Army JAG Officer Nelson Robles Represents JBLM’s Soldiers and Airmen
Nearly a quarter million people move through Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s gates on any given day, making it one of the largest military communities in the world, and one of the busiest for military justice cases. Behind every one of those cases is a soldier or airman whose career, pay, and freedom may be riding on how the next few weeks unfold.
Attorney Nelson Robles knows that pressure firsthand. Before co-founding Corrao & Robles Law, he served as a Judge Advocate General’s Corps officer in the U.S. Army, working the same courts-martial and administrative processes he now uses to defend JBLM soldiers, airmen, and veterans.
Before He Was Your Lawyer, He Was Inside the System
There’s a version of military defense built entirely from research. CLE seminars, case law, secondhand accounts of how a panel thinks. Then there’s Nelson Robles’s version, built from years as an active-duty Army JAG Major handling real investigations, real hearings, and real courts-martial. He carries that experience into every JBLM case, backed by completion of the Judge Advocate Officer Course, the Military Trial Advocacy Course, and the Complex Victim Unit Course, along with the Army Commendation Medal and the Joint Service Commendation Medal.
Legal Defense Covering the Full Scope of Military Justice at JBLM
Between I Corps, the 7th Infantry Division, 1st Special Forces Group, the 2nd Ranger Battalion, and the Air Force’s 62nd Airlift Wing, JBLM runs one of the most active military justice dockets on the West Coast. Attorney Robles takes on cases in each of the following areas.
It’s pitched as quick and painless, and sometimes it is. But an Article 15 finding can cost rank, pay, and standing on future promotion boards or reenlistment packets. Attorney Robles helps clients weigh accepting NJP against demanding a court-martial, and prepares mitigation evidence for whichever path is chosen.
By the time an investigator asks for a formal statement, the file may already be thick. Talking without a lawyer present is one of the most common mistakes service members make. Attorney Robles’s standing advice: loop in counsel before answering a single question.
A conviction at general court-martial can bring a dishonorable discharge, complete loss of pay, and years of confinement; special and summary courts-martial impose smaller but still serious penalties. Attorney Robles handles cases from the Article 32 hearing through trial, continuing into an appeal before the Army or Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, or the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, as the case requires.
Few charges draw more prosecutorial resources than Article 120 allegations, and the damage to reputation often starts long before trial. Attorney Robles investigates independently, tests the government’s evidence, and builds a defense around the facts rather than the accusation.
A career can end just as fast through an administrative process as through a courtroom. Attorney Robles’s administrative practice includes:
- Involuntary separation and discharge boards
- Reenlistment and re-commissioning bar disputes
- DOHA hearings and clearance revocations
- Record correction petitions (ABCMR, AFBCMR)
- Rebuttals to evaluation reports
- Responses to letters of reprimand
- AWOL and desertion allegations
- VA disability appeals
- USERRA reemployment claims
Time is of the Essence
JBLM doesn’t slow down for a pending case, and neither should your defense.
Deployments and PCS orders can scatter witnesses across the country, evidence can go stale, and the response window on an Article 15 or a clearance appeal is often tighter than it looks. The same is true if a case moves into civilian or federal court — getting a lawyer involved early, before speaking to investigators, tends to preserve options that disappear once a file is complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
Representing the JBLM Community, On Base and Off
Attorney Robles represents soldiers, airmen, veterans, and military families connected to Joint Base Lewis-McChord throughout the South Sound region, including Lakewood, DuPont, Tacoma, Puyallup, and Olympia, as well as service members who’ve since relocated to installations in other states.
