Current Website Advisors

David Addlestone:  A  Vietnam-era judge advocate, public defender, and senior staff attorney with the Lawyers Military Defense Committee in Vietnam, he later directed, or was co-director, of several non-profit organizations specializing in military & veterans law, including the National Veterans Legal Services Program. He has co-authored numerous articles and books on military & veterans law, including the American Veterans and Servicemembers Survival Guide, of which he was the co-manager, co-editor, and contributing writer.

Pete Duffy: Currently Deputy Director of legislative affairs for the National Guard Association of the United States based in Washington DC, Col. (Ret.) Duffy has advocated for expanded legal assistance to Guard families in various circles.

Drew Early: A West Point graduate who served in the U.S. Army for 20 years and a cum laude  graduate of Georgia State University's College of Law, Mr. Early's legal practice at Lynch & Shewmaker LLC in Atlanta GA focuses on elder law and veterans legal issues.

Judge Joseph Field:  A retired Commander in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, Judge Field practiced law in private practice in Maine before his appointment to the Maine District Court in 1990.

Jed French: Currently a shareholder in the law firm of Powers & French in Freeport, Maine, he also serves as a JAG officer with the rank of Major with the Air Force Reserve in New Hampshire. Mr. French also serves as a trainer for JAG officers and private attorneys.

Captain Melissa Halsey:  Captain Halsey is responsible for the Army's legal website.

Captain Thomas Hineman: Currently the only full-time JAG officer with the Maine National Guard, Captain Hineman is based at Camp Keyes in Augusta.

Stephen Lynch: A retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Mr. Lynch now serves as a legal assistance attorney for U.S. Coast Guard members in the Ninth District of Ohio and as a trainer on military law for military legal assistance attorneys and civil legal aid providers on a national and local basis.

William Mailander:  He serves as General Counsel for Paralyzed Veterans of America, a nationally-chartered veterans’service organization headquartered in Washington DC.

Terry Moore: A retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, Ms. Moore advocates for veterans, serving as Chair of the Maine Advisory Commission on Women Veterans and Maine Governor's aide-de-camp, on the Maine Veterans' Home Board of Trustees, and as a member of the VA Center for Women Veterans' Advisory Committee on Women Veterans.

Rachel Natelson: An attorney who founded and directed the Veterans and Servicemembers Project at the Urban Justice Center in New York City, Ms. Natelson currently serves as legal advisor to the Service Women's Action Network.

Robert Nelson: A retired Washington attorney, his long and distinguished career includes service as Assistant Secretary of the Army under President Carter and then as the first in-house general counsel to Paralyzed Veterans of America (a nationally chartered veteran service organization). 

Nancy Plourde: Ms. Plourde is a career staffer within the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services, currently serving as assistant to BVS Director Peter Ogden in the Augusta office.

William Russo: An attorney who currently serves as Deputy Director, Office of Regulation Policy & Management, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, he previously served as Director of the Veterans Benefits Program at Vietnam Veterans of America.

Jim Strickland:  A nationally recognized expert on disability benefits who writes extensively about VA benefits, both on his own website and on popular sites such as VA Watchdog dot Org, where he also fields email questions from veterans around the country.

Mark Sullivan: A North Carolina attorney with his own firm, Mr. Sullivan is the author of The Military Divorce Handbook: A Practical Guide to Representing Military Personnel and Their Families and A Judge's Guide to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.

Dr. Shirley Weaver: Affiliated with the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Weaver is a United States Air Force veteran from the Vietnam era who is actively involved in a national work group helping rural health providers improve care for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, with a special focus on undiagnosed traumatic brain injury and PTSD.

Marshal Willick: Principal of the Willick Law Group, an A/V rated Family Law firm in Las Vegas, Nevada, Mr. Willick practices in trial and appellate family law and is a recognized national expert on military pension matters and other issues related to divorce of service members. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.

 March 2012