Natalia Helmsing
Military Attorney, Founder of Helmsing Military Law
I founded Helmsing Military Law because I have seen how one-sided military legal and administrative problems can feel to the service member caught in the middle of them.
The people running an investigation, adverse action, or administrative process often understand the system because they work in it every day. They know the procedures, the timelines, the paperwork, and what may come next. The service member may be encountering that process for the first time, while also trying to protect a career, reputation, and future they have spent years building.
That gap in knowledge and experience matters. When you do not understand what is happening, it is easy to react too quickly, miss an important decision point, or simply let the process move forward before you have had the chance to understand your options or their secondary effects.
My role is to help close that gap, and present your case in the most favorable way possible. I listen to your story, learn what has happened so far, ask the questions that still need answers, and when appropriate, communicate with the people or agencies involved so we can get a clearer picture of the situation. From there, we can build a deliberate plan and take action with a better understanding of what is at stake.
When you hire Helmsing Military Law, you work directly with me.
A Practice Built Around Direct Representation
Helmsing Military Law is intentionally a one-attorney practice.
I learn the facts, review the evidence, understand your history and goals, and stay involved as the matter develops. You are not reaching out to a big name and then being assigned to a more junior associate.
Military legal and administrative problems can evolve quickly, and the details often matter. I built HML this way so I can stay close to each case, understand how the pieces fit together, and give each client the attention and preparation that serious career-impacting matters deserve.
Experience Across the Military Legal System
I have worked within the military legal system from multiple perspectives. I have represented service members, advised commanders, prosecuted cases, handled administrative law matters, given classes to law enforcement, worked with investigations, and served in leadership and teaching roles.
That range of experience gives me a broader view of how military legal and administrative problems develop. I have seen how issues are investigated, how commanders and legal advisers evaluate options, how evidence is developed, how administrative actions move forward, and how those decisions can affect the service member on the other side of the process.
Defense and Individual Representation
I have represented service members facing investigations, adverse actions, military justice matters, administrative separation, and other career-impacting issues. That work has taught me how important it is to understand not only the legal problem, but also the person, the career, and the consequences behind it.
Command Advice and Administrative Law
I have advised commanders and senior leaders on investigations, administrative actions, regulatory issues, personnel matters, and military decision-making. That experience helps me understand how decisions are made inside the system and what information may matter to the people making them.
Prosecution and Military Justice
I have also served as a prosecutor, working with commanders, investigators, witnesses, and evidence. Seeing cases from that perspective gave me a deeper understanding of how allegations are developed, how facts are evaluated, and how decisions about military justice may take shape.
Leadership and Teaching
My experience has also included supervising and mentoring military attorneys and teaching constitutional and military law. Those roles reinforced something that continues to shape my practice today: complicated legal issues become more manageable when they are broken down clearly and approached with discipline and purpose.
Experience
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Civilian Defense Counsel
Law Firm of Will M. Helixon | 2023–2026
Represented service members in a wide range of military administrative and adverse-action matters, including AR 15-6 investigations and appeals, administrative separations, GOMOR responses, AAIP rebuttals, Inspector General matters, and appeals before the Army Review Boards Agency. This practice has focused on helping military clients understand the process, develop a strategy, present persuasive written responses, and protect their careers when facing potentially life-changing administrative action.
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Deputy Regional Defense Counsel / Senior Defense Counsel
U.S. Army Reserve, Southwest Region | 2022–2025
Served in a senior military defense leadership role supporting a regional team of approximately 13 defense attorneys and seven paralegals. In addition to representing clients, provided legal and tactical guidance to military defense counsel handling complex cases and trained attorneys on Article 15 proceedings, administrative separations, investigations, military justice, and professional responsibility. This role provided extensive exposure to the issues Soldiers face throughout the military justice and administrative-action process.
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National Security Attorney
U.S. Army North | 2020–2022
Served as a principal legal advisor to the Army headquarters responsible for homeland defense and Defense Support of Civil Authorities missions. Advised senior military leaders on complex questions involving constitutional law, military operations, intelligence law, cyber law, emergency authorities, and federal statutory and regulatory requirements. Military evaluations rated performance among the top 5% of officers.
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Administrative Law Attorney
I Corps, Joint Base Lewis-McChord | 2019–2020
Advised commanders and senior leaders on military administrative law and more than 30 complex investigations, including matters involving regulatory compliance, Equal Opportunity, ethics, fiscal law, and other command actions. Drafted more than 110 written legal opinions and also served as a military magistrate and preliminary hearing officer, reviewing search-and-seizure matters and other military justice issues. Rated #1 of six attorneys in the department.
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Special Victims’ Counsel
U.S. Army, Joint Base Lewis-McChord | 2017–2020
Provided individual legal representation to approximately 85 military clients navigating sexual-assault investigations and related criminal and administrative proceedings. Represented clients during interactions with investigators, prosecutors, defense counsel, commanders, and other military officials, and litigated issues involving clients’ privacy and legal rights. Rated the #1 Special Victims’ Counsel at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
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Trial Counsel
1st Cavalry Division / 3d Armored Brigade Combat Team | 2016–2017
Served as an Army prosecutor and command legal advisor supporting approximately 5,000 Soldiers. Handled criminal cases ranging from misdemeanor-level offenses to felonies, advised commanders regarding disciplinary and administrative actions, and worked directly with military law-enforcement personnel on criminal investigations. Also advised more than 35 senior leadership teams on investigations, litigation, and military legal issues.
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Administrative & Operational Law Attorney
2d Armored Brigade Combat Team | 2015–2016
Advised approximately 40 senior military leaders on investigations, administrative separations, regulatory compliance, ethics, financial liability, and other command matters. Regularly advised and trained appointed investigating officers regarding investigative standards, procedures, and legal requirements, providing early experience with the command processes that frequently lead to adverse administrative actions against service members.
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USMA - Constitutional & Military Law Professor - USAR
2026 - Current.
Teach Constitutional and Military Law to cadets at West Point during the summer STAP session.
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Disclaimer
References to military rank, positions, or uniformed service are provided solely as biographical information. Helmsing Military Law, PLLC is a private law practice and is not affiliated with, sponsored, sanctioned, or endorsed by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, or United States Government. Military service and experience do not imply official endorsement of this firm or its services.
Why this Experience Matters to You
Military legal and administrative problems rarely stay in one lane. An investigation can lead to an adverse finding. An adverse finding can affect an evaluation, promotion, assignment, clearance, retention, or retirement. A record issue that looks small today can continue to matter years later.
Because I have worked in different parts of the military legal system, I understand how the same issue may be viewed by different people involved in the process. An investigator may be focused on gathering facts. A commander may be deciding what action to take. A legal adviser may be evaluating what is supportable. A personnel system may later be looking at what ends up in the record.
That perspective helps me ask better questions, identify what information matters, anticipate what may come next, and understand where an issue may lead before deciding how to respond.
Just as importantly, it helps me keep the focus on the larger picture. The goal is not simply to respond to the document in front of you today. It is to understand how today’s problem fits into your broader career, record, goals, and future - and then build the strategy with that full picture in mind.
Begin Your Confidential Consultation
Submit the inquiry form today, and I will respond promptly to explore how we may serve your legal needs with refined expertise. Or, click the button below to schedule a free initial consultation.
Helmsing Military Law, PLLC is a private law firm and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the United States Army, the Department of Defense, or any other federal agency. References to Natalia Helmsing’s military service are provided solely as biographical information. Natalia Helmsing provides legal services exclusively in her civilian capacity. The views expressed on this website are her own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, or the United States Government.