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Schofield Barracks & Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Military Defense Attorney

Nelson Robles Defends Service Members Across Oahu’s Military Community

Schofield Barracks trains soldiers. Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam berths ships and launches aircraft. Together, the two installations put tens of thousands of Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel within reach of the same military justice system — and the same risks that come with it.

Nelson Robles founded Corrao & Robles Law after serving as a Judge Advocate General’s Corps officer in the U.S. Army, and that background now shapes how he represents soldiers, sailors, airmen, and veterans connected to Oahu’s military installations, whatever branch they wear the uniform of.

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          Real Military Justice Experience, Not Just Familiarity With It

          Plenty of attorneys can cite the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Fewer have watched an investigation take shape, sat across from a commander weighing whether to prefer charges, or prepared a panel presentation from the inside. Nelson Robles spent years as an active-duty Army JAG Major doing exactly that, completing the Judge Advocate Officer Course, the Military Trial Advocacy Course, and the Complex Victim Unit Course along the way, and earning the Army Commendation Medal and the Joint Service Commendation Medal. That record applies in full regardless of which branch the client serves in — the UCMJ doesn’t change at the flight line or the pier.

          Where Attorney Robles Steps In for Oahu’s Service Members

          The 25th Infantry Division runs a demanding training cycle out of Schofield Barracks, while Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam keeps a fleet and a flightline operating around the clock. Both produce the kind of legal exposure Attorney Robles handles every day.

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          CID, NCIS, and OSI Investigations

          Three different investigative agencies work Oahu’s installations depending on the branch involved, but the advice from Attorney Robles doesn’t change based on which one is asking: don’t give a statement, sign anything, or explain yourself before counsel is involved.

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          Article 15 and Non-Judicial Punishment

          It’s often pitched as the quick way to close out a problem, but an Article 15 finding can strip rank and pay and leave a mark that resurfaces at the next promotion or reenlistment review. Attorney Robles walks clients through accepting NJP versus contesting it at a court-martial, then prepares accordingly.

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          Court-Martial Defense

          A general court-martial conviction can carry a dishonorable discharge, total forfeiture of pay, and years of confinement, with special and summary courts-martial imposing lesser but still serious penalties. Attorney Robles represents clients from the Article 32 hearing through trial, and, when appropriate, through an appeal before the applicable service Court of Criminal Appeals or the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

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          Article 120 Allegations

          Sexual assault allegations draw command attention and resource commitment almost immediately, and reputational harm can begin well before any finding is made. Attorney Robles conducts an independent investigation and holds the government to its burden rather than accepting the accusation at face value.

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          Administrative and Career Matters

          A career can unravel through a board or a file just as easily as through a courtroom. Attorney Robles also represents Oahu service members in:

          • Involuntary separation and administrative discharge boards
          • Reenlistment or re-commissioning bar challenges
          • Security clearance revocations and DOHA hearings
          • Record correction petitions (ABCMR, AFBCMR, BCNR)
          • Evaluation report rebuttals
          • GOMOR and letter of reprimand responses
          • AWOL and desertion allegations
          • VA disability appeals
          • USERRA reemployment disputes

          Distance Changes the Calculus

          Oahu is roughly 2,500 miles from the mainland, and that isolation shapes a military case in ways a mainland installation never has to account for — witnesses reassigned to other Pacific commands become harder to reach, records requests take longer to move, and the response window on an Article 15 rebuttal or a clearance appeal doesn’t stretch just because the evidence has to travel farther. Getting a lawyer involved early, before speaking to investigators, matters even more when geography is already working against you.

          Frequently Asked Questions

          Yes. Military justice procedures under the UCMJ apply the same way across every branch, and civilian defense counsel only needs an active law license in good standing in a U.S. jurisdiction, not branch-specific credentials. Nelson Robles is licensed in Rhode Island and Massachusetts and admitted before multiple federal courts, which covers sailors and airmen at JBPHH the same as soldiers at Schofield.

          No. Where an attorney is barred has no bearing on eligibility to serve as civilian defense counsel in a court-martial or administrative proceeding, so a Hawaii license isn’t required.

          It moves with you. Attorney Robles continues representing clients through PCS moves and deployments, wherever the Army, Navy, or Air Force sends them next.

          Serving Military Families Across Oahu


          Attorney Robles represents soldiers, sailors, airmen, veterans, and military families connected to Schofield Barracks and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam throughout Oahu, including Wahiawa, Mililani, Aiea, and Honolulu, along with service members who have since transferred to installations elsewhere.

          The Hawaii state flag and the United States flag waving on flagpoles against a blue sky.