Security Clearance Consulting
Security Clearance Consulting from Someone Who's Been Through It — Many Times.
As a retired CIA officer with 25 years of service, I have personally navigated the SF-86 application, the initial security approval process, and the full-scope polygraph more times than I can count. I know what adjudicators look for, what raises red flags, and how to present your background honestly and completely in the way most likely to result in approval.
Services
I provide consulting services to help federal employees, contractors, and applicants navigate every stage of the security clearance process.
SF-86 Application Review
Review your completed SF-86 for gaps, inconsistencies, or red flags before submission. One of the most cost-effective steps you can take.
SF-86 Drafting Assistance
Guidance on how to answer difficult questions accurately and completely. How you disclose matters as much as what you disclose.
Issue Mitigation Strategy
Help addressing common adjudicative concerns: prior drug use, financial issues, foreign contacts, mental health history, criminal record.
Polygraph Preparation
Understanding the full-scope polygraph process, what to expect, and how to approach it. I've taken this exam multiple times during my CIA career.
Statement of Reasons (SOR) Response
Assistance preparing a response to a security clearance denial. Your written response and any hearing are your best opportunity to address concerns.
Continuous Evaluation (CE) Issue Resolution
Guidance on responding to flags raised through the continuous evaluation program before they escalate to a formal proceeding.
Why Experience Matters
Many clearance consultants have never held a clearance themselves. I served 25 years at the CIA, held the highest levels of clearance, and went through the full clearance process repeatedly throughout my career. That experience is the foundation of every recommendation I make.
When I advise you on your SF-86, I'm drawing on experience most consultants simply don't have. I know what adjudicators look for — because I've been on both sides of the process.
"A clearance denial doesn't have to be the end. Most issues that lead to a Statement of Reasons can be addressed with the right mitigation strategy and a complete, honest response. The key is getting it right the first time."
Common Issues I Help Address
Financial Issues
Debt, bankruptcy, unpaid taxes — among the most common and most successfully mitigated.
Prior Drug Use
Past use, including marijuana, is routinely mitigated with honesty and the right framing.
Foreign Contacts
Family members, travel, dual citizenship — complex but manageable with complete disclosure.
Criminal Record
Context, recency, and what you've done since matter enormously.
Mental Health History
Seeking treatment is not disqualifying — in fact, it can be a mitigating factor.
Polygraph Concerns
Honest, prepared applicants do far better than those trying to conceal something.
Important Note on Scope
My clearance consulting services are advisory in nature. Completion of an SF-86 or submission of a clearance application is your responsibility. Where legal representation in formal proceedings (such as a DOHA hearing) is needed, we will discuss the scope of representation explicitly and enter a separate engagement agreement.
Consulting services do not automatically establish an attorney-client relationship. Please contact me to discuss your situation and the appropriate engagement structure.
No outcome is guaranteed. Security clearance adjudication involves factors outside the control of any attorney or consultant, including adjudicator discretion, agency policy, and the totality of an applicant's record. I will apply my full experience and judgment to your matter — but I cannot promise a specific result, and no communication from this firm should be read as such.
Free Resource: SF86 Checklist
5 things to know before you submit — from someone who has been through this many times.
Free Resource: Marijuana & Security Clearances
What to disclose, how adjudicators evaluate past use, and how to build the strongest mitigation case.
$400K National Security Jobs: What the New Pay Authority Means for Your Clearance
The government approved salaries up to $400,000 for national security investment roles. A former CIA officer and clearance attorney explains why the clearance — not the salary — is the real gate, and how foreign-influence issues affect these jobs.
Pentagon Legal Opinion Ends the DCSA Clearance Hearing Program: What It Means for Clearance Holders
The Pentagon determined DCSA cannot conduct security clearance personal appearance hearings because it is also the investigating entity. A former CIA officer explains what it means for clearance holders, SOR responses, and cases now referred to DOHA.
Can I Lose My Security Clearance If I'm Fired?
Losing a job feels like losing everything at once. But under federal personnel-security law and policy, your employment and your clearance eligibility are decided by two different systems — and one does not automatically decide the other.
Can an HR Investigation Affect Your Security Clearance?
An email from Human Resources is not a verdict on your clearance. Here is how the two systems actually work under federal law — and when a workplace matter can reach your eligibility.