Security Clearance Lawyers Built for How the Government Actually Decides Cases

Your security clearance may protect your career, income, military service, government position, and ability to continue working in a trusted role. When eligibility is questioned, the government may evaluate the same facts through investigation, personnel security, adjudication, agency counsel, judicial review, and—if the matter becomes contested—testimony and appeal.

Your legal team should be prepared to evaluate the case from every one of those perspectives.

National Security Law Firm brings together a former federal clearance judge, former government adjudicators, direct experience inside the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA)—the Department of Defense office that conducts hearings and appellate review in significant security-clearance matters—former senior Army intelligence and national-security counsel, and experienced hearing lawyers.

Through one lead attorney and NSLF’s Attorney Review Board, significant matters can be tested from the government-side and litigation perspectives the particular case requires before a response, appeal, or testimony becomes part of the record.

NSLF represents clearance applicants and holders nationwide in SF-86 reviews, subject interviews, investigations, Letters of Interrogatory, Statements of Reasons, suspensions, denials, revocations, personal appearances, hearings, and appeals.

SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION

No fee. No obligation. During your consultation, we will identify the stage of your matter, discuss whether representation may help, and explain the next appropriate step.

View Security Clearance Services and Pricing

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★★★★★ 4.9 Stars From 300+ Google Reviews

Former Clearance Judge · Former DOHA Experience · 75+ Years of Relevant Experience · Team-Based Review · Nationwide Representation

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★★★★★ “My Clearance Was Reinstated Within One Month of Submission.”

“The team did an outstanding job drafting a thorough and compelling appeal that accurately reflected both the facts and my professional record. As a result, my clearance was reinstated within one month of submission…”

— J.B.
Security Clearance Client · Google Review

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What Stage of the Security Clearance Process Are You Facing?

Choose the situation that best matches what is happening now.

Completing or Correcting an SF-86

A disclosure that is incomplete, inconsistent, or poorly explained can create questions that follow the case into the investigation. We review the form for accuracy, completeness, internal consistency, and foreseeable areas of concern before submission.
Learn About SF-86 Review and Strategy

Preparing for a Subject Interview

The investigator gathers facts and records statements that may later be evaluated by an adjudicator. We help clients understand the likely topics, organize relevant information, and prepare to answer truthfully, clearly, and consistently.
Prepare for a Security Clearance Subject Interview

Responding to a Letter of Interrogatory

An LOI asks for additional information about one or more potential security concerns. We analyze the questions, obtain relevant records, identify the governing issues, and prepare a supported response that answers what the agency is actually evaluating.
Get Help With a Letter of Interrogatory

Responding to a Statement of Reasons

An SOR identifies the reasons the government may deny or revoke eligibility. We assess each allegation, the applicable adjudicative guidelines, the evidence in the record, and the available mitigating information before preparing the response.
Get Help With a Statement of Reasons

Facing a Denial, Revocation, or Suspension

Your rights and options depend on your employer, agency, status, and the notice you received. We review the decision, identify the controlling process and deadlines, and determine whether a written appeal, personal appearance, hearing, or another strategy may be available.
Understand Denials and Revocations

Preparing for a Hearing or Personal Appearance

We develop the theory of the case, organize exhibits, prepare witnesses and testimony, anticipate difficult questions, and represent clients during the covered proceeding.
Learn About Security Clearance Hearings

Challenging an Adverse Decision

Appeal routes are not identical. For example, DOD industry personnel generally appeal to DOHA, while DOD civilian and military cases may proceed through a component Personnel Security Appeals Board, with a possible personal appearance before DOHA. Other agencies use their own procedures. We begin by identifying the correct forum and what the governing rules permit.
Explore Security Clearance Appeals

A deadline may already be running. Follow the instructions in your notice and seek advice promptly. Do not assume that a deadline found online applies to your agency or case.

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When Should You Speak With a Security Clearance Lawyer?

You do not necessarily need to wait for a denial or revocation. Earlier advice may be useful when you:

• Are completing an SF-86 and are uncertain how to disclose or explain a significant issue;
• Expect a subject interview involving potentially disqualifying information;
• Discover that a prior form or statement may be incomplete or inaccurate;
• Receive an LOI, SOR, suspension, denial, revocation, or hearing notice;
• Face concerns involving multiple adjudicative guidelines;
• Have a clearance issue that overlaps with military discipline, federal employment, a criminal allegation, or another government credential; or
• Depend on clearance eligibility for your current position or career.

The appropriate response depends on the stage, agency, notice, and existing record. If a deadline appears in your notice, seek advice promptly.

SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION

No fee. No obligation. We will identify the stage of your matter, discuss whether representation may help, and explain the next appropriate step.

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Why National Security Law Firm?

The Government Evaluates Your Case From Every Side. So Do We.

Security-clearance cases are not built or decided by one person performing one function. Investigators gather and compare facts. Personnel-security professionals identify potential concerns. Adjudicators apply the national guidelines and whole-person concept. Agency and intelligence counsel evaluate mission risk. Judges assess evidence and credibility. Litigators test testimony. Appellate authorities review the resulting record for error.

Each may examine the same event differently. NSLF’s structure allows the responsible attorney to evaluate a significant matter through the perspectives the case actually requires:

• Investigation and counterintelligence: How was the concern developed, what was the government testing, and where might the record be incomplete?
• Personnel-security adjudication: What present risk does the conduct allegedly create, and what evidence could resolve it?
• Judicial decision-making: What facts and mitigation must be established before a favorable decision can be reached and defended?
• Intelligence and senior-command counsel: Why might seemingly personal conduct be viewed as a mission, access, coercion, or vulnerability concern?
• DOHA proceedings and appeals: How will the written record, procedural choices, and credibility issues withstand later review?
• Hearings and litigation: Which explanations, exhibits, and witnesses may become vulnerable under government questioning?

The objective is not to add lawyers for appearance’s sake. It is to identify weaknesses, challenge assumptions, and strengthen the presentation before a response, appeal, or testimony reaches the government.

Experience From Inside the Decision Process

Brett O’Brien served as an Intelligence Law Attorney for U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) and as the primary legal advisor for active Army counterintelligence investigations. He also served on a full-time Army Reserve assignment inside DOHA.

Katie Quintana served as a federal Administrative Judge and Acting Chief Judge deciding Department of Energy security-clearance cases. NSLF also includes former government adjudicators who evaluated clearance eligibility from inside the system.

Luke Rose served as a GS-15 Intelligence Law Attorney for Army Futures Command, an Intelligence Law Attorney for U.S. Army Europe when it was a three-star command, and Brigade Judge Advocate for the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade.

Sean Rogers brings 16 years of Army litigation experience as both trial counsel and defense counsel. He leads NSLF’s security-clearance hearing work.

Together, these perspectives help the firm evaluate how the concern was developed, how an adjudicator or judge may interpret it, what an intelligence organization may view as risk, and how the evidence and testimony may be challenged if the matter becomes contested.

One Lead Attorney. One Coordinated Strategy.

Your matter is not passed among disconnected lawyers. One attorney leads the representation. When the issues warrant it, that attorney can use the Attorney Review Board to obtain investigative, adjudicative, judicial, national-security, or litigation analysis and incorporate it into one coherent strategy.

The review may examine:

• prior forms, interviews, reports, and written responses;
• omissions, inconsistencies, or unsupported assumptions;
• the applicable guidelines and mitigating conditions;
• the documentary and testimonial evidence;
• what the next investigator, adjudicator, government attorney, or judge may ask; and
• whether the clearance strategy must be coordinated with another government process.

Not every service requires review by the full board, and not every attorney personally works on every matter. The engagement agreement and needs of the case determine the scope.

Protection Beyond the Immediate Clearance Decision

The facts underlying a clearance concern may also affect federal employment, military discipline, administrative separation, criminal or administrative investigations, government credentials, licensing, privacy rights, or inaccurate federal records.

A statement intended to help in one proceeding can create an inconsistency in another. Because NSLF includes focused federal-employment, military, credentialing, privacy, record-correction, and related federal practices, the team can identify overlapping risks and determine when coordinated or separate representation should be considered.

Nationwide Representation With Published Flat Fees

NSLF represents applicants, clearance holders, service members, federal employees, and government contractors throughout the United States and overseas.

Because security-clearance matters are governed by federal and agency-specific procedures, clients generally do not need to select counsel based solely on geographic proximity.

We also publish flat fees for common security-clearance services so prospective clients can understand the expected cost and general scope before deciding whether to contact the firm.

Review Security Clearance Services and Pricing

Your first response may shape what happens next. If you have received an LOI, SOR, suspension, denial, revocation, or hearing notice, seek advice before submitting a response that may become part of the government’s record.

SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION

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What Our Security Clearance Lawyers Actually Do

A security-clearance lawyer does more than draft a response or repeat the client’s explanation. The lawyer’s role is to identify what the government is evaluating, determine what evidence bears on those concerns, and help the client present an accurate, consistent, and well-supported record.
That requires understanding how the different stages connect. Information disclosed on an SF-86 may be examined during an investigation, discussed in a subject interview, addressed in an LOI or SOR, and tested again during a hearing or appeal. A statement that appears helpful at one stage can create a credibility problem later if it conflicts with another part of the record.
NSLF approaches each covered matter by asking:

• What decision is the government currently making?
• What concerns and adjudicative guidelines are actually implicated?
• What information is already in the record?
• Are there omissions, inconsistencies, or inaccuracies that must be addressed?
• What evidence supports the client’s explanation and mitigation?
• What questions may the next investigator, adjudicator, attorney, or judge ask?
• Could the clearance response affect a related employment, military, criminal, or credentialing matter?

Depending on the stage and scope of the engagement, our work may include:

• Reviewing the SF-86, notice, investigative material, prior submissions, and available records;
• Identifying the applicable process, decision-maker, deadline, and adjudicative concerns;
• Separating security-clearance eligibility issues from suitability, fitness, credentialing, employment, or military issues;
• Identifying inconsistencies, missing facts, and statements likely to require explanation;
• Developing a document and witness plan tied to the government’s stated concerns;
• Obtaining and analyzing court, financial, employment, treatment, or other relevant records;
• Applying the whole-person concept and the mitigating conditions in the national security adjudicative guidelines;
• Drafting or revising written submissions and organizing supporting exhibits;
• Preparing the client and witnesses for interviews, personal appearances, or hearings;
• Presenting testimony, examining witnesses, and addressing the government’s evidence when the forum permits it;
• Coordinating related military, employment, criminal, privacy, or record-correction issues; and
• Managing the covered administrative stage and communicating about material developments.

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★★★★★ “He Was Able to Guide Me in Collecting the Right Evidence to Support My Case.”

“I was very nervous about my hearing and didn’t know what to expect, but Sean reassured me at every step of the way. He told me he would spend as much time as I needed to make me feel comfortable about testifying. He has immense expertise in the matter and was able to guide me in collecting the right evidence to support my case.”

— S.T.
Security Clearance Hearing Client · Google Review

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The Record Matters at Every Stage

Security-clearance adjudication is a risk assessment, not a criminal trial. For DOD cases, DCSA explains that adjudicators consider positive and negative information under the national security adjudicative guidelines and document the rationale for granting or denying eligibility. The investigation gathers information; the adjudicator evaluates whether eligibility for access to classified information is clearly consistent with national-security interests.
That is why early statements matter. Information from an SF-86, interview, LOI response, or SOR response may be compared with other records and considered at later stages. A rushed explanation can create a credibility issue that becomes more difficult to resolve after it is documented.
The goal is not to hide unfavorable information or manufacture a perfect story. It is to disclose what the rules require, correct inaccuracies, explain relevant context, and support mitigation with reliable evidence.
Learn How the Security Clearance Record Is Built

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What Strengthens—or Weakens—a Security Clearance Record?

A strong case does not necessarily begin with perfect facts. Clearance adjudication considers the whole person, including the seriousness and recency of the concern, the surrounding circumstances, candor, rehabilitation, changed behavior, and the likelihood of recurrence.

What often matters is whether the complete record gives the decision-maker a reliable basis for resolving the government’s concerns.

A Stronger Record May Include

• Complete and consistent disclosures;
• A clear explanation that matches the known facts;
• Reliable documents supporting important assertions;
• Direct acknowledgment of the government’s concern;
• Mitigation tied to the applicable adjudicative guidelines;
• Evidence of changed circumstances, rehabilitation, or responsible conduct;
• Statements that remain consistent across the SF-86, interview, LOI, SOR, and testimony; and
• A credible basis for concluding that the concern is unlikely to recur or no longer presents an unacceptable security risk.

A Weaker Record May Include

• Material omissions or incomplete disclosures;
• Explanations that shift from one stage to another;
• Contradictions between forms, interviews, records, and later responses;
• Assertions that are not supported by available documentation;
• Generic character evidence that does not address the specific concern;
• Emotional arguments that do not address the adjudicative standard;
• Evidence submitted without a clear connection to mitigation; or
• A response that resolves one allegation while unintentionally creating another concern.

A security-clearance lawyer cannot change the underlying facts. The lawyer can help identify what the government is evaluating, address inconsistencies, develop relevant evidence, and present the most accurate, coherent, and well-supported record the circumstances permit.

Discuss Your Security Clearance Matter

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How Security Clearance Decisions Are Made

Although procedures vary by agency, most matters involve some combination of five functions.

1. Sponsorship and Questionnaire

Individuals generally cannot apply for a clearance on their own. An employing or sponsoring organization initiates the process for a position requiring eligibility. The applicant then completes the required personnel-security questionnaire, commonly the SF-86.

2. Background Investigation

Investigators gather information from the applicant, records, references, employers, and other authorized sources. Their job is to develop facts, not to serve as the applicant’s advocate or make the final eligibility decision.

3. Adjudication

An authorized agency evaluates the available information. In covered national-security determinations, adjudicators apply Security Executive Agent Directive 4, commonly called SEAD 4, and the whole-person concept. A concern under one of the guidelines does not automatically mean denial; the nature, seriousness, frequency, recency, surrounding circumstances, rehabilitation, and other facts may matter.

4. Due Process

If the agency cannot make a favorable determination, it may issue an LOI, SOR, denial, or other notice depending on the system involved. The notice should identify the response procedure and deadline. The available forum may differ for government employees, service members, contractors, and intelligence-community personnel.

5. Continuing Review

A favorable decision is not necessarily the end of personnel vetting. DCSA describes continuous vetting as regular review of a cleared individual’s background. Reportable events, database alerts, later disclosures, and new allegations can cause additional inquiry.
Read the Full Security Clearance Process Guide

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Common Issues That Can Affect Clearance Eligibility

SEAD 4 organizes potential concerns into thirteen adjudicative guidelines:

• Allegiance to the United States;
• Foreign influence;
• Foreign preference;
• Sexual behavior;
• Personal conduct;
• Financial considerations;
• Alcohol consumption;
• Drug involvement and substance misuse;
• Psychological conditions;
• Criminal conduct;
• Handling protected information;
• Outside activities; and
• Use of information technology.

The label alone does not decide the case. A useful analysis asks what conduct occurred, what the evidence reliably shows, whether the concern is ongoing, what changed, and what documentation makes the mitigation credible.
Explore All 13 Security Clearance Adjudicative Guidelines

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Representative Security Clearance Results

These matters illustrate the range of records, forums, and concerns the firm has handled. Select a result to read the facts and strategy described in the case study.

NSA Reversed a TS/SCI Revocation

NSLF challenged Guideline E and Guideline M allegations in an NSA matter involving eligibility for sensitive compartmented information.
Read the TS/SCI Revocation Case Result

Clearance Granted Despite More Than $90,000 in Debt and Delinquent Taxes

The firm presented evidence addressing significant financial considerations concerns under Guideline F.
Read the Financial Considerations Case Result

Guideline K SOR Resolved Without a Hearing

The case involved alleged mishandling of protected information and was resolved through the written response process.
Read the Guideline K Case Result

PSAB Reinstated Eligibility After a DOHA Hearing and Indefinite Suspension

NSLF pursued the available process after an adverse clearance action affecting the client’s eligibility.
Read the Reinstatement Case Result
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case depends on its facts, evidence, governing rules, agency, and procedural posture.

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★★★★★ “My Case Was Resolved in My Favor Before the Hearing Even Happened.”

“[Carl] took the time to deeply understand my background, anticipate every angle the government might raise, and help me present my case in the strongest, most honest way possible… Because of Carl’s hard work and the team’s diligence, my case was resolved in my favor before the hearing even happened.”

— P.K.
Security Clearance Client · Google Review

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Transparent Security Clearance Lawyer Pricing

Legal fees should not become another source of uncertainty when your career may already be at risk.

NSLF publishes flat fees for common security-clearance services so prospective clients can understand the expected cost and general scope before deciding whether to retain the firm. The precise work covered is identified in the engagement agreement.

SF-86 Review and Strategy — $950

Review of the completed questionnaire, identification of potential disclosure and consistency issues, attorney feedback, and a follow-up review after revisions within the covered scope.

Letter of Interrogatory Response — $3,500

Review of the LOI and relevant materials, issue analysis, evidence planning, preparation of the written response, and management through the covered LOI stage.

Statement of Reasons Response — $5,000

Review of the SOR and available record, allegation-by-allegation analysis, mitigation and evidence development, preparation of the response and exhibits, and management through the covered written-response stage.

A $3,000 credit may apply if NSLF represented the client in the preceding LOI matter. Eligibility and scope are confirmed in the engagement agreement.

Hearing Representation — $7,500

Hearing strategy, exhibit and witness preparation, client preparation, and representation at the covered hearing. NSLF’s published fee includes attorney travel for the covered hearing; the engagement agreement controls the final scope.

Why NSLF Uses Flat Fees

Security-clearance matters may require document collection, evidence development, written analysis, client preparation, and communication throughout the covered stage.

A defined flat fee gives the client greater predictability and allows the scope of representation to be established before the work begins. Clients do not receive a new hourly charge each time they communicate with the firm about work included within that scope.

No hourly billing for the defined flat-fee service.

Financing may be available through Pay Later by Affirm, subject to the provider’s approval and terms.

See Complete Pricing and Scope Details

Learn About Financing Options

SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION

No fee. No obligation. We will identify the stage of your matter, discuss whether representation may help, and explain the next appropriate step.

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★★★★★ “The Level of Support Never Dropped Off.”

“They did a thorough review, provided clear and compliant feedback, and then reviewed everything again after I made the updates. Even after submission, they remained available and responsive throughout the pre-investigation, investigation, and post-investigation phases… I ultimately had favorable results.”

— C.F.
Pre-Clearance Client · Google Review

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What Happens After You Contact NSLF?

1. Schedule the Consultation

Choose an available time online. Before the meeting, have the notice, deadline, agency or employer, current clearance status, and a short summary of the issue available. Do not transmit classified information.

2. Identify the Stage and Immediate Risk

During the free consultation, we will identify what has happened, what deadline may apply, whether the matter appears to fit the firm’s services, and what the next appropriate step may be. A complete legal strategy may require review of the underlying documents after retention.

3. Review the Proposed Scope and Flat Fee

If NSLF offers representation, you will receive an engagement agreement describing the service, fee, and covered stage. There is no obligation to hire the firm after the consultation.

4. Build the Factual and Documentary Record

After engagement, the team requests the documents needed for the covered work, develops the evidence plan, and identifies questions or inconsistencies that require attention.

5. Prepare and Manage the Covered Stage

The attorneys and legal team prepare the submission, interview strategy, or hearing plan included in the agreement, keep the client informed of material developments, and coordinate related issues when necessary.

SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION

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Free Security Clearance Self-Assessments

These educational tools can help you identify topics to discuss with counsel. They do not provide legal advice, predict an outcome, or replace review of your documents.

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