When You Consider Hiring A Security Clearance Lawyer…
Your Primary Question Is Likely Something Like, “What Can You Guarantee Me?”
Law firms are held to very stringent rules about what we can promise or guarantee. Basically, we can promise you “zilch”. We can’t guarantee you specific results or a “favorable outcome”. Just because you hire us, we cannot—indeed no one can—guarantee that we will win your case for you.
That doesn’t mean we don’t promise you a lot for your money though. We definitely do promise to help you understand the process. We promise top notch customer service. You get the best professionally written response you could possibly get. And, you get professional representation at a hearing. You can count on us to be by your side throughout the process. These are the specifics we CAN legally make to you.
- We take the information you provide us and use it to fill out your SF 86 form. We guide you in what to say on the form in the way the government needs to know it. We answer any questions about, “Should I include this?” We make sure that you don’t submit anything that could be viewed as “iffy”. We ensure that none of your answers is incomplete, not forth-coming, or contradict something that will be revealed in your background search.
- We advise you in advance about proactive corrective actions you need to take. Rather than letting something show up on your record, we recommend you handle it in advance. This includes properly documenting your answers and your corrective behaviors. There’s no point in letting something negative happen to you when you can fix it in advance.
- We work with you to write your written responses to interrogatories. You don’t have to figure out what’s needed. You just have to provide us all the information we ask for so we can furnish the government solid documentation. We ask you the right questions to surface all needed information. You don’t write it—we do, based on the information you provide.
- We guide you to efficiently provide the information for a response to Letter of Intent. You have a short deadline (typically 30 days) and it’s not a job for amateurs. We immediately provide you with a detailed list of documents you must provide. Every single governmental concern must be explicitly addressed. We work on your behalf to write a narrative for you of exactly what happened. We comprehensively document the circumstances—answering every single problem and covering everything.
- You can count on our making a strong case in representing you at an appearance or hearing. We make it clear for you what you’re up against, and prepare you emotionally for “running the gauntlet”. We help you understand what to say and what not to say. We stand up for you when we observe anything that might seem unfair. We do a thorough telephone “mock hearing” with you in advance of the hearing.
- We help you deal with the shock of a threat to a life-long Security Clearance. You can count on being treated with compassion for your situation. It’s embarrassing and confusing to have your patriotism called into question. We jump into action to work you through the confusion, calm you down, and refocus you on taking right actions. We don’t want you to stress over this situation, but to let us handle your case for you. We proactively use the details of your long work history to support your case.
- We provide overseas personnel the equivalent resources as you would have if you were stateside. We help you understand the government’s concerns—and how to respond. We provide you the insight that helps you fully understand the situation—and to respond quickly. We do everything we can to ensure that your serving overseas does not negatively impact your response time or outcome.
When You’re Thinking About Hiring A Firm To Help With A Security Clearance
You Want To Know That Firm’s Values And Beliefs
We’re all about values, and it’s likely that you also have some solid values. We want you to know our values as a firm that provides the services of security clearance lawyers. These are the values that our firm is based on.
- We have one primary objective—get your Security Clearance adjudicated favorably. That’s it and that’s what matters to us. We strive to provide you a level of service that allows you to focus on your work. We want to remove the stress from your situation and handle your problem for you.
- We aim to win a case just with our responses—keeping you from having to go to a hearing. Hearings are nerve-wracking and we do everything we can to handle your case so we prevent their necessity.
- We’re about winning cases, the right way, the first time and the fastest way for you. This doesn’t mean we cut corners. It means that by applying the right expertise, we aim to win for you as efficiently as possible. With 35+ years’ experience in this field, we know what you’re going through.
- No case is too challenging for us—we actually thrive on contributing to the most complex and difficult cases. We take personal pride in going for the win when it’s thorny. It’s an expression of our loyalty to the men and women who serve.
- We believe in doing A+ work for our clients—you’re never going to get C-average work. There are some who think “just good enough” is OK. That’s not us. We can guarantee you that every response on your behalf is professionally written. Each written response we do will be just as good as the last one we wrote. Your career depends on that.
How Do We Approach Our Work?
There’s A Little Bit More We Want You To Know About Us
We Want To Describe The Approach We Take With All Our Clients
We want you to know more about how we work with clients. It’s important so that you get the full picture of what you can expect.
- We take a “whole person” approach in working with our clients. What this means is that we document your character in the way we represent you to the government. We use your advancements, your awards, your pay raises and other relevant facts to present the full picture of who you are.
- Your location is not an issue—99% of our clients are not local. We use phone, email, mail, and fax—to provide the same service as if you reside just down the street.
- We help you to understand the full ramifications of whatever Security Clearance issues you have. We want you to appreciate the deepest meaning of the words and concepts—as the government sees it. That’s what is likely to give you the favorable outcome you need.
- We’re going to make it as easy as we can for you to “spill your guts”. You have to be open. You cannot hide anything. You must open up about everything to us. No, it’s not easy. We know that. We want you to understand how things like sexual behavior can negatively impact your clearance. Failing to disclose something now can later fall under “personal conduct”—branding you as a liar. See how it all gets balled up if you aren’t up-front.
How Do We Compare to Our Competitors?
As You Compare Us To Our Competitors
You Want To Know What Makes Us Unique
When your career is on the line, you research security clearance lawyers like us. This is a specialized field and requires extensive experience and deep understanding. If the person you hire isn’t invested in your success, that’s a red flag. These are the things that make us unique in this field.
- We’ve been helping with security clearances since 1985—through all the ways clearances have evolved. What that means is we know exactly what you’re going through. Even more importantly, we know what the government wants to see and what they don’t want. With such an extensive work history in security clearances, you’re going to benefit from our level of experience and expertise.
- We believe in treating you as our #1 client—whether our caseload is 60 or 600 cases. We know the details of your situation and it’s important to us. Your livelihood depends on this clearance and we treat that fact with the upmost respect.
- We’re not a security clearance “mill”—we’re personally invested in your success. We love to go home at the end of the day and feel pride knowing “I won this gal’s/guy’s case!” You matter to us and your needs matter to us. In effect, for us this is an extension of a lifetime of service to our country.
- You’re not a dollar sign to us—you’re a person with a career at risk. That is what we’re really responsive to. We have the insight into what the government needs that can only come from a life-long career. We help you “translate” your situation into a response that is most likely to make you successful.
- We believe in presenting every case with the utmost honesty—because that’s what works. When security clearances are involved, that’s the only thing that works. This approach also reflects our own values of honesty and integrity.
Where To Next?
Now that you know more about how we work, what results you can expect from working with us, our values, and unique aspects of our business, it’s time to explore the services we provide.