S
Statute
Long symmetrical federal building corridor with overhead lights receding to vanishing point and single figure mid-stride carrying a leather folio

Washington, D.C. · Federal Employment Defense

Federal Employee Defense

They issued the notice.
You have the right
to answer.

Proposed removal. Clearance denial. Whistleblower retaliation. A single SF-50 should not end a thirty-year career.

Statute represents federal employees at every stage — from the day the notice lands on your desk to the final argument before the Merit Systems Protection Board. We have reversed what agencies call final.

See Our Process

340+

Appeals Filed

87%

Favorable Outcomes

18

Years in Federal Practice

Transparent Process

Every phase of representation, in the order it happens.

01

Initial Rights Assessment

The moment you receive a proposed action, the clock starts. We identify every procedural right available under 5 U.S.C. § 7513 — your right to review the agency's file, to respond orally or in writing, and to be represented. Most employees do not know they can demand the complete evidentiary file before writing a single word.

PROPOSED REMOVAL — AGENCY FILE EXCERPT

DEPARTMENT OF
NOTICE OF PROPOSED REMOVAL
Series/Grade: GS-13
Effective Date: [PENDING]
Charge 1: Conduct Unbecoming
Charge 2: Failure to Follow Instructions
Reply period: 30 days from receipt
02

Agency Response Analysis

We dissect the agency's proposed action for procedural defects, inconsistent penalty application, and evidentiary weakness. Douglas Factor analysis — the twelve elements governing penalty proportionality — routinely reveals that the agency's chosen penalty is excessive against the actual record. This analysis forms the backbone of your written reply.

DOUGLAS FACTOR ANALYSIS — ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT

Factor 1 (Seriousness): DISPUTED
Prior disciplinary record: NONE ON FILE
Factor 3 (Supervisory position): N/A
Potential for rehabilitation: HIGH
Consistency w/ similarly-situated:
Penalty Recommendation: EXCESSIVE
03

Discovery & Evidence Gathering

Before the Merit Systems Protection Board, discovery is a right, not a courtesy. We issue interrogatories, request the complete personnel file, depose deciding officials, and subpoena comparator disciplinary records. Agencies frequently make decisions based on incomplete or selectively presented information. We build the complete record.

MSPB DISCOVERY REQUEST — EXCERPT

Interrogatory No. 1:
Identify all employees in Respondent's
removal for similar conduct between
2019 and present. For each, state:
(a) The charge(s) preferred;
(b) The penalty ultimately imposed;
(c) Whether the action was appealed.
04

Hearing Preparation

MSPB hearings are adversarial proceedings before an Administrative Judge. We prepare every witness with the same rigor as federal district court. Direct examination outlines, cross-examination frameworks for the deciding official, and exhibit binders organized to the Board's evidentiary standards. Preparation is the argument.

MSPB HEARING TRANSCRIPT — EXCERPT

Q: And you are the Deciding Official?
A: That is correct.
Q: Did you review the comparator cases
before imposing removal?
A: I — I reviewed the proposal letter.
Q: But not the prior disciplinary
actions for similar conduct?
A: I relied on HR's recommendation.
05

MSPB Argument & Decision

We argue that the agency's action cannot survive the Board's review — that the charge is not sustained, or that even if sustained, removal is not within the tolerable bounds of reasonableness. When the Board agrees, the final decision reads one word across the agency's case.

MSPB INITIAL DECISION

MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD
DECISION: Removal action is
NOT SUSTAINED. Petitioner
shall be RESTORED to position.

No phone call required. Submit your situation privately and receive a written assessment within one business day.

Practice Areas

Three areas. One focus: keeping federal employees in their careers.

Federal employment law is a narrow specialty. We practice nothing else.

I

MSPB Appeals

Merit Systems Protection Board

We represent federal employees in appeals of removals, suspensions of more than 14 days, demotions, and furloughs. MSPB proceedings are governed by strict procedural rules — representation from the initial reply stage forward significantly increases the probability of a favorable outcome.

Proposed removal defense
Written reply preparation
Discovery before Administrative Judge
Oral hearing representation
Petition for Review to the full Board
Federal Circuit appeals
II

Security Clearance Defense

Revocation & Denial

Security clearance adjudication is one of the most consequential and least understood areas of federal law. We respond to Statements of Reasons, represent employees at personal appearance hearings before the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals, and have successfully mitigated every Adjudicative Guideline.

Statement of Reasons (SOR) response
Personal appearance hearing representation
DOHA appeal briefs
Whole Person mitigation strategy
Cross-agency clearance transfer issues
Interim clearance suspension defense
III

Whistleblower Retaliation

OSC Complaints & WPA Defense

The Whistleblower Protection Act prohibits agencies from retaliating against employees who disclose waste, fraud, abuse, or safety violations. When an agency responds to protected disclosure with reassignment, hostile conditions, or adverse action, we file with the Office of Special Counsel and litigate before the MSPB.

Protected disclosure analysis
OSC complaint filing
Individual Right of Action appeals
Corrective action petitions
VA whistleblower provisions (38 U.S.C. § 714)
Inspector General retaliation defense
Selected Outcomes

What agencies call final, we have reversed.

All results anonymized per client confidentiality. Prior outcomes do not guarantee similar results.

Whistleblower / MSPBGS-13 · Nurse Executive

Removal Reversed

Dept. of Veterans Affairs

Proposed removal following patient safety disclosure

MSPB Administrative Judge found charge not sustained. Employee restored with full back pay and attorney fees awarded.

Security ClearanceGS-14 · Senior Analyst

Clearance Restored

Intelligence Community

TS/SCI revocation — Guideline E (Personal Conduct)

Statement of Reasons successfully rebutted at DOHA personal appearance. Clearance reinstated within 90 days of hearing.

Adverse ActionGS-12 · Contracting Officer

Suspension Mitigated

Department of Defense

30-day suspension reduced to letter of reprimand

Douglas Factor analysis demonstrated penalty grossly disproportionate to comparator cases in same division.

WhistleblowerGS-13 · Special Agent

OSC Corrective Action

Department of Homeland Security

Retaliatory reassignment following waste disclosure

Office of Special Counsel found retaliation and ordered corrective action. Employee returned to original position.

87%

Favorable outcomes across all matters

Reversal, mitigation, or clearance restoration

48 hrs

Average time to first attorney contact

From case assessment submission

100%

Federal employment practice

We do not practice any other area of law

Begin Here

The reply deadline will not wait.
Neither should you.

Most federal employees wait too long before seeking representation. The written reply period — typically 7 to 30 days — is your strongest opportunity to influence the outcome. After a decision issues, the burden shifts to you.

Assess Your Federal Case

A six-question intake that takes three minutes. No phone call required. A Statute attorney reviews every submission personally.

01Your current pay grade
02Your employing agency
03Type of adverse action received
04Whether a reply deadline has been set
05Your name and secure email address

Attorney-client privilege attaches from first contact. No phone number required.