Rodney Glassman
Of Counsel
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odney Glassman was raised in Fresno, California. He studied Agricultural Economics at Cornell University and skated with the Division 1 Cornell Men’s Ice Hockey program in Ithaca, New York, prior to graduating from the University of Arizona, in 1999. A life-long hockey player, Rodney worked full-time running the local ice-skating rink in Tucson while completing both a Masters of Business Administration, Masters of Public Administration, and PhD in Arid Land Resource Sciences (water) prior to being accepted and graduating from the highly ranked, University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.Upon graduating from law school, in 2009, Rodney was commissioned as a 1st Lieutenant in the to the United States Air Force JAG Corps Reserve. He is now the rank of Major and currently serves as Assistant Staff Judge Advocate for the 56th Fighter Wing Legal office, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.
Rodney’s clients have included high-profile individuals and organizations including Dr. Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University; U-Haul, Inc.; Mobile Mini Inc.; Phoenix International Raceway (NASCAR); Brewer Companies, Arizona’s largest new-construction plumbing company; Phil Francis, former CEO of PetSmart; John Graham, Sunbelt Holdings, Inc.; the late John Whiteman, founder of Empire Southwest and the Whiteman Foundation; United Food & Commercial Workers Local 99, which represents over 25,000 working families across Arizona; and the Arizona Society of Cosmetic Surgeons.
Rodney’s practice areas include high-stakes commercial litigation, contract fraud, business torts, and catastrophic personal injury.
Rodney lives with his wife and two daughters in Phoenix and is admitted to practice in Arizona, U.S. District Court – District of Arizona, Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. He is also an Eagle Scout.
Service to Our Nation
In 2009, Rodney applied to the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps Reserve. He obtained his commission in March of 2009, and after completing Air Force officer and JAG training at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, was assigned to the office of the 355th Fighter Wing, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. At Davis-Monthan, Rodney prosecuted sexual assault, financial crimes, drugs, and DUIs, while providing legal assistance to service members and their families.
In 2014, Rodney was reassigned to the 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base, as well as providing operational law support for 612th Air Operations Center and 12th Numbered Air Force in Tucson. Rodney also served in several quasi-judicial roles – as a legal advisor for discharge boards ruling on the admissibility of evidence; and as a preliminary hearing officer where he heard witness testimony and reviewed the government’s evidence to determine if probable cause for the charges existed while providing the commander recommendations on charging and case resolution.
In 2018, Rodney was reassigned to the 354th Fighter Wing, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, where he served as the Acting Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, providing comprehensive legal support to commanders, first sergeants, and organizational leaders responsible for 4,000 personnel. Eielson AFB is home to the F-35A Lightning II and F-16 Fighting Falcon Aggressor Air as well as RED FLAG-Alaska, promoting U.S. interests across the Asia-Pacific region and ensuring the ability to project US airpower in the arctic and Asia-Pacific.
In 2021, Rodney was reassigned as the Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) to the Staff Judge Advocate for the 17th Training Wing, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas where he serves as Acting Staff Judge Advocate for the active-duty legal office during manning shortages. Goodfellow is the home for the Department of Defense Fire Academy and multi-service intelligence technical training. The wing is responsible for training more than 14,000 firefighting and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance warriors annually for the United States Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, other government agencies, and allied nations.
In 2023, Rodney was selected to serve on active duty for six-months performing a Military Personnel Appropriation tour with the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Space Training and Readiness Command, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado. During this period, Rodney engaged in analysis and review of multiple command projects including ethics reviews for the Major General and Field Command leadership, drafting a virtual handbook to facilitate public access to court-martial prosecution records, as well as working with institutions of higher education to provide the academic engagement enterprise with research for Headquarters and illustrative guidance to various offices responsible for the development of Air Force Institute of Technology undergraduate and graduate programs, scholarships, and specific enlisted degree granting programs.
Rodney is currently assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, home of the “Thunderbolts”. The 56th FW is the largest fighter wing in the U.S. Air Force, and its mission is to train the world’s greatest fighter pilots and combat-ready airmen. The Wing oversees the Gila bend Air Force Auxiliary Field and is the steward of the 1.7-million-acre Barry M. Goldwater Military Training Range. Maj Glassman supports the legal office in providing legal advice and services to a base population of 5,600 active duty and civilian personnel.
Among his decorations, Rodney was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Air Force Outstanding Achievement with one oak leaf cluster, and was recognized as JAG Reservist of the Year for the Pacific Air Forces in 2020 and 2019.
Use of Rodney’s military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Department of the US Air Force Reserve or the Department of Defense.