Former Agency Insiders. Elite Federal Employment Lawyers. Relentless Results.

You have spent years serving your country – nights, weekends, crisis after crisis.
Now the system you kept running is coming for your career.

A retaliatory PIP. A proposed removal. A denied promotion. A whisper about your clearance.

You do not need sympathy. You need strategy – and a federal employment lawyer who knows how to fight your agency from the inside out.

The National Security Law Firm (NSLF) is the nation’s leading federal employment law firm.
Our federal employment lawyers are former DHS, TSA, CBP, DOJ and other agency counsel who use insider knowledge to protect federal professionals like you and maximize the total value of every case.

4.9★ Google | Nationwide Federal Employment Lawyers | Flat Fees + Financing

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Why Federal Employees Choose NSLF’s Federal Employment Lawyers

Insider Advantage

We have sat in the same agency conference rooms that built the case against you.
We know the personalities, politics, and procedures because we helped design them.

When you hire NSLF, you are not hiring an outsider who is learning federal employment law on the fly. You are hiring federal employment attorneys who already know your agency’s playbook and how deciding officials really think.

Outcome Engineering

Every case begins with one question:

How do we increase this client’s total career value in pay, reputation, and future?

We are not interested in quick, cheap settlements that let the agency write the story of your career. We build leverage until your agency realizes it misjudged you, then we close on your terms.

Mission-Ready Team

Veteran founded. Former agency counsel. Federal trial lawyers and MSPB lawyers.
Every major case is reviewed by our Attorney Review Board to sharpen arguments, predict agency tactics, and raise your settlement ceiling.

You are not hiring a solo practitioner. You are putting an entire unit of elite federal employment lawyers behind you.

How Our Federal Employment Lawyers Maximize Case Value

  • Rapid Command Takeover – We stabilize your case immediately: deadlines locked, filings drafted, evidence secured.

  • Insider Strategy – We find pressure points in HR, OGC, and leadership that other federal employment attorneys miss.

  • Value Engineering – We model every recoverable dollar and benefit: back pay, benefits, promotion value, pension impact, and future earnings.

  • Attorney Review Board – Multi-attorney review to strengthen leverage, arguments, and global strategy.

  • Negotiation or Trial – We do what maximizes your result, not what is easiest for the lawyer.

The Federal Employment Battlefield

Federal employment law is not one court or one rule. It is a maze: EEOC, MSPB, OSC, OPM, OFO, FLRA and internal grievance systems, with deadlines counted in days, not months.

Agencies count on that confusion.
We do not.

Our federal employment lawyers wrote and applied many of those playbooks and know where every trap – and every opportunity – lies.

When your career is under fire, we become your command center, coordinating the legal, tactical, and emotional steps that turn chaos into control.

Federal Employees We Represent

We defend and empower federal employees across every agency and every stage of their career, including:

  • Facing PIPs, removals, or demotions under Chapter 43 or 75

  • Experiencing harassment, discrimination, or retaliation

  • Fighting EEO or whistleblower reprisal

  • Seeking reasonable accommodation for disability or religion

  • Pursuing promotion denials, reclassification, or pay disputes

  • Navigating security clearance or suitability issues

  • Responding to Inspector General or OSC investigations

  • Dealing with furloughs, RIFs, or adverse actions

  • Fighting for benefits, back pay, and reinstatement

Every client is different, but they share one thing: they are the backbone of this country.
Our federal employment lawyers make sure they are treated that way.

Insider Advantage You Cannot Get Anywhere Else

When you hire NSLF, you are not hiring an outsider who will learn your agency as they go.

You are hiring former agency counsel and career federal employment attorneys who already know:

  • The people and power structures inside your agency

  • How HR, EEO, OGC, and leadership coordinate against you

  • Which legal arguments resonate with deciding officials and which ones fail

  • How to exploit blind spots in agency reasoning because we created and saw those blind spots in government service

That is what sets us apart.
That is why we win cases others said were impossible.
That is why federal employees across the country trust NSLF’s federal employment lawyers when everything is on the line.

Powerful Representation. Human Approach.

When your world feels like it is collapsing, you do not need legal jargon.
You need a team that listens, explains, and fights like hell.

Our clients often come to us at their lowest point – accused, ignored, or broken down by bureaucracy. Within weeks, they feel the shift:

  • Confusion replaced by clarity

  • Fear replaced by a concrete case plan

  • Isolation replaced by an elite team of federal employment lawyers in their corner

We do not just fight cases.
We rebuild careers.
We restore dignity.
We remind the system – and sometimes our clients – that one bad supervisor or one unfair process does not define a lifetime of service.

Our Promise to Federal Employees

At NSLF, every client gets:

  • A strategic plan tailored to their goals and risk tolerance

  • Clear communication and honest expectations from experienced federal employment attorneys

  • Flat or predictable fees – no hourly surprises

  • Access to flexible legal financing through Pay Later by Affirm

  • The strength of a team that reviews, debates, and refines every move

We operate with military precision, legal excellence, and unshakable loyalty to the people we serve. We will tell you the truth about your case – even when it is hard – and fight as if our own careers and pensions were at stake.

Why NSLF Is the #1 Choice for Federal Employees

  • Unmatched Experience – Former federal counsel and litigators with decades of government service, now federal employment lawyers fighting for you.

  • Elite Focus – One mission: federal and military employment law. We are not dabbling in federal employment as a side practice.

  • Proven Record – 4.9-star Google rating with hundreds of victories and life-changing results.

  • Nationwide Reach – From the Pentagon to Portland, our federal employment lawyers represent employees everywhere.

  • Mission Driven – Veteran founded and built on discipline, integrity, and purpose.

  • Results That Change Lives – Six-figure settlements, reinstated careers, restored reputations, and strategic exits that protect your future.

We are not just another law firm.
We are the federal employment lawyers the government hopes you never find.

Read more about How NSLF Compares to Other Federal Employment Law Firms

Your Next Step

You do not have to navigate this alone. The deadlines are short. The system is unforgiving. With the right federal employment lawyer beside you, you can protect everything you have earned and come out ahead.

Let us start building your comeback.

National Security Law Firm: It’s Our Turn to Fight for You.

Ready to Go Deeper? 

When your career is under fire, confusion is the enemy and clarity is leverage.
Everything above is your strategy – how we maximize case value, why insider experience matters, and what to do next.

What comes next is your field manual.

Our FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT DEFENSE HUB is one of the most comprehensive resources in the nation for federal employees facing discipline, discrimination, or retaliation. It was built for the late-night search, the 10-day reply window, and the “what do I do now” moment.

Use it to understand the battlefield.
Then call our federal employment lawyers to turn knowledge into leverage.

NSLF’s FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT DEFENSE HUB

The Nation’s Most Comprehensive Guide for Federal Employees Facing Discipline, Discrimination, or Retaliation

When your job, pension, clearance, or reputation is on the line, you do not need a maze. You need a map.

This Hub is that map: step-by-step guides, insider strategies, and plain-English answers from federal employment lawyers who used to advise the very agencies you are facing now.

It is organized for the real world, so you know exactly where to start, what deadlines control, what evidence matters, and how to protect the total value of your career.

How To Use This Hub

  • If you have received a proposal: open Adverse Actions and Discipline and follow the reply checklist today.

  • If you are on a PIP: go to Performance and Promotions and read the survival guide.

  • If you are facing bias or retaliation: start with Discrimination and Harassment or Whistleblower and Retaliation to preserve claims and timing.

  • If your trust is being questioned: see Security Clearances and Suitability for the employment plus clearance strategy.

When you are ready to move from research to results, our federal employment lawyers will convert this plan into leverage, negotiation, and win conditions.

Get Your Free Case Plan »

The Core Principles of Federal Employment

Federal employment law is a world with its own rules, deadlines, and traps. A skilled federal employment lawyer can help you understand the protections Congress built into the system — and how agencies misuse or ignore those protections. This section explains the foundations every federal employee must know if they want to fight back effectively.

Privacy, Ethics & Political Activity

The rules that protect the government can also protect you — if you know how to use them.

Social Media, Speech & Off-Duty Conduct

Federal employees often learn the hard way that First Amendment rights are limited in government service. Our federal employment attorneys regularly defend employees accused of misconduct based on speech, posts, or off-duty activity. This section explains when agencies can discipline you — and when they overreach.

  • Discipline for Social Media Posts
  • Off-Duty Speech & First Amendment Limits for Federal Employees
  • Anonymous Online Activity (Reddit, X, TikTok, LinkedIn)
  • “Bringing Discredit to the Agency” and Conduct Unbecoming
  • When Online Activity Becomes a Security or Suitability Issue

Adverse Actions: Discipline, Termination & Suspensions

When your agency proposes discipline, you need a federal employment lawyer immediately.
Deadlines are short, mistakes are permanent, and your entire career is on the line.
This section gives you the strategy federal employees need to survive suspensions, removals, and demotions.

Core Adverse Actions 

Indefinite Suspensions

Penalty & Settlement Tools 

Investigations, Interviews & Evidence

Federal employees facing OIG, OSC, AIB, or management investigations should never walk into an interview without understanding their rights. A federal employee attorney can be the difference between discipline and dismissal of allegations. This section shows you how investigations really work — and how to protect yourself.

Misconduct Charges & Defenses 

Misconduct charges are the engine of most removals. Our MSPB lawyers and federal employment attorneys routinely dismantle weak, retaliatory, or misapplied charges.
This section explains how agencies overcharge, how to defend yourself, and how to argue Douglas mitigation that actually works.

Common Misconduct Charges

How to Fight Misconduct Charges

Special Topics

Off-Duty Misconduct & Nexus Explained

Federal agencies frequently discipline employees for off-duty conduct—including arrests, DUIs, domestic disputes, financial problems, and social media activity. These cases almost always rely on conduct unbecoming and the concept of nexus, meaning the agency must show a relationship between your off-duty behavior and the efficiency of the service.

Off-Duty Misconduct Categories

  • Arrests & Criminal Charges
  • DUIs & Alcohol-Related Misconduct
  • Domestic Disturbances
  • Financial Problems & Indebtedness
  • Social Media Activity
  • Moral Conduct Violations

Understanding “Nexus”

  • Impact on job performance
  • Harm to agency mission or reputation
  • Trust, reliability, or suitability concerns

Deep-Dive Guides on Off-Duty Misconduct

  • Off-Duty Arrests & Criminal Charges for Federal Employees
  • DUIs and Federal Employment: Will You Be Removed?
  • Domestic Disturbances & Family Issues
  • Financial Problems & Indebtedness
  • Off-Duty Social Media Misconduct
  • Moral Conduct & Character Issues
  • Nexus Explained: How Agencies Link Off-Duty Conduct to Your Job
  • How to Fight Off-Duty Misconduct Allegations
  • Security Clearance Risks From Off-Duty Conduct
  • When Off-Duty Issues Become Suitability Problems

Performance & Promotion Defense

Performance cases are one of the most commonly abused tools agencies use against federal employees. A federal employment lawyer can help you challenge unfair ratings, survive PIPs, and stop retaliatory paper trails before they destroy your career.
This section teaches you how to protect your record and your advancement.

Hiring, Nonselection & Merit Promotion Disputes

Our federal employment lawyers frequently challenge preselection, manipulated job postings, sham interviews, and illegal rating practices that block qualified candidates.
This section shows you your options when a hiring process was rigged or your experience was undervalued.

  • Denials of Promotions 
  • Denials of Promotions (Merit Promotion & Competitive Examining)
  • Preselection and Sham Vacancy Announcements
  • Manipulated Areas of Consideration (Internal Only, Limited Posting)
  • Assessment Questionnaires and Score Manipulation
  • How to Challenge Nonselection (EEO, OSC, or Grievance Routes)

Suitability & Security-Related Actions

When trust and suitability are questioned, you need both a federal employment lawyer and a security clearance lawyer who understand how personnel, clearance, and suitability systems intersect.
This section explains how to fight suitability determinations, debarments, fitness-for-duty removals, and security-based actions.

Drug Testing, Prescription Medications & Workplace Impairment

  • Random and Reasonable Suspicion Drug Testing
  • Marijuana Use & Federal Employment
  • Prescription Medications and Safety-Sensitive Positions
  • Positive Tests and Their Impact on Discipline, Security, and Suitability

Reasonable Accommodations, Leave & Benefits

Federal employees frequently face illegal medical documentation demands, RA denials, and leave retaliation. A federal disability accommodation lawyer can stop the process from being abused and protect your career.
This section empowers you to assert your rights and secure the accommodations you need.

Reasonable Accommodations (Non-Disability Discrimination)

  • Reasonable Accommodation Requests
  • Reasonable Accommodation Denials
  • Leave as a Reasonable Accommodation
  • Telework as a Reasonable Accommodation
  • Medical Leave Confusion: FMLA, RA, OWCP & Medical Inability Removal

Medical Documentation

  • Medical Documentation Wars in Federal Employment
  • What Medical Documentation Can a Federal Agency Legally Ask For?
  • What Agencies Can NOT Ask For: Medical Privacy Limits for Federal Employees
  • When the Agency Says “Insufficient Medical Evidence”: How to Respond the Right Way
  • How to Fix a Denied Accommodation: The Medical Evidence Strategy
  • Your Doctor’s Note Was Rejected: Here’s What to Do Next
  • Medical Privacy Violations in Federal Agencies: What’s Allowed? What’s Illegal?
  • OPF Medical Records Requests: When Agencies Cross the Line
  • How Much Medical Information Should You Give Your Federal Employer?
  • Delays in the RA Process (“We’re Waiting on Medical”): How to Break the Stalemate
  • Mental Health Documentation Battles: Anxiety, ADHD, and PTSD in Federal Employment

Leave & Attendance

AWOL, LWOP, and sick leave decisions are some of the most commonly mishandled actions in federal employment. Our MSPB lawyers regularly overturn wrongful AWOL charges and agency misuse of leave.
This section breaks down each leave category and how to defend yourself.

Absence Without Leave 

Leave Without Pay

Sick Leave

Family Medical Leave Act

Attendance Discipline

  • Attendance Discipline

Return-to-Work Disputes

  • Cleared to Return With Restrictions
  • Agency Refusing to Return You to Work
  • Agency Forcing You to Return Before You’re Medically Ready
  • Return-to-Duty Exams

Telework, Remote Work & Return-to-Office Enforcement

Federal telework disputes often escalate into performance, discipline, or retaliation cases. A federal employment attorney can help you challenge improper denials, retaliation, and monitoring abuses.
This section clarifies your rights in the new telework landscape.

  • Telework discipline
  • RTO retaliation
  • Monitoring/time tracking disputes
  • Telework as disability accommodation
  • Telework denial as reprisal
  • Telework Abuse Investigations

Pay & Benefits 

Pay disputes, overtime claims, hazard pay, and retirement benefit errors can cost federal employees thousands. Our federal employment lawyers help employees recover what they’re owed.
This section explains how to challenge pay errors and maximize compensation.

Workers’ Comp

Injured federal employees often face OWCP delays, denials, and hostile managers. A federal employment lawyer can protect your job while you recover.
This section helps you navigate OWCP and employment protection together.

  • OWCP

Discrimination & Harassment

Federal employees have unique rights under federal EEO laws — and your federal EEO lawyer must understand the differences between federal and private-sector cases.
This section teaches employees how to build strong discrimination and harassment claims inside the federal system.

Federal Employment Discrimination

Disability Discrimination 

  • Disability Discrimination
  • Telework as a Reasonable Accommodation
  • PIPs and Reasonable Accommodations
  • Failure to Provide Reasonable Accommodation
  • Failure to Engage in the Interactive Process
  • Medical Inquiries / Documentation Issues
  • Disability-Based Hostile Work Environment
  • Retaliation for RA Requests
  • Improper Fitness-for-Duty Exams
  • Perceived Disability / “Regarded As” Claims
  • Discipline for Disability-Related Conduct
  • Reassignment as an Accommodation (must include this — critical)

Harassment & Sexual Harassment 

Hostile Supervisors, Bullying & Abusive Conduct

  • Non-EEO Hostile Work Environment & “Personality Conflict” Cases
  • Toxic leadership without discrimination
  • Micromanagement & weaponized supervision
  • When personality conflict is actually retaliation
  • How to document non-EEO hostility
  • When non-EEO hostility becomes a prohibited personnel practice
  • Verbal abuse
  • Retaliatory supervision
  • Non-EEO hostile work environment claims
  • How to document supervisor misconduct

Mixed Cases & Federal Discrimination Laws

Whistleblower & Retaliation Protections

Retaliation is the #1 threat federal employees face after speaking up. Our federal whistleblower lawyers know how to prove reprisal, build leverage, and protect your career under the WPA, WPEA, and IRA.
This section explains protected activity, prohibited personnel practices, and how to win retaliation cases.

Types of Retaliation Agencies Use

  • AWOL misuse
  • Investigations
  • SLAPP charges
  • PIPs as retaliation
  • Indefinite suspensions
  • Threatened removals

Deep-Dive Guides on SLAPP Retaliation

  • Administrative SLAPPs in Federal Employment: How Agencies Weaponize AWOL, Investigations, and Performance Actions.
  • SLAPP vs. WPA Retaliation: Understanding the Difference in Federal Employment
  • How to Fight a Federal SLAPP — What to Do When Your Agency Retaliates for Speaking Up

Protected Disclosures (Wrongdoing Itself)

  • Gross mismanagement
  • Gross waste of funds
  • Abuse of authority
  • Substantial and specific danger to public health or safety
  • Violation of law, rule, or regulation
  • Censorship/scientific integrity violations (WPEA)
  • Interference with disclosures to Congress (WPEA)

Protected Whistleblower Activity (How They Report It)

Veterans’ Rights in Federal Employment

Veterans receive some of the strongest protections in federal hiring and discipline. A federal employment lawyer with VEOA and USERRA experience can ensure those rights are enforced.
This section shows veterans exactly how to assert their legal advantages.

VEOA Violations

Our federal employment attorneys regularly win VEOA cases where agencies ignored preference points, manipulated rankings, or illegally passed over veterans.
This section is the definitive guide to spotting and fighting VEOA violations.

  • VEOA Violations: The Complete Guide 
  • Failing to Apply Veterans Preference Points: VEOA Violation
  • Improper elimination from the referral list / certificate of eligibles
  • Illegal pass-over of a preference-eligible without OPM approval
  • Failure to apply veterans preference within category rating
  • Using the wrong hiring authority to exclude veterans
  • Failing to credit military experience as qualifying experience
  • Improperly rating a veteran as “not qualified” or “ineligible”
  • Inflating minimum qualifications to screen out veterans
  • Manipulating the area of consideration to exclude veterans
  • Using subjective hiring criteria (interviews, “preferred qualifications,” preselection) to work around veterans preference
  • How to File a VEOA Appeal

Employment Contracts and Agreements

Federal employees often sign settlement agreements, NDAs, LCAs, and SES contracts without understanding the long-term consequences. A federal employment lawyer should review any agreement that affects your record or rights.
This section explains what’s enforceable — and what’s not.

  • Federal Employment Contracts
  • Pay and Benefits Negotiation
  • Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) in Federal Employment
  • Settlement Agreements in Federal Employment Disputes
  • Last Chance Agreements
  • Clean Record Agreements
  • SES employment agreements
  • Offer rescissions

Retirement and Pension Issues

FERS, TSP, OPM disability retirement, and survivor benefits are complex systems where small mistakes cost employees huge sums. A federal employment attorney can help you protect your financial future.
This section clarifies rights and strategies for retirement-related disputes.

  • Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS)
  • Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Disputes
  • OPM Disability Retirement
  • Survivor Benefits for Federal Employees

Agencies & Forums Where We Fight

Our federal employment lawyers represent employees before every major forum: MSPB, EEOC, OSC, OPM, FLRA, internal grievances, and IG investigations.
This section explains how each forum works — and how to choose the right one.

We represent federal employees before every major forum in the country:

  • MSPB — Merit Systems Protection Board
  • OPM — Office of Personnel Management
  • EEOC — Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
  • OSC — Office of Special Counsel
  • OFO — Office of Federal Operations
  • FLRA — Federal Labor Relations Authority
  • NLRB, and Agency-Specific Hearings
  • Inspector General Offices
  • Internal Grievances & Arbitration

Labor & Union Representation

Union employees often misunderstand how contracts interact with federal law. Our federal employee attorneys represent bargaining-unit employees in grievances, arbitration, and disciplinary actions.
This section breaks down your rights under collective bargaining.

  • Union Representation in Discipline
  • Settlement Negotiations & Last Chance Agreements
  • Grievances & Collective Bargaining

Federal Appeals & Strategic Guidance

Even after a loss, a skilled federal employment lawyer can revive your case through MSPB petitions for review, EEOC reconsideration, or strategic settlement negotiation.
This section covers advanced appellate strategy.

  • MSPB & EEOC Appeals
  • Reconsideration & Reopenings
  • Mediation & Early Settlement Strategies
  • Career Crisis Representation

Winning Strategies & Legal Insights

If you want to understand how experienced federal employment lawyers analyze cases, this section shares our insider tactics and leverage-building strategies.
This is where federal employees turn confusion into clarity.

  • Finding the Best Federal Employment Lawyer: Why Local Isn’t Always Better
  • Using Douglas Factors for Mitigation
  • Turning Proposed Removals into Reprimands
  • Why Legal Representation Changes Everything
  • Choosing the Right Forum: MSPB vs. EEO vs. OSC
  • Building Comparator Evidence
  • The 10 Biggest Mistakes Federal Employees Make Before Calling a Lawyer
  • How to Win Your Case Before You Even File It: The Federal Employee Evidence Blueprint
  • The Secret Timelines Agencies Don’t Want You to Know About (and How to Use Them Against Them)
  • How Agencies Build a Case Against You — And How to Break Their Strategy Step by Step
  • The Federal Employee Survival Playbook: What to Do in the First 24 Hours After Getting a Notice
  • Why Your Reply Matters More Than Your Reply Attorney: Strategy That Wins Federal Cases
  • The 7 Hidden Sources of Comparator Evidence Agencies Hope You Never Find
  • How to Force Your Agency Into Settlement: The Leverage Framework Federal Employees Need to Know
  • How to Read an Agency’s Mind: The Psychology Behind Federal Disciplinary Actions
  • Is Your Agency Retaliating? The Red Flags Federal Employees Often Miss
  • The “Paper Trail Trap”: How Supervisors Weaponize Documentation — And How to Beat It
  • How to Turn a Weak Case Into a Strong Case: What Smart Federal Employees Do Differently
  • How to Maximize a Federal Settlement: What Determines Value (and What Doesn’t)
  • The 12 Most Common Agency Lies Federal Employees Hear — And How to Respond Strategically
  • The Federal Employee “Career Rescue Plan”: What to Do When Everything Is Falling Apart
  • The MSPB Advantage: The Hidden Ways MSPB Is Better Than EEO (Sometimes)
  • How to Prove Your Supervisor Is Lying (Legally and Effectively)
  • Why Federal Employees Lose Strong Cases — And How to Make Sure You Don’t
  • The “Agency Mistake Machine”: How Bureaucracy Actually Works Behind the Scenes
  • The Federal Employee’s Guide to Fighting Back Without Getting Yourself in More Trouble

News & Policy Updates

Federal employees need updates from lawyers who track OPM, MSPB, OSC, RIFs, telework policy, and suitability changes every week.
This section keeps you ahead of the next policy shift that could affect your job.

Why This Hub Matters

Federal employment law is overwhelming without a federal employment lawyer guiding you. This Hub gives you the knowledge, structure, and strategy that agencies hope you never discover.
Your rights are stronger than you think — once you understand how to use them.

Your Next Step

If your job, reputation, pension, or clearance is in danger, speak with a federal employment lawyer before deadlines expire.
The earlier you get help, the more leverage we can build.

Book your free consultation »
National Security Law Firm: It’s Our Turn to Fight for You.

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