Donna P. Price

Donna P. Price retired from active duty as a Captain in 2003 after serving 25 years in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Ms. Price has earned a national reputation as a leader in Security Clearance representation. With approximately 35 total years of military legal experience, Ms. Price has litigated hundreds of trials as a prosecutor, defense counsel and military judge. She has also handled countless administrative, disability, personnel and security clearance proceedings. Ms. Price also has extensive and wide-ranging personnel, claims and administrative law experience. Ms. Price’s active duty experience included assignments as a personnel officer (detailer); instructor in Criminal Procedure, Civil and Administrative Law and Editor-in-Chief of the Naval Law Review at the Naval Justice School; as legislative counsel in the Office of Legislative Affairs; as Commanding Officer of the Naval Legal Service Office in Norfolk, Virginia, the largest and busiest legal office in the Department of the Navy; and as a Military Judge. While serving as a legislative counsel, Ms. Price was responsible for all personnel and medical issues affecting the Department of the Navy before congress.

Since retiring from the Navy, Ms. Price has served as a Senior Vice President, Privacy and Compliance, and Chief Compliance Officer, for a health care provider in the TRICARE arena, in addition to engaging in the private practice of law, focused on security clearance adjudications and suitability determinations, along with other military law and criminal cases. These varied experiences provide her with the knowledge and background to address any military law issue that may arise.

Ms. Price received her undergraduate (B.A. 1976) and law degrees (J.D. 1979) from Mercer University and earned a Masters of Law, International and Comparative Law (LL.M. 1992), with highest honors, from The George Washington University. Ms. Price is licensed in Georgia (inactive), Virginia and all applicable State, Federal and Military courts.

Ms. Price and her cases have also been featured in and she has been used as a reference resource for local, national and international publications, news services, broadcasts, documentaries addressing military legal issues and organizations such as BBC’s “Five Live” (London), local as well as national PBS and NPR broadcasts, CBS News, Navy Times, The Potomac News, USA Today, and the Capital (Bulgaria). Additionally, Ms. Price has also had articles published by “The Virginian Pilot” – “Law Matters” (special section dealing with military legal issues); and the “New Jersey Lawyer” (Article on military administrative Separations, Correction of Military Records and Discharge Review Boards). Finally, due to her wide-ranging expertise, Ms. Price has frequently been invited to appear as a professional expert resource for local, national and international news journalists, and a commentator on programs such as NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” Chicago Public Radio’s “Worldview,” PBS’s “Nightly Business Report,” Sirius Satellite Radio’s “CourtTV Radio,” as well as local radio broadcasts. The following summaries of some of those broadcasts are provided:

“Nightly Business Report” (PBS) – Discussing how credit reports can affect employment decisions

The “Afghan War Diaries” (NPR) – Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning has been linked to two high profile leaks of classified information and how U.S. military courts handle cases like this.

“Exploring the Reasons Behind Going AWOL” (NPR) – Since the invasion of Iraq three years ago, thousands of American men and women have gone AWOL — absent without official leave. A former soldier discusses why he fled, and experts examine the legal prospects of amnesty for American deserters.

“What Happened at Haditha?” (NPR) – In November, U.S. Marines allegedly killed two dozen Iraqis, including women and children. Most, if not all, were unarmed. Military sources claim that evidence shows there were mitigating circumstances. Iraqi eyewitnesses claim that the Marines simply went on a rampage. Guests explore the investigation into the Haditha deaths and talk about how the military conducts these kinds of inquiries.

“Bush, Congress, Grapple with Path for Terrorism Suspects” (NPR) – President Bush called for legislation that would authorize military commissions to try prisoners held at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp. Guests discuss the proposals from Congress and the White House on how terror suspects will be tried.

Military & Professional Experience

• Captain (Retired), U.S. Navy JAG Corps, 1979 – 2003
• Private Practice of Law, 2003 – 2008 & 2009 – Present
• SVP Privacy & Compliance, Chief Compliance Officer, 2009

Education

• B.A., Mercer University, 1976
• J.D., Mercer University, Walter F. George School of Law, 1979
• LL.M., International and Comparative Law, with highest honors, The George Washington University, 1992

Bar Admissions

• Georgia, 1979 (inactive)
• Virginia, 2003

Court Admissions

• United States District Court, Middle District of Georgia, 1979
• Supreme Court of Georgia, 1980
• United States District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, 2003
• Supreme Court of Virginia, 2003
• United States Court of Military Appeals (now Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces)
• United States Navy/Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals
• United States Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2003
• United States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2003
• United States Army Court of Criminal Appeals
• United States Court of Federal Claims, 2003

Memberships

• Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association, 2003-Present
• Board of Governors, Military Law Section, State Bar of Virginia, 2011-Present (Secretary, 2013-2015)
• Chair, Board of Governors, Military Law Section, State Bar of Virginia (2015-Present)

Publications and Presentations

• Law Matters, The Virginian Pilot, special section on military law
• Getting Fired by the Military (and What You Can do About It), New Jersey Lawyer Magazine, June 2007/No. 246, pp. 21-27
• National Classification Management Society (MCMS) Hampton Roads Winter Conference, December 9, 2010.
• Quantico Area Intelligence Security Council, Security Clearance Presentation, March 23, 2011
• 2011 Mid-Atlantic Joint Services Consumer Law Symposium, June 10, 2011
• George Mason University Law School, Military Law Society, October 4, 2011
• Ethical Decision Making in Business, Tidewater Community College, September 24, 2013
• Security Clearance Adjudication Process, Military Law Section of Virginia State Bar, Richmond, VA 2015
• 30th Annual Vandeventer Black LLP Labor & Employment Law Review and Update, 2015
• Security Clearance Adjudication Process, Dahlgren Area Security Professionals (DASPRO), 2015
• The Changing Legal Climate of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights:  Employment Law and Security Clearance Adjudications, Virginia Bar Association, 2016

Client Defense Contractor employee retained our assistance for a "Reapplication after Denial," with the previous clearance being denied under Adjudicative Guideline G – Alcohol Consumption as a result of excessive consumption for many years, five DUIs, diagnosis as alcohol dependent, and then continuing to consume alcohol notwithstanding such diagnosis. After ceasing consumption of alcohol and providing documented proof of such cessation, along with changes in behavior indicative of sobriety, we were able to assist client in being approved for a new clearance.