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 effects that losing a professional license can have on a person's career?

You lose a license; you lose a license to practice your profession. You lose a license to fly airplanes, and you're a pilot, you can't operate anymore. You're a surgeon, and your license is gone, or about to be gone, and you're, you know, essentially, put on waivers. You can't, you can't practice anymore. You can't do what it is that you've been doing to make a living, to be of service, for essentially your entire career, for the better part of your adult life probably, between school and work.

When the license, the security clearance - and the security clearance is essentially a license - so we're talking about essentially the same things. When you lose that, that's your ticket. And you lose your ticket to do what it is that you do. You can't support your family. You lose, sometimes you lose your very identity. I mean, some people, obviously, rightly or wrongly, are pretty wrapped up in who they are and what they do. You lose all of that. You have a lot, a lot of emotion built up around that. It's not a good thing.

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