Aaron Matthes is a federal employment attorney with over 13 years of legal experience in the federal sector, bringing a rare combination of active-duty military service, government agency counsel, and private practice to his work at the National Security Law Firm (NSLF). Prior to joining NSLF, Aaron served as a Federal Labor and Employment Attorney in the Office of General Counsel at the Defense Health Agency (DHA), where he both advised senior leaders and decision makers on the full range of labor and employment matters and actively litigated employment law cases on behalf of the agency. His time at DHA, coupled with his active-duty service as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army JAG Corps, gives him an insider’s understanding of how federal agencies and military organizations operate, and how to most effectively advocate for those navigating those systems.
Aaron’s federal employment practice at NSLF focuses on representing federal employees in the most consequential matters they will face in their careers. He has appeared as an advocate before the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), representing clients in matters involving removals, suspensions, discrimination, retaliation, and harassment.
Aaron’s JAG Corps career reflects the breadth of his legal experience. He served as Brigade Judge Advocate for the 1st Armored Division Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Bliss, Texas, as legal advisor to the 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Carson, Colorado, and as a Senior Special Victims’ Counsel at the 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where he represented victims of sexual assault through the military’s investigative and adjudicative processes. He also served as a military prosecutor and criminal defense counsel, giving him litigation experience from every angle of the courtroom. Aaron continues to serve his country as an officer in the United States Army Reserve.
A published legal scholar, Aaron authored “The Myth of the Firewall: Addressing Conflicts of Interest in Army Equal Employment Opportunity Complaint Processing,” which appeared in the ABA Journal of Labor & Employment Law in 2024, a testament to his deep knowledge of the very systems his clients must navigate. He also co-authored “A Roadmap for Leaders of SVCs (Special Victims’ Counsel),” published in The Army Lawyer in 2019.
Aaron earned his J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law, where he was a member of the Order of Barristers, competed on the National Moot Court Team, and was recognized as the Best Appellate Brief Writer at the WVU Baker Cup Moot Court Competition. He subsequently earned an LL.M. in Military Law with a concentration in Administrative and Civil Law from The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School. He holds a B.S. from Old Dominion University, where he was a member of the Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society. Aaron is admitted to the West Virginia State Bar. Aaron resides in El Paso, Texas, with his family.