Military Law is the term used to designate the body of statutes, rules, and regulations governing the armed forces of the United States.
It defines the rights, duties and obligations of military personnel and their families, veterans, civilian employees, contractors and those who work or live on military installations.
Aaron Barrick has more than 15 years of experience as an advocate, litigator, and general counsel of private, public and government entities. He has advised and assisted thousands of individuals, executives, public leaders and senior military commanders in the resolution of complex problems in military law.
Colonel Barrick is also a senior military leader in the country, serving as the State Judge Advocate for Colorado, and a legal liaison to Active Duty Commands. Colonel Barrick served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and Judge Advocate on active duty in the Air Force from 1991-1996. He acted as a criminal prosecutor and defense counsel in high-profile courts-martial in the U.S. and throughout S.E. Asia and the Pacific Rim. He was also selected to defend the U.S. against land-use reclamations, toxic tort claims, federal tort claims, wrongful death claims and employment disputes. Upon separation from active duty, Colonel Barrick served as a reservist in the United States Air Force rising to the status of State Judge Advocate for Colorado. In this capacity, he acts as the senior legal advisor to The Adjutant General and other general officers in the state, with authority over all judge advocates in the Colorado National Guard. He is an honorably discharged veteran (active duty), a graduate of Air War College and a former member of the “Battle Staff” for homeland terrorist threats in Colorado. He maintains a Top Secret security clearance.
Colonel Barrick understands Military Law and is available to assist military personnel and their families, veterans, civilian employees, contractors, companies and employers, in the following areas of practice:
- Adverse Actions
- Administrative Discharges and Demotions
- Article 15 Proceedings
- Barments
- Civilian Employee and Discipline
- Civilian Employment and Re-employment
- Claims
- Conscientious Objectors
- Correction of Military Records
- Court Martial Proceedings
- Divorce, Custody and Dependent Care
- Duty Status Matters
- Ethics
- Feres Doctrine
- Fraud, Waste and Abuse
- Inspector General
- Investigations
- Lantenberg Amendment
- Liability of Members
- Line of Duty Determinations
- Medical Matters
- Paternity Claims
- Security Clearance Law and Appeals
- Selective Retention
- Servicemen’s Civil Relief Act
- Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) Protection
- Uniform Services Employment and Re-employment Act
- Veterans’ Benefits
- Wills, Living Wills and Powers of Attorney
Divorce, custody or dependent care when one party is in the military often creates unique issues. Marc Patoile and our team of family law attorneys and paralegals are skilled in resolving these military matters in dissolution of marriage or paternity cases. From jurisdictional issues, removal of children to other states, custody and parenting time issues when a military service member is deployed, to child support and maintenance calculations, military divorces can have issues which differ from other divorces.
And for military members or spouses of military members, either active or retired, military retirement benefits often represent the most valuable asset in the marital estate. Division of military pensions often presents challenges for those unskilled in this area of the law due to unique rules that govern military retirement pay and the applicable federal laws and procedures, and jurisdictional issues. Identifying the appropriate methods of division for a servicemember’s pension is essential and we have the skills to deal with the division of this unique asset. We also ensure that a retiree’s ability to thwart pension division by election of disability benefits doesn’t result in a reduction of the marital share of benefits.
Understanding the cost, benefits and implementation of the Survivor Benefit Plan, the survivor annuity in the event the service member predeceases the former spouse, is also critical. Divorcing parties need to become aware of the deadlines for application, selection of the base amount, and a clear decision be made on how the costs of the premiums will be addressed.
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If you are serving in the United States armed forces, or are a veteran of such forces, you may be entitled to receive mental health treatment, substance abuse disorder treatment, or other services. Below are some organizations offering such services.
United States Department of Veteran Affairs: The VA operates the nation’s largest integrated health care system, with more than 1,700 hospitals, clinics, community-living centers, domiciliaries, readjustment counseling centers, and other facilities. VA administers a variety of benefits and services that provide financial and other forms of assistance to service members, veterans, their dependents and survivors. Eligibility for many services depends on discharge status. https://www.va.gov, 800-827-1000
Colorado Division of Veteran Affairs: Military service compensation for injuries and illnesses caused, incurred, or aggravated while on active duty; military pension; Aid and Attendance/Housebound Allowance; Dependent Indemnity Compensation (DIC); VA medical treatment with enrollment; burial benefits; Agent Orange Registry, Atomic Veteran Registry, and Gulf War Registry. https://www.colorado.gov/dmva, 303-284-6077
Denver Vet Center: Free resource for veterans in Colorado providing a broad range of counseling, outreach, and referral services to combat Veterans and their families. Services for a Veteran may include individual and group counseling in areas such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), alcohol and drug assessment, and suicide prevention referrals. All services are free of cost and are strictly confidential. Vet Center sees veterans with any discharge other than dishonorable and you do not need to be signed up for VA healthcare to use Vet Center Services. https://www.vetcenter.va.gov
Volunteer of America Veterans Services: The VOA provides emergency shelter, transitional and permanent housing. Their outreach provide treatment for PTSD, traumatic brain injuries and addiction. The VOA’s employment services include assessment, training and placement options in addition to employment counseling. https://www.voa.org/veterans
The 18th Judicial District Veterans Treatment Court (VTC): The VTC is a voluntary program for Veterans on Probation in Arapahoe, Douglas, Lincoln and Elbert counties. The VTC is an intensive court supervision program that involves weekly court appearances, UA’s, probation appointments, and intensive individualized treatment. The VTC accepts Veterans regardless of discharge status and takes at minimum 18 months to complete. The VTC accepts both misdemeanor and felony cases and participants must be high risk/high need. Jonathon.gordon@judicial.state.co.us, 18PSC@judicial.state.co.us
The University of Denver Military Psychology Clinic: Provides high-quality, confidential behavioral and mental health services at a community-centered facility in Aurora, Colorado. They welcome all Veterans, Service Members, and their families and can provide a wide range of behavioral health services. They operate on a sliding-scale payment model and accept Medicaid, Medicare, and V.A. Choice. 303-871-7942
Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinics: Veterans and their families are eligible for low to no-cost, personalized, and evidence-based mental health care along with access to comprehensive case management support and referrals to deal with other stresses like unemployment, finances, housing, and legal issues. They accept members of National Guard and Reserves as well as parents, siblings, spouses or partners, children, and caregivers of Veterans. https://www.cohenveteransnetwork.org
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Give us a call at 303-688-3045 to discuss how we can help you as a military service-member or veteran, or we will at least get you pointed in the right direction to finding the legal assistance you need.
