Following completion of law school, attorney Fred Arquilla served in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office as an Assistant State’s Attorney, representing the State of Illinois in pretrial proceedings in felony cases before the Chief Judge of the Cook County Criminal Court. Thereafter, Mr. Arquilla served on active duty in the United States Army as a Judge Advocate officer for 26 years, rising to the rank of colonel. During his military career, Mr. Arquilla served in a variety of important positions in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, including five years as a military trial judge in Europe and in the United States, as a judge on the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals, as a Staff Judge Advocate in South Korea, as chief of the Army Legal Assistance Program, and chief of the Army Government Appellate Division.
Following his military service, Mr. Arquilla entered the private practice of law serving the legal needs of clients in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. The Law Office of Arquilla & Associates, PLC, later renamed Arquilla & Poe, PLC, has been in continuous operation since 1997. Since then, Mr. Arquilla has helped thousands of clients with a variety of legal problems including divorce and related family law matters, trusts and estates, military law issues and personal injury cases. Clients dealing with the unique aspects of military benefits and processes have found Mr. Arquilla's military experience especially valuable.
Since 1991, Mr. Arquilla has contributed his knowledge and expertise to organizations supporting military-related law practice. He served in various capacities with the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel (LAMP), first as the Army military liaison to the Committee, later as a voting member of the Committee, and most recently as a liaison from the Commonwealth of Virginia to the Committee. Mr. Arquilla also is a member of the Military Law Section of the Virginia State Bar, and served as the Chair of this Section from 2001-2003. He also presently serves as counsel to Army Emergency Relief.
Published Works
• Fully Revised Army Regulation 27-3, Army Legal Assistance, 1992
• Army Regulation 608-99, Family Support, Child Custody, and Paternity, 1995
• Army Regulation 608-18, Army Family Advocacy Program, 1984 (significant portions)
Numerous articles published in the Military Law Review and in the Army Lawyer on Military Justice and Legal Assistance, including the following:
• Area Court-Martial Jurisdiction in Korea, ARMY LAW., Mar. 1985
• Changes in Army Policy on Financial Nonsupport and Parental Kidnapping, ARMY LAW., June 1987
• Crime in the Home , ARMY LAW., Apr. 1988
• The New Army Legal Assistance Regulation, ARMY LAW., May 1993
• Family Support, Child Custody, and Paternity, 112 MIL. L. REV. 18 (1986)
• The Survey of Soldiers on Legal Assistance, ARMY LAW., June 1994
• Army Legal Assistance: Update, Initiatives, and Future Challenges, ARMY LAW., Dec. 199
Classes/Seminars
• Presented numerous classes as a guest speaker on military justice, trial and appellate advocacy, and legal assistance at the Army Judge Advocate General’s School in Charlottesville, Virginia and at various U.S. military bases in the United States and Europe.
• Spoke before the Arlington County Bar Association in Virginia on the enforcement of court orders in the military
• Spoke to a national meeting of child support enforcement personnel on the enforcement of child support court orders in the military
• Spoke on law enforcement issues at numerous military family advocacy conferences
Honors and Awards
• American Bar Association Legal Assistance Distinguished Service Award, 1995
• Numerous Military Awards, including the Legion of Merit (2) and Meritorious Service Medal (4)
Past Employment Positions
• U.S. Army, Colonel, Judge Advocate, 1971 – 1997
• Cook County State’s Attorney Office, Chicago, Assistant State’s Attorney, 1970 – 1971
Fraternities
• Sigma Phi Epsilon
Professional Associations and Memberships
• Judge Advocates Association, 2002 – Present
• Retired Judge Advocates Association (RAJA), 1997 – Present
• Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), 1997 – Present
• Fairfax County Bar Association, 1997 – Present
• Virginia State Bar Association, 1997 – Present
• District of Columbia Bar Association, 1991 – Present
• Maryland State Bar Association, 1981 – Present
• Illinois Bar Association, 1971 – Present
• American Bar Association, 1971 – Present
• The National Italian American Bar Association