In His Own Words Retired Colonel, Former Army JAG Commander, & Felony Prosecutor. Bill Meili talks about his practice and his focus on saving careers, protecting retirements and reclaiming the reputations and honor of those who serve this country.

What are some of the reasons a person might face losing a security clearance?

There are probably a half a dozen you know, primary reasons why folks lose their clearance. They boil down to financial problems, past financial problems, or a big ticket item in this area. If you have problems with a criminal record. That's probably one of the top two or three areas that need to be looked at.

And then quite frankly, somebody that's got an issue with drugs or alcohol. Maybe there was dependence at some point in that person's life. Maybe there was abuse. Maybe now there's a recovery or has been recovery going on.

But if any one of those three areas - finances, background, criminal background, or drugs and alcohol are in a person's history, then they're going to have some issues that are going to come up on a check for that security clearance.

I contacted Col. Meili as a fellow practitioner to gain some context and perspective on a pretty complex set of issues. Because I practice in a different field of law, Col. Meili's extensive expertise was invaluable and he was more than generous with his time. A skilled and dedicated professional who cares deeply about obtaining the best possible outcome for his clients, Bill's a leader in this field.

- Steffen Chapin


After an exhaustive search of military attorneys, I came across the name of Bill Meili. From my first email exchange and telephone call, I knew that Bill was the right person to handle my case. I had discussed my unique circumstance with a handful of other attorneys who felt it may be too difficult to achieve the outcome that I was seeking - but Bill was interested in me and my case, and wholeheartedly believed that we had the ball in our court. I could tell that Bill cared about me as a person and soldier, not just viewing me as a paycheck.

- Anonymous