotion to Major in the Marine Corps Reserve. Both reflect the same commitment — to the uniform, and to the people who wear it.
Talk with the firm
If you are a service member, veteran, or retiree weighing a discharge upgrade or a records-correction petition, the firm can review your situation and explain your options. You can request a case review through the contact page.
This article is general information and is not legal advice. Every case is different, and outcomes depend on the record, the requested relief, the applicable board, and the strength of the evidence. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. If you have questions about your situation, speak with a qualified military law attorney.