Benjamin Aaron Beliles

My former employer (the government contractor that manages a large federally-funded research center where I worked in Charlottesville, VA) terminated me in 2022 for opposing corporate policies and programs that discriminated by race and sex in the guise of DEI. Blowing the whistle on employer discr...imination is protected by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, so I decided to sue my former employer for retaliation. I asked FIRE to recommend a good civil-rights lawyer and was connected with Ben Beliles of Beliles & Associates, PLLC in Richmond, VA. I retained him after our first meeting because he had prepared by studying my complaint and was very open about the time, money, and effort plaintiffs need to expend in order to win federal civil lawsuits against large corporations. We worked well together throughout the three years it took to win because he understood the law, the quirks and uncertainties of the legal system, and how to obtain revealing information from hostile witnesses during depositions. Also, I could count on Ben to give me expert advice on what I should and should not do. His final legal memorandum to the court so clearly demolished the opposing arguments that the defendants offered to accept a judgment against them and in my favor, to pay me a large award for damages, and to reimburse my legal costs in full, just to avoid the impending jury trial. To anyone thinking about filing civil-rights or other employment-law complaint, I strongly recommend contacting Ben Beliles first.

The Army initiated a BOI due to derogatory information in my permanent file. I contacted Best Military Defense due to some advice I received from a superior. After speaking with Ben, I felt extremely comfortable retaining his services instead of attempting to fight the BOI with TDS. TDS is usually sw...amped with other Soldiers’ issues and I wanted someone to provide undivided attention to my case. Once retaining their services, I always felt that Ben had my best interest at heart. Throughout the process, Ben walked me through what I needed to accomplish. When Ben arrived to my duty station, we went over how the BOI would be conducted and spoke to personnel who would speak on my behalf. Without Ben’s assistance, I don’t believe I would would have been able to continue to serve.

Regarding military lawyers, just like in medicine there are good doctors and bad doctors. In my case I got a bad military lawyer. I was facing a Show Cause Board at 17 years of service for fraternization, adultery and disobeying a direct order. The prosecution had a slam dunk case (or so they though...t) because I had admitted to everything and was guilty of all the charges. My military lawyer strongly advised me to just resign my commission. When I came back and told him that I wanted to go to the board and fight, he told me, "statements have been made and there was no chance they were going to retain me". I told him that I needed him to do his job and represent me. He told me he would but again that I had no chance. When I asked him what did I need to do to prepare and what should I tell my potential witnesses? He said, "The board just wants to hear about your military record and doesn't care about your other civilian witnesses, he told me don't wear your dress uniform because the board is made up of line officers and they don't care about that". I left that meeting completely distraught. I could tell he hadn't even reviewed my record and he didn't want to take my case. I did not want someone representing me who wasn't going to go 110% despite the odds. I called Cherkasky who called me back in an hour. I explained my case and without hesitation they told me they would take my case and fight! I was assigned "Big Ben". He reviewed my case file and came up with a killer strategy. He took all the stress off me and came up with everything. I started feeling good because I had someone advocating for me. I could finally focus on other things after 2 years of stress because of uncertainty regarding my case. We game planned until the morning of my board. He interviewed over 30 witnesses on my behalf. The day of the show cause board I was scared but I felt confident because Ben was at my side and we had prepared well. Ben set the prosecution aback from his opening statement and had the board members engaged. He presented 17 on the stand witnesses and myself to the show cause board. The Government had nothing to say and did not question one of my witnesses after Ben examined them. He then absolutely killed the closing statement, the prosecutor was left with nothing at the point and he didn't even recommend that I be discharged in his closing statement. The board went to deliberate and had some follow on questions which Ben deftly answered for them. The board came back with a 'Retain Verdict' and my career was saved because of the outstanding representation that I got from Ben. He took on a case that was a slam dunk for the prosecution and completely stuffed it back in the government's face. You can't afford not to have a lawyer that is not going to give a 110% on your behalf facing a military court. Ben gave that and more. He saved my career and retirement despite overwhelming odds. He truly does care about his clients as he still reaches out to check on me from time to time. He just didn't take the check and run off. I can't thank Ben enough for the diligent work he did not behalf of my case. Cherkasky and Ben Belilies truly are your Best Military Defense Lawyers! There is no one better in the business.

Ben Beliles is truly the best of the best! I hired him for counsel when I was the subject of a vindictive inspector general allegation that had the attention of the highest levels my service’s leadership. Always responsive, he was available via phone or email even when traveling in different time zo...nes. In addition to thoroughly understanding the law, he also appreciated the emotional stresses involved. His personal and legal counsel are sound, he has a successful track record and I trust him implicitly.

All too often the relationship between the layman and the lawyer is a paradoxical one, a cultural love-hate dynamic. Society cannot seem to forgo the temptation to jab at the profession and denigrate its presence more than that of the taxman or dentist. However, when oaths are broken, our reputations... maligned, and our carefully scripted societal tools of recompense fail, society turns to the profession that it repudiates the most. While there are negative examples of the legal profession, Ben Beliles is not one of them. I cannot say enough good about Ben. It is infrequent in our society today that one person can have such a transformative impact on another’s life as he did for me. Ben is a truly remarkable litigator and human being who invests in his clients at a personal level and imbues his courtroom presence with humanity and empathetic leadership. In a system that dehumanizes and parades the most vulnerable artifices of humanity around for public consumption, judgment, and vicarious enjoyment, Ben is the beacon of hope for his clients before, during, and—most importantly—after the tragic opera that is the legal process. Ben works at the cross roads of the system and his clients, where the law achieves what is right and not only what is possible, where law and morality are in harmony, and when the good cause unites with the impassioned and noble fight. It is in this nexus that the law, society, and its incumbents are held high and we glimpse the ideals of what the legal system should be. While Ben cannot undue the original circumstances of the injustice and tragedy I endured, he could do everything possible to make it right when I could not for myself, and in doing so gave a new hope when hope had become forlorn and provided faith where the was little cause for faith. Every day, of every week, of every month of the rest of my life that I enjoy my freedom and my family, the first thought through my mind will be: Thank you, Ben, for giving me my life back.