How Our Flat Legal Fees Work

Bilecki Law Group, PLLC, a military defense law firm in Tampa, Florida, charges flat legal fees. The legal fee for a court martial covers the Article 32 hearing, motions, trial on the merits and sentencing, as applicable. Travel expenses are separate from the legal fee and are estimated before any travel. The fee, the scope of the work and the anticipated costs are put in writing before you decide whether to retain the firm.

What does the flat legal fee cover?

Your legal fee pays for Tim Bilecki and Ben Gold to build and lead your defense. The written agreement defines the work included.

• Court martial. The fee covers the Article 32 hearing, motions, trial on the merits and sentencing, as applicable. We do not add a legal fee because the case proceeds beyond Article 32, and we do not charge for additional trial days.
• Investigation. An investigation is a separate engagement with its own flat legal fee. If the matter ends during the investigation, you owe only the investigation fee.
• GOMOR rebuttal, administrative separation board or board of inquiry. Each has its own flat fee when handled as its own matter. We do not charge for additional board days. A written response already included in an investigation agreement remains part of that engagement.

Does hiring the firm early cost more if charges follow?

No. For the same case and scope, you do not pay more in combined legal fees because you brought us in early. If charges are preferred, the court martial legal fee becomes due at preferral. The investigation fee and the court martial fee together equal what we would charge if you waited until preferral to hire us.

Does a contested trial cost more than a guilty plea?

No. The court martial legal fee is the same whether the case resolves with a guilty plea or goes to a contested trial. You should not have to choose a plea because the fee goes up if you fight.

How are travel expenses handled?

Travel expenses are separate from our legal fees. Before we travel, we provide an estimate. Your advance goes into client trust, and we provide an itemized accounting of the expenses, including any mileage or per diem specified in your agreement. We return unused funds. If expenses exceed the advance, we explain the additional charges and bill the difference.

When scheduling allows us to handle more than one case in the same location, sharing travel expenses can reduce each client’s cost.

What else can cost money?

Privately retained investigators and experts are separate from legal fees. Necessary assistance approved for military funding is not charged to you. Ask about the whole cost at the consultation, including travel and any investigation or expert work that would need private funding.

What happens before the firm is retained?

• The first attorney consultation the firm accepts and schedules is free. We use it to discuss the case, our role, the scope, the legal fee and anticipated expenses.
• The firm completes its conflict check before any representation begins.
• No representation begins until the firm and the client sign a written agreement.

What if cost is a concern?

Tell us. For a general or special court martial, detailed military defense counsel is available without a private legal fee, and you can keep your military lawyer as part of the defense team if you hire us. Do not put off getting military defense advice while you decide whether to retain a civilian firm.

More detail: Military defense FAQs · Court martial defense · Worldwide defense · Request a consultation