John B. Gately

John B. Gately is an AV-rated former Coast Guard judge advocate who concentrates his practice in the areas of military disability law, military personnel law, correcting military records, military discharge upgrades, veterans benefits, Social Security disability law, administrative hearings and appeals, administrative law, federal criminal law, and federal practice.

He focuses his practice on military disability and veterans’ rights issues, concentrating on representing active duty service members, Reservists, and Guardsmen before the Physical Evaluation Boards of the various armed and uniformed services.  He also represents current and former service members before the Department of Veterans Affairs and the various Boards of Correction for Military and Naval Records on both disability and nonmedical issues.

For more than twenty years, John B. Gately has been awarded the coveted AV rating on anonymous peer reviews conducted annually by Martindale-Hubbell, signifying that he is considered to be preeminent in his field by other legal professionals nationwide. He is listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers in America alongside other nationally known AV-rated practitioners such as Plato Cacheris, Gerry Treanor, and Brendan Sullivan.

He is a member of the ABA, the Judge Advocate Association, the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives, the bars of the Commonwealths of Virginia and Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia.

His hobbies or volunteer activities include gold dredging, volunteering with NGOs combating human trafficking and the use of child soldiers, kayaking, biking, jumping waves with wild abandon on jet skis, and practicing amateur stand-up comedy routines on neighbors, friends, family, business associates, and other hapless, unsuspecting victims.

Practice Areas

Military Law, Military Disability Law, Veterans Benefits,  Correcting Military Records, Military Discharge Upgrades, Military Personnel Law, Social Security Disability, Administrative Law, Administrative Hearings and Appeals, Federal Criminal Law,  Federal Practice