About Maher Legal Services
A firm built on decades of service inside the institutions we now help clients navigate.
Who We Are
Maher Legal Services represents individuals whose careers, clearances, and rights are at stake in federal and military systems. The firm was built around a specific idea: that people navigating those systems are better served by counsel who has worked inside them.
The attorneys at Maher Legal Services have held senior positions in the federal government, served as military officers and Judge Advocates, and litigated before the Department of Justice. They have been on the other side of the table in the kinds of proceedings their clients now face. That experience is not a credential to be listed. It shapes how every matter is approached.
The firm’s practice is concentrated in military justice, federal employment defense, USERRA litigation, and security clearance matters. These are areas where the institutional complexity is high, the personal stakes are significant, and where experience inside the relevant systems makes a measurable difference in how a case is understood and presented.
The firm also assists individuals and families with estate planning, probate, and related matters, and serves small businesses as outside counsel.
The compass in the firm’s emblem reflects a simple idea: when the path forward is unclear, the firm’s first job is to help clients find it.
Meet the Team
The attorneys and staff at Maher Legal Services bring backgrounds that span military command, federal prosecution, agency leadership, and private practice. What that means in practice is that when a client describes their situation, someone in this firm has seen it, or something very close to it, from the inside.
John N. Maher
John N. Maher is the founder and principal attorney of Maher Legal Services. A retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps, he has served as General Counsel of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, a trial attorney at the Department of Justice, and a partner at two major law firms.
He has represented service members in courts-martial and presidential clemency matters, and has litigated USERRA claims in federal court. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court and multiple federal courts.
Kevin Mikolashek
Kevin J. Mikolashek is the Managing Director of Maher Legal Services. A former Army officer and Judge Advocate, he spent a decade as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, where he served as the office’s first Servicemember Civil Rights Coordinator and led complex civil and criminal investigations. He also served as Senior Counsel in the enforcement group of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
He holds a J.D. from Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law and an M.B.A. from UVA’s Darden School of Business.
Tony San Martin
Tony San Martin focuses his practice on federal employment defense, bringing more than twenty years of experience in both private practice and federal government legal work. He has served in senior counsel roles at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and FEMA, and has represented federal employees in removal actions, demotions, security clearance matters, EEO claims, and union arbitrations. His federal employment work has produced four precedent-setting decisions before the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board.
He holds a J.D. from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.
Samuel F. Wright
Samuel F. Wright is a retired Navy Captain and Judge Advocate with nearly five decades of experience in military and employment law. He is widely recognized as a principal drafter of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) and has served in senior legal roles at the Department of Labor, the Department of Defense, the Office of Special Counsel, and FEMA, and as Director of the Service Members Law Center for the Reserve Officers Association.
He holds a J.D. from the University of Houston and an LL.M. from Georgetown University.
Joshua Houchins
Joshua Houchins serves as Legal Administrator for Maher Legal Services, coordinating case management and client communications. His background in funeral service and estate administration informs his support of clients navigating probate and estate matters. He is a graduate of Olivet Nazarene University.
How We Approach Complex Matters
Many of the matters Maher Legal Services handles are not simple. Courts-martial arising from combat deployments, federal employment proceedings involving national security clearances, and USERRA cases against large institutional employers all require more than legal argument. They require a thorough factual foundation.
Depending on the nature of a matter, the firm works with private investigators, forensic accountants, medical and psychological experts, digital evidence specialists, and other professionals whose analysis strengthens the factual basis of a client’s case. The firm also maintains relationships with experienced co-counsel in areas requiring specialized expertise, and in complex matters may serve as strategic lead, coordinating the contributions of multiple professionals into a unified litigation posture.
This approach reflects a deliberate choice. Rather than maintaining a large institutional structure, the firm builds teams around the specific needs of each case. The result is representation that is both capable and efficient, without the overhead of a large firm being passed on to clients.
Over the Years
History of the Firm
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Ready to Talk Through Your Situation?
If you are facing a legal matter involving military service, federal employment, or your rights as a reservist, we welcome the opportunity to speak with you. An initial consultation is a straightforward conversation about your situation and your options. There is no obligation to proceed.