Defense Service Office Southeast (DSO SE)

We provide the highest quality legal advice and representation to eligible service members at courts-martial and administrative proceedings, including enlisted administrative separation boards and officer boards of inquiry, within the assigned area of responsibility (AOR).

Area of Responsibility

DSO SE Norfolk (HQ) services Virginia (except for Northern Virginia/D.C. suburbs), West Virginia, and North Carolina.

DSO SE Detachment Mayport and Branch Office Jacksonville service South Carolina, Georgia, Florida (east of Panama City), and islands south of 36N.

DSO SE Detachment Pensacola services Florida (west of and including Panama City), Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Lousiana, and Texas.

Your Right to Remain Silent and Consult with an Attorney

If any government agent (that means everyone in uniform including but not limited to anyone in your chain of command, NCIS special agents, civilian police officers in military police departments, and any civilian law enforcement) suspects you of an offense and seeks to question you about that offense, you have an absolute right to remain silent, end the interview and consult with an attorney. Attorneys at DSO SE are available to provide consultation in these cases.

Clients seeking advice on pending criminal investigations, criminal charges, administrative separation, NJP, or other adverse administrative action may seek legal advice by submitting an intake form. Please see the information above for instructions on submitting an intake form to the office that services your location.

Schedule an Appointment

Please review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and Defense / Personal Representative Services Addendum for more information about defense services.

To speak to an attorney on the following matters, please complete the DSO Southeast PERSREP intake form, and follow the instructions below based on your location:

Non-Judicial Punishment (NJP)/Captain’s Mast
Administrative Separation/Board of Inquiry
Adverse Evaluations/Fitness Reports
Complaints of Wrongs (138/1150)
Investigations into You (IG, Command, NCIS, Police)
Court-Martial Charges

Norfolk, VA

Legal advice will be provided from 0900 to 1100, Monday through Thursday. Please email your intake form, a copy of the front and back of your military ID card, and any documents related to your legal issue via email to dsose_persreps@navy.mil. If you have any questions regarding your intake form, please contact our Defense Legal Clerk at (757) 341-4469 during the hours of 0830 until 1530 Monday-Thursday and during the hours of 0800 until 1200 on Fridays. For after-hours emergencies only, please contact the Command Duty Officer at (757) 636-5070.

Mayport and Jacksonville, FL

Pensacola, FL

Remote legal advice will be provided from 0830 to 1030, Monday through Thursday. Please email the intake form, a copy of the front and back of your military ID card, and any documents related to your issue via email to dsosedetpensacola@navy.mil.

Command Requests: Detailing Of Counsel (Administrative Separation Boards)

Commands requesting that an attorney be detailed to an administrative separation board should complete the request for counsel and send via encrypted e-mail, including all required enclosures, to the office that services your location. For Commands in the Norfolk AOR email, dsosenrflk_requestforcounsel@us.navy.mil. In the Mayport or Jacksonville AOR email, dsosejaxs@navy.mil. For Commands in the Pensacola AOR email, dsosedetpensacola@navy.mil.

Commands will be notified via email as soon as defense counsel is assigned. If there are exigent circumstances that may affect scheduling the board, please let us know of those circumstances when sending the request.