Military Law & Criminal Defense Lawyer Serving the East Coast
Nelson Robles — JAG Officer Providing Military Legal Defense and Criminal Defense RepresentationMilitary legal matters and serious criminal charges share one critical characteristic: the consequences of an inadequate defense can follow a person for the rest of their life. A court-martial conviction, a security clearance revocation, a bad discharge characterization, or a criminal conviction in state or federal court can end careers, eliminate benefits, and permanently alter the trajectory of everything a person has worked toward. Having an attorney who has operated inside these systems makes a difference that matters at every stage of a case.
At Corrao & Robles Law, attorney Nelson Robles represents service members, veterans, and civilians facing military legal matters and criminal charges throughout the East Coast and in applicable federal matters. As a Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer, he brings firsthand knowledge of the military justice system, the administrative processes that govern military careers, and the federal and state criminal courts where civilian cases are decided.
A JAG Officer’s Perspective on Your Side
Some attorneys who handle military cases learned military law from textbooks and continuing education seminars. Nelson Robles learned it from the inside as a commissioned officer, a member of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, and a legal professional who worked within the very system that now governs the cases he defends. That experience translates directly into strategic advantages for clients that no amount of outside study can replicate.
Attorney Robles understands how military prosecutors build their cases, how commanding officers approach disciplinary decisions, how military investigators are trained to conduct interviews and gather evidence, and how administrative boards weigh the factors before them. He brings that institutional knowledge to every case, combining it with the kind of determined and thorough advocacy that serious military and criminal matters demand.
Military Law Representation
Attorney Robles represents service members and veterans in the full range of military legal matters throughout the East Coast and in applicable federal jurisdictions, including clients connected to installations and communities throughout Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and the greater mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions.
A general court-martial is the military’s most serious criminal tribunal, capable of imposing a dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and significant confinement. Special and summary courts-martial carry their own serious consequences. Attorney Robles defends service members at all levels of court-martial proceedings, from the Article 32 preliminary hearing through trial and, where appropriate, the military appellate process before the branch Courts of Criminal Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
When the Army CID, NCIS, AFOSI, or another military investigative agency initiates an investigation, service members often do not realize how quickly and decisively those investigations move. Involving legal counsel before making any statement to investigators is one of the most important steps a service member can take. Attorney Robles intervenes at the earliest possible stage of military criminal investigations, protecting his clients’ rights and shaping how a case develops long before charges are formally preferred.
Non-judicial punishment under Article 15 of the UCMJ is frequently presented to service members as a routine matter — but an Article 15 finding can result in reduction in rank, forfeiture of pay, extra duty, and a permanent mark on a service member’s record that affects promotions and reenlistment eligibility for the remainder of their career. Attorney Robles advises service members on whether to accept or refuse Article 15 proceedings and builds the most effective possible defense and mitigation presentation for each client’s specific situation.
Beyond criminal and disciplinary proceedings, military careers are frequently affected by administrative actions that carry serious consequences. Attorney Robles handles:
- Military separation proceedings
- Bar to reenlistment actions and challenges
- Security clearance denials, revocations, and DOHA hearings
- Military record corrections through the branch correction boards
- Officer Evaluation Report and NCOER rebuttals
- General Officer Memoranda of Reprimand responses
- AWOL and desertion defense
- VA claim denials and appeals
- USERRA employment rights violations
- Feres Doctrine and Bar on Post matters
Sexual assault allegations under Article 120 of the UCMJ are among the most aggressively prosecuted charges in the military justice system and carry consequences that extend far beyond the courtroom. Attorney Robles defends service members facing sexual assault allegations with the thorough investigation, careful evidentiary analysis, and determined advocacy these cases require.
Criminal Defense Representation
In addition to military matters, Attorney Robles represents civilians throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts facing serious criminal charges in state and federal court. His experience with the discipline, precision, and high-stakes advocacy required by military legal proceedings translates directly into effective criminal defense representation for civilian clients.
Attorney Robles handles criminal defense matters in Rhode Island courts — including the Providence County Superior Court, the Kent County Superior Court, the Newport County Superior Court, and the Washington County Superior Court — as well as Massachusetts courts including the Suffolk County Superior Court, the Middlesex County Superior Court, the Norfolk County Superior Court, and the Worcester County Superior Court.
Federal criminal charges — including federal drug trafficking, federal tax crimes, federal firearms offenses, and federal white collar matters — are prosecuted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island and the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Federal cases involve sentencing guidelines and mandatory minimums that can impose dramatically harsher penalties than state court proceedings for similar conduct, making experienced federal criminal defense representation essential.
How Long Do You Have to Act?
In military matters, time is particularly critical. Evidence can be lost or overwritten, witnesses can be reassigned or deployed, and procedural deadlines are often short and strictly enforced. Missing a deadline in a military administrative matter can permanently foreclose options that would otherwise have been available.
In civilian criminal matters, involving defense counsel before making any statement to law enforcement is one of the most consequential decisions anyone under investigation can make.
Frequently Asked Questions
Serving Service Members and Civilians Throughout the East Coast
Attorney Robles represents clients connected to military communities and civilian courts throughout the East Coast, including throughout Rhode Island — Providence, Cranston, Warwick, Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, North Kingstown, Westerly, and Woonsocket — and Massachusetts — Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Lowell, Cambridge, Brockton, New Bedford, Quincy, Salem, and Fall River — as well as in applicable federal jurisdictions throughout the East Coast.
