William E. Cassara, Attorney At Law

09/23/2026

https://thema*****naherald.com/2026/09/militarys-highest-court-to-decide-whether-positive-ma*****na-test-alone-can-prove-knowing-use-2/

The nation’s highest military appeals court has agreed to consider whether a positive ma*****na drug test alone can be used as evidence that a service … Continue reading

09/11/2026

25 years ago today, we lost nearly 3,000 people on American soil. First responders ran toward the danger while everyone else ran away — that's the part we should never get numb to.

A quarter century later, we're still thinking about the ones we lost, the families who never got closure, and everyone who stepped up to serve because of that day.

Never forget. 🇺🇸

09/09/2026

We successfully petitioned the Army Board for Correction of Military Records on behalf our client. Shortly after arriving at basic training as a young man, he went AWOL. He voluntarily returned to military control and almost immediately submitted a request for discharge in lieu of court martial, which the Army did not approve for many months. We argued that his entry level status, voluntary return, and post-service achievements should result in an upgrade. The Army agreed and upgraded his Other than Honorable to an General (Under Honorable Conditions) Discharge, almost 25 years after his discharge.

09/08/2026

A young Marine who was separated with a General discharge for a pattern of misconduct was upgraded to Honorable after testifying at his hearing before the Naval Discharge Review Board. The Marine was separated after bringing the command’s attention to a drug problem in the unit. Rather than take any action the command simply told the Marine he had no proof. Seeking proof, the Marine posed like he wanted to buy L*D from the Marine known to be dealing. Instead of opening an investigation into the dealer, the command chose to get rid of the Marine trying to do the right thing. They wrote the Marine up for an off-post speeding ticket that he brought to their attention after receiving it, and for attempting to buy drugs. Those two write-ups formed the basis for the separation. Since leaving the service the Marine had gone on to earn a Bachelor’s degree and was working on his Master’s. He maintained consistent and meaningful employment in his community, factors the Board weighed heavily in his favor. Additionally, a fellow former Marine from his unit testified to the Board that there was a drug problem in their former unit and that our client did inform the command. And despite that, it was our client that was administratively separated, while the drug users remained. The Board voted to upgrade to Honorable.
If you are looking to upgrade your discharge, please feel free to contact us.

07/21/2026

We successfully petitioned the Army Discharge Review Board on behalf of a former Infantryman to upgrade his Other than Honorable to an Honorable Discharge. After two grueling combat deployments to Afghanistan, this NCO had undiagnosed PTSD that contributed to his misconduct, which included a DUI and a period of AWOL. The ADRB agreed that the previous characterization was unfair based on his combat service and mental health condition. We are thrilled for our client, who sacrified greatly for his country.

07/20/2026

https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2026-07-20/legal-services-disability-evaluation-process-22318446.html

The disability evaluation process determines whether soldiers can continue to serve or whether they should receive medical retirement benefits.

07/13/2026

We represent service members and DOD employees/contractors in Security Clearance revocation cases. We represented an E-4 whose clearance was revoked for use and transportation of illegal drugs. The service member admitted her error in using drugs before a concert and allowing her car to be used to transport them.
We submitted a robust rebuttal to the proposed revocation including letters of support from her chain of command. We recently learned that the appeal had been granted and she will be allowed to keep her clearance and salvage her career.
If you or someone you know has had their clearance revoked please reach out to us.

07/02/2026

Army Court of Criminal Appeals sets aside conviction.

Our client contacted us because his detailed appellate defense counsel told him there were no issues to appeal from his guilty plea court-martial. We spotted issues that the detailed counsel did not, including that the military judge abused his discretion in accepting the plea because our client's conduct was not unlawful. In a twist, the government agreed with us that the conviction was wrong. Today, the Army Court set aside the conviction. We are proud to represent our client and thankful he entrusted us with his case. Special props to our lead appellate counsel, Julie Caruso Haines, for spotting the issue and persuading the government and the court that we were right.

07/02/2026

In observance of Independence Day, William E. Cassara, P.C. will be closed on Friday, July 3.

We wish everyone a safe and happy 4th of July as we celebrate the freedoms so many have served to protect.

Happy Independence Day!

06/15/2026

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2026/06/13/counsel_to_power_how_judge_advocates_turn_command_intent_into_justice_1188453.html

The Instrument of Power In today's military, particularly within the National Guard, administrative process has become the preferred method for resolving career-ending allegations and personnel disput