decored background

United States

Deirdre G. Brou

Call To Schedule

Biography

Deirdre G. Brou

Federal Employment Attorney | USERRA Lawyer | SCRA Attorney | Former U.S. Department of Justice Attorney | Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel

When federal employees, servicemembers, and veterans face career-changing legal problems, they need an attorney who understands both the law and the federal government from the inside.

Deirdre G. Brou is a former U.S. Department of Justice attorney, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, and former Army Judge Advocate (JAG) who has spent more than three decades serving the military and federal government. Today, she represents federal employees, servicemembers, veterans, and military families in federal employment law, USERRA, SCRA, military administrative law, and veterans’ rights matters.

Few attorneys bring Deirdre’s combination of military leadership, federal litigation experience, and government service. During her career with the Department of Justice, she spent more than seven years enforcing the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), handling some of the nation’s most significant servicemember rights cases. She now uses that experience to advocate for the very individuals those laws were designed to protect.

Why Clients Choose Deirdre Brou

  • Former U.S. Department of Justice attorney who enforced USERRA and SCRA nationwide
  • Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and former Army Judge Advocate (JAG)
  • More than 30 years of military, federal government, and litigation experience
  • Represents federal employees before the EEOC, MSPB, and other administrative agencies
  • Extensive experience in military administrative law and veterans’ rights
  • National speaker and author on military and federal employment law
  • Published legal scholar whose work has been cited by federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court

Military service has been a defining part of Deirdre’s life. As the daughter of a career U.S. Army officer, she developed a firsthand understanding of military service, sacrifice, and the unique legal issues facing servicemembers and their families.

After graduating from the University of Virginia, she was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant through Army ROTC and served in the Transportation Corps before being selected for the Army’s highly competitive Funded Legal Education Program. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law and became a Judge Advocate in 2002.

During more than twenty years on active duty, Deirdre served in numerous legal and leadership positions, including prosecutor, criminal defense counsel, civil litigation attorney, legislative fellow, and Special Assistant United States Attorney. She retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2014.

Following military retirement, Deirdre continued her public service with the U.S. Department of Justice and later the Federal Trade Commission. As a Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, she investigated, litigated, and resolved complex cases involving USERRA and SCRA violations across a broad range of industries. She left federal service in 2024 to devote her practice to representing federal employees, servicemembers, and veterans.

Deirdre is one of the few private attorneys in the country with extensive experience enforcing both the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) on behalf of the United States.

Her Department of Justice experience included litigation involving:

  • Military employment discrimination
  • Reemployment rights
  • Wrongful termination of Reserve and National Guard members
  • Illegal evictions
  • Residential lease violations
  • Vehicle repossessions
  • Interest-rate protections
  • Consumer financial protections
  • Pattern-or-practice investigations
  • Employer compliance
  • Housing discrimination affecting servicemembers

She has handled matters involving employers, local governments, landlords, property management companies, financial institutions, towing companies, and other businesses whose actions affected the legal rights of servicemembers.

Representative Matters

USERRA

SCRA

Representative SCRA enforcement matters included:

Deirdre represents federal employees throughout every stage of the federal employment process, including matters before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).

Her federal employment law practice includes:

  • EEOC complaints
  • Employment discrimination
  • Disability discrimination
  • Religious accommodation
  • Reasonable accommodation
  • Retaliation claims
  • Sexual harassment
  • Proposed removals
  • Suspensions
  • Performance-based actions
  • Adverse actions
  • MSPB appeals
  • Settlement negotiations
  • Agency investigations

Having served as both a military attorney and federal government attorney, Deirdre understands how agencies investigate personnel matters, evaluate evidence, and defend litigation.

Deirdre assists active-duty servicemembers, reservists, National Guard members, and veterans with a broad range of military administrative matters, including:

  • Administrative separation boards
  • Officer elimination actions
  • Article 15 proceedings
  • Boards for Correction of Military Records
  • Discharge upgrades
  • Military personnel record corrections
  • Adverse administrative actions
  • Inspector General matters

Her decades of military service provide clients with practical insight into military procedures and decision-making.

Deirdre assists active-duty servicemembers, reservists, National Guard members, and veterans with a broad range of military administrative matters, including:

  • Administrative separation boards
  • Officer elimination actions
  • Article 15 proceedings
  • Boards for Correction of Military Records
  • Discharge upgrades
  • Military personnel record corrections
  • Adverse administrative actions
  • Inspector General matters

Deirdre is a nationally recognized author and speaker on military law, veterans’ rights, and federal employment law.

She has taught at the Department of Justice’s National Advocacy Center, instructed military legal education programs, presented continuing legal education seminars for bar associations, and spoken before Veterans Service Organizations, judges, and court personnel.

Her publications include:

  • Protecting Those Who Protect Us: An Introduction to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act and Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (DOJ Journal of Federal Law & Practice, 2022)
  • Alternatives to the Judicially Promulgated Feres Doctrine (Military Law Review, 2007)

Her scholarship has been cited by multiple federal courts, including Justice Clarence Thomas in Carter v. United States (2025).Her decades of military service provide clients with practical insight into military procedures and decision-making.

  • Virginia
  • District of Columbia
  • South Carolina (Inactive)
  • United States Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims

LL.M., Military Law (Administrative & Civil Law)
The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School

J.D.
University of South Carolina School of Law

B.A., Foreign Affairs, History Minor
University of Virginia

  • Federal Employment Law
  • EEOC Complaints
  • MSPB Appeals
  • USERRA Litigation
  • Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA)
  • Military Administrative Law
  • Veterans’ Rights
  • Military Record Corrections
  • Discharge Upgrades
  • Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA)

Whether advocating for a federal employee challenging an adverse personnel action, a reservist denied reemployment rights under USERRA, a servicemember seeking protection under the SCRA, or a veteran pursuing correction of military records, Deirdre Brou brings unmatched government experience, military leadership, and a commitment to protecting those who have served our nation.

Testimonials

MOST COMPETENT PROVIDER OF MILITARY SPECIFIC LEGAL REPRESENTATION AVAILABLE.
Patriots Law Group is the most competent provider of military-specific legal representation available. I’ve watched other law firms fall short time and again throughout my career. Patriots is the only firm (in my experience) that consistently wins. In addition to the multi-million dollar relief recently achieved on behalf of Reserve Component members assigned to U.S. Army Europe, Patriots has also scored separate, individual victories for four of my peers in the last six years. Retain them with confidence!
TRULY STAND BY THEIR MOTTO OF SERVICE, INTEGRITY AND EXCELLENCE!
Patriots Law Group was superb! Not only did I get an amazing attorney, but an amazing TEAM! Mike Lyons and Jackie Koromah ensured that I received everything that I was entitled to having been a military spouse for over 35 years…

I HIGHLY recommend Patriots Law Group of Lyons and Hughes, they truly stand by their motto of Service Integrity and Excellence!
MOST COMPETENT PROVIDER OF MILITARY SPECIFIC LEGAL REPRESENTATION AVAILABLE.
PLG represented my case with utmost professionalism and 110% engagement. Attorney Hughes,  in an extremely small amount of time developed a complete understanding of my case, and immediately applied the best course of action in accordance with EEOC Laws and Regulations. His personal engagement, tenacity, and knowledge in this field of law gave me the confidence that I had the best Lawyer on my side.