Received a Statement of Reasons (SOR) or  the Letter of Intent (LOI) to deny security clearance? The road doesn’t have to end there, especially with a great job on the line. Consult with the attorney’s at Perry Draper Law, PLLC to review your application, prepare a response, and start the security clearance appeals process. Once you receive an statement of reasons or letter of intent, you have a very short time frame to respond by providing a detailed brief emphasizing the mitigating factors in your favor, and possibly to request a hearing.

We understand the guidelines that go into the decision to grant or deny a security clearance and offer effective advocacy on your behalf before the Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals (DOHA) or other agencies. Our experience with the military security clearance process in Florida makes us eminently qualified to help you.

Statement of Reasons

The first stage in a security clearance denial is receiving the Statement of Reasons (SOR). This essentially outlines the reasons why your security clearance is about to be denied. You have a short window during which to respond to those reasons. How you respond is critical. Without adequately and completely mitigating everything mentioned in the statement of reasons, security clearance will not be granted. This step is the first point of appealing the decision of the government to restrict your security clearance.

The possible reasons vary greatly, including but not limited to:

  • Known legal issues
  • Undeclared bad debt
  • Arrests, drug use, or failure to list arrests or drug use
  • Foreign Relatives or Contacts
  • Dishonesty

To respond appropriately to a statement of reasons, Perry Draper Law attorneys will work with you carefully on each point of interest noted in the statement of reasons to craft a written response. During the security clearance appeals process, a request for an in-person hearing with an Administrative Law Judge may also be appropriate, during which your Perry Draper Law attorney would represent your interests.

Appellate Panel

The appellate panel is a three (3) person panel. This board will review the information and recommendation of the administrative judge and vote on the decision to grant or deny security clearance. In the majority of situations, this is the final chance to represent yourself and mitigate the government’s concerns about issuing you a security clearance.

The purpose of having representation during these steps is to provide sufficient information and detail to mitigate the governments concerns in providing you with a security clearance. It is important to be honest and forthcoming when necessary without providing non-essential information. Our experienced attorneys will help your security clearance appeals by wading through the information to present your history in the most accurate way that reduces the concerns the government may have outlined.

The appeals process can take 3-6 months on average for government contractors. The process can be complex and the above summary is simply a short view of what you may face if you have to fight during security clearance appeals. This can vary quite a bit depending on the issues and who is looking at the case.  With careers and livelihoods on the line, it is better to start the processor with legal representation sooner rather than later. Get started right away with a free consultation with Attorney Jason Perry contacting us now.