Court-martials never go as planned. Especially overseas.
You can prepare for every angle, cross every T, and still get blindsided by chaos you never saw coming. I’ve lived it. More than once.
Because when you’re defending service members stationed thousands of miles away from home, “unpredictable” is just part of the job description.
That’s why we built Bilecki Law Firm to thrive in unpredictability, because when everyone else panics, we adapt.
What Happens When the Charges Disappear Mid-Flight?
One time I was flying to Korea for trial. I’d already prepped the case, booked travel, blocked off my calendar, packed my suits, and committed to fighting for my client in court.
While I’m in the air, somewhere over the Pacific, the command drops the charges.
Just like that.
No heads-up. No warning. Nothing.
I landed in Seoul ready to walk into court, only to find out there was no court to walk into.
Now we’re looking at 20+ hours of wasted travel, tens of thousands of dollars in costs for the client, and a logistical mess to clean up, all because the military decided to pull the plug at the last second.
Can you imagine if I’d booked other trials right after that? Or didn’t have the margin to absorb the change?
This is the kind of scenario most lawyers are never ready for. But we are.
Trials That Were Supposed to Last a Week…
I’ve had trials scheduled for one week end up lasting an entire month. That’s not exaggeration. That’s Okinawa, May of last year.
We were supposed to be there for a week. The plan was simple. In and out. Get it done.
Then the prosecution dumped over 10,000 pages of text messages on us at the last minute. All in Puerto Rican slang. All untranslated. All brand new to the case.
Suddenly, we needed translators, new motions, new prep, and more time than anyone had planned for.
A one-week trip turned into a full month.
Hotels ran out. We bounced from room to room. I moved hotels three times in one week—hauling legal documents, suits, and trial gear across Okinawa just to keep the case moving.
Meanwhile, my calendar back in the States was packed. We had to push other cases, move hearings, reschedule client prep, and reorganize the entire schedule.
And we did.
Because we don’t fold when things go sideways.
We adapt.
“You’re Ready to Continue Into Next Week, Right?”
“No, I’m Not.”
Another example: prosecutors underestimate how long their case will take. They think it’ll wrap by Friday. But by Thursday afternoon, they’re still slogging through their side of the story.
Then they look up and say, “We can just push this into next week.”
Meanwhile, I’ve got a flight booked. A client in Japan waiting. A courtroom in Hawaii prepped for a different trial.
So no – I’m not available next week.
That’s not me being inflexible. That’s reality.
We stack our cases with precision. We fly halfway around the world and back on tight timelines. There’s no luxury of delay. No cushion. No “just push it.” We have to deliver now—or someone else’s case suffers.
And still, we find ways to make it work.
You Can’t Fake Flexibility at This Level
This kind of international defense takes more than legal skill.
It takes:
- Experience juggling overlapping trial schedules in multiple countries
- A team that can pivot instantly
- A willingness to eat costs and rearrange life to get it done
- The stamina to keep performing through stress, lack of sleep, and logistical madnessYou don’t build that overnight.
And you sure don’t want someone learning it while defending your freedom.
Because when plans fall apart, your lawyer has two options: Bail out or dig in.
We dig in.
Most Lawyers Would’ve Left. We Stayed.
Back to that Okinawa case – three hotel changes, a trial that lasted triple the expected length, and logistical nightmares the whole way through.
We stayed.
We fought.
And we won.
Not because the conditions were ideal. But because we don’t treat international trials like side quests.
This is the job.
What You’re Paying For Is the Pivot
Look, nobody hires a military defense attorney for things to go perfectly. They hire us for when they don’t.
You’re not just paying for legal advice. You’re paying for:
- Resilience
- Adaptability
- Travel strategy
- Remote communication
- Deep familiarity with overseas court-martials
- And the grit to power through whatever gets thrown our wayWe don’t crack under pressure. We expect it.
That’s why we win cases when others collapse.
Final Thoughts
If you’re stationed overseas and facing charges, the odds are stacked against you.
The military justice system is complex enough stateside. Add 20 hours of travel, foreign languages, new time zones, cultural barriers, and inconsistent command communication?
Now it’s a minefield.
You need someone who won’t panic when the mission changes.
Who’s already been through the worst-case scenarios.
And who still shows up ready to fight—even when everything falls apart.
That’s Bilecki Law Firm.
We’re not just ready for your trial, we’re ready for everything that could go wrong before it even begins.
And when it does?
We’re still standing.
Defending Service Members Globally
Wherever Duty Calls, Our Defense Follows
