Mark A Ronning

I retired from the military after serving 24 years as an Army Infantryman for three years, Field Artillery officer five years and Judge Advocate General officer (attorney) for sixteen years.  I have served in the Active Army, the Army Reserves (full time) and the Army National Guard (full time) from the Gulf War through OEF and OIF.  I have served as the senior legal advisor for Compannies, Battalions, Brigades and Divisions on posts across America, in Thailand, in Austria, in Egypt, in Washington, D.C., and in Iraq.  Through every duty station I saw Soldiers get injured but not get the medical records to document those injuries, I saw Sodlers get divorced and get taken advantage of because of their miltiary status and I saw Soldiers return from war only to face discrimination when trying to find a civilian job.

As the senior full time attorney for the Oregon National Guard I worked closely with the Oregon Department of Justice and the Oregon State Bar at the beginning of OIF to establish a state-wide program to train civilian attorneys in how to address the unique legal needs of military members in Oregon.  I testified before the Oregon legislature in support of legislation to protect parents during deployments.  I worked closely with the Oregon Department of Labor to educate Oregon employers on state and federal protections for military Servicemembers.  I recognized that Oregon had next to no practicing lawyers who understood how the law protects and provides for our military and veteran population.

When I retired in 2013, I applied for jobs with law firms across Oregon.  Across the state I pitched the idea of building a miliary law practice within their esablished law firms but nobody was interested.  So, I teamed up with other veterans and founded Northwest Veterans Law.  Since November 2013 we have represented veterans from coast to coast, in State Court, in Federal Court, at VA Regional Offices throughout the West and in Washington, D.C. at the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals, Boards for Correction of Military Records and the Board for Veterans' Appeals.

We are veterans who are honored to represent veterans.  I am proud of the veterans who work for Northwest Veterans Law and I am proud of the success that we have had helping our brothers and sisters in their times of need.