Separation and reprimands
A notice can end a career. Answer it with a lawyer.
Most careers don't end in a court-martial. They end with a counseling statement, then a reprimand, then a separation notice and sometimes a board. Each step has a short window to respond, and the response is part of the record.
What's at stake is the characterization of your service: honorable, general or other than honorable. It decides what education, home-loan and health benefits you keep. I help you read the notice, decide whether to contest, gather the statements and records, and speak for you at a board.
What I handle
Counseling statements and rebuttals
Written reprimands that could end up in your file
Notices of separation and show-cause orders
Boards of inquiry and administrative boards
Article 15 and nonjudicial punishment
Medical and misconduct separations
What you might be handed
Four papers, four deadlines
The window to answer is short on every one. Ask for more time in writing if you need it, and don't sign an acknowledgment that gives up a right.
A counseling statement
The first paper. It records a problem and a plan, and it can be the first page of a separation file. Your written response goes in with it.
A written reprimand
Can be filed in your records and follow you into every promotion board. Whether it stays or is removed can turn on the rebuttal.
Article 15 punishment
A commander can punish you without a court-martial. You can usually consult a lawyer first, and in many cases you can ask for a trial instead.
A separation notice
Starts the process that can end with a board. You have rights to counsel, to a board in some cases, and to present evidence.
Questions
What people ask about separation
Is a general discharge that bad?
It can affect veterans' education and loan benefits and how an employer reads your record. An other-than-honorable one affects far more. Characterization is the main fight at a board.
Should I resign instead of waiting for a board?
Sometimes, but a resignation in lieu can carry its own consequences. Ask before you sign anything that says "voluntary".
Do I get a free military lawyer for this?
Often, yes, through the military's own legal assistance and defense offices. I add to that help: I'm a second set of eyes, and you decide who leads.
What does it cost?
A paper review is a flat fee, quoted when you book. Representing you at a board or a rebuttal is a written fee, quoted when I've read the notice.