A security clearance is a status granted by the Department of Defense to individuals who need access to classified information. There are three levels of security clearances in the United States: confidential, secret, and top secret.

In a security clearance hearing, the central issue being adjudicated is whether it is “clearly consistent with the national interest” to grant the requested security clearance. Administrative judges apply the “whole person concept” to arrive at a determination. While the adjudicative guidelines now contain 13 guidelines (A-M), the most common reasons that a person’s security clearance can be denied or revoked include the following:

• Foreign citizenship, contacts with foreign relatives, ownership of a foreign passport or foreign property
• Criminal history
• Drug/alcohol abuse
• Financial irresponsibility

We represent clients who face security clearance denials or revocations at administrative hearings and appeals. Because criminal prosecutions carry negative implications for a person’s security clearance, we developed an expertise in this area to more effectively represent those clients who hold or may need a security clearance.

For more information on this area of the law, please click here to see a copy of our publication “Security Clearance Denied: The Most Common Pitfalls For Security Clearance Applications”