The D.C. Bar blogger, June Phillips Johnson, recently interviewed KCNF’s Elisabeth Baker-Pham to discuss her career path in security clearance law and the unique challenges she encounters in her representation of security clearance holders and applicants. In the blog, “Elisabeth Baker-Pham: Embracing the Challenge in Security Clearance Advocacy,” Baker-Pham explains that she enjoys the challenges involved in her work, where, “On the one hand, effective representation in clearance matters requires the same attention to detail and interpersonal skills that I used representing plaintiffs in employment cases. On the other hand, it is also vital to understand the government’s complex and evolving interests. When it comes to security clearances, the stakes are high for the government, and adjudicators will resolve any doubt in favor of national security.”
Baker-Pham also shares the most common reasons for adverse decisions in clearance applications and describes the complicated whistleblower laws that protect federal sector employees who hold security clearances. Stressing the importance of effective advocacy in security clearance matters, she explains that “a clearance holder’s eligibility has the likelihood of impacting their ability to hold [not only] their current position but [also] any sensitive position. An adverse decision will likely have a career-changing effect.”
Read the full article here.